THROUGH 0100Z December 31, 2007
The presumed fires associated with the oil rigs in the southern Bay of Campeche continue to emit a rather dense smoke plume this evening. It does appear as though the smoke does not extend quite as far north as it did yesterday with the furthest northern extent being to about 23 degrees north latitude or about the central Gulf of Mexico. Southwest Louisiana: A cluster of fires over southwest Cameron parish, just east of Port Arthur, combined to produce a locally moderately dense smoke plume that was drifting to the southwest into the offshore waters of the northwest Gulf of Mexico. Southwest Arizona/Baja California and far northwest Sonora: Fires continue to cluster along the Colorado River valley of Southwest Arizona and the Baja California/Sonora area. These fires combined to produce a locally moderately dense smoke plume that was drifting south along the Colorado River Valley towards the northern Gulf of California. Widespread fire activity was located just east of the Bahia de San Jorge and extending southeast towards Cerro Viejo. This fire activity combined to produce a widespread area of moderately dense smoke with one portion of the plume drifting mostly south towards Cabo Tepoca while another portion was drifting east/southeast towards Las Trincheras. Hanna