DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z January 23, 2008
Southeastern US: Widespread cloudiness covered a good portion of the Southeast which greatly limited smoke detection in satellite imagery. Quite a few fires were analyzed through occasional small breaks in the clouds over Florida, however no smoke could be identified through these small breaks. Southwestern South Dakota: Numerous fires, which were believed to be prescribed controlled burns, were detected across the Black Hills region of southwestern South Dakota. However no smoke was observed in satellite imagery due to the presence of cloudiness moving across the area during the afternoon. Snow cover there also hindered smoke detection since it creates an unfavorable background for viewing smoke. Southeastern California: Several fires south of the Salton Sea in Imperial County of southeastern California were emitting thin plumes of smoke which spread generally in an eastward direction. Hawaii: The usual possible thin and narrow smoke plume, apparently due to lava flows burning vegetation, was observed moving to the west-southwest from the Kilauea Volcano. JS