DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0045Z OCTOBER 31, 2007
Southern California: Smoke was no longer visible in satellite imagery from any of the fires in southern California. Southwestern Canada...British Columbia: A large number of fires were detected across the central and southern portions of British Columbia province. Some cloudiness interfered with smoke detection, however, some moderately dense plumes were evident in satellite imagery. Washington/Oregon/Idaho/Montana: Scattered smoke producing fires were visible this afternoon and evening, particularly across the Idaho panhandle. Moderately dense to locally dense smoke plumes were moving to the east and southeast from fires burning in Clearwater and Idah Counties of Idaho and Ravalli County of western Montana. Arizona/New Mexico: Several narrow moderately dense smoke plumes were moving off to the northeast from fires in the southern portion of Coconino County of central Arizona. A fire in central Sandoval County of north central New Mexico was responsible for large moderately dense to dense smoke plume which moved to the east during the late afternoon and early evening. South Central Canada: Widespread cloudiness covered the region of southeastern Saskatchewan and southwstern Manitoba provinces as well as North Dakota and Minnesota after yesterday's tremendous number of fires which prevented satellite detection. Farthern to the east, several batches of fires were analyzed in southwestern Ontario province, north of Minnesota and Lake Superior. Smoke plumes were visible at times through breaks in the clouds moving to the north, but little additional information could be obtained due to the cloudiness. Southern and Southeastern US: Numerous fires with a number of smoke plumes were observed this afternoon and early evening across the southern and southeastern regions from Alabama to eastern Oklahoma and southeastern Texas. Mainly thin to locally moderately dense smoke plumes were visible moving primarily to the west from the fires in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The smoke plumes generally moved to the northwest and north- northwest across Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, and eastern and northeastern Texas. Also, a large leftover batch of thin to moderately dense from yesterday's big smoke producing fires in southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana was visible early this morning and late this afternoon with the favorable low sun viewing angle across the western Gulf of Mexico and southeastern Texas. By late in the afternoon, the smoke appeared to be moving back inland over southeastern Texas. Hawaii: Vegetation burned by lava flows from the Kilauea Volcano continues to occasionally emit smoke mixed with the volcanic steam/fog. The smoke plume today was again moving to the west along the southern portion of the big island of Hawaii. The fire buring for the past couple of days in northern Hawaii was still visible today but little smoke could be seem in satellite imagery partly due to cloudiness in the region. A short lived fire in central Maui produced a quick puff of smoke which moved to the west and offshore this morning. JS