Monday, January 28, 2008

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0015Z January 29, 2008

Sand storm:  Kansas
A large sand/dust storm has developed over western and central KS under
influence from the passing strong cyclone and higher westerly sfc winds
behind it.  Generally the area is separated into two areas from 2 or 3
source regions and both areas are moving just ENE.
The northern source region started around E Kiowa county in CO, and
quickly moved into Greeley and Wichita counties.  As the sun is setting,
the back edge extends between E Ness and SE Trego counties and covered
Ellis, SE Rooks, Osbourne, N Russell, Mitchell, S Jewell, and NW Cloud
counties.
The southern source region was in NE Baca county CO, Stanton county KS,
and eventually northern portions of Texas/Beaver counties in OK and
Southern portions of Stevens and Seward in KS.  Only Baca and Stanton
counties have ceased as of sunset but the others as well as Grant,
Haskell, S Finney (and far E too), Gray, Meade, Hodgeman, Ford, Edwards,
Pawnee, S Rush, and NW Barton were affected by the sand.  The most dense
area (which was moderate to dense) was centered from Johnson City to
Ulysses to Cimarron to Jetmore to Sanford.


Smoke:
New Jersey:
A few fires were burning across central NJ today produced thin smoke
that has developed into a 110km long plume and extends SE from the
Atlantic/Camden county line. The plume is on average about 28km wide

Virgina/North Carolina:
A fire near Angelico/Worrell in Southampton county is producing a 10km
wide plume of thin smoke that extends ESE barely into northern Hertford
county,NC.

S South Carolina/SE Georgia:
A triangle from Charleston, SC to Sardis, GA to Hinesville, GA had
multiple small fires that produced thin to moderate smoke that wafted
toward the ENE very slowly (which is why the density was a bit higher)
not covering much but a 5x10 km area or 5x20km line around their sources.
The fires to the north and west of Charleston, SC had smoke move directly
over town by sunset.

Western and SW Georgia:
A few small fires in the Flint River area produced very thin smoke that
barely drifted Neward.
A fire on the western portions of MT. Benning (E of Cusseta) produced a
thin smoke plume that moved due north in a line that extended to Waverly
Hall in S Harris county. The plume was about 10km wide.

Central and Southern Florida:
A fire south of Deer Park, FL along the county line produced a plume of
thin to moderate smoke that moved SSW across southern Osceola county to
the Polk/Okeechobee county line.
A fire along the Glades/Highland county line near Brighton produced
a moderately dense plume of smoke that moved SSW across US-27 to the
Glades/Hendry county line near Port La Belle, FL
A small fire near or along SR-70 in SW Highlands county was thin in
density and also moved SSW covering about a 10km wide line that extended
across SE DeSoto county to NE Charlotte county.
A moderately dense fan of smoke from a fire in central Charlotte county
moved SSW across N Ft. Myers area and across the Charlotte Harbor and
N Sanibel island.

Florida Panhandle:
A thin plume of smoke can be seen emitted from a fire in the northern
portions of the Lower Suwannee Nat'l Wildlife Refuge...along the River
itself.  The plume moved SW over the town of Suwanee and extended about
an additional 5-10km out into the Gulf. The plume is about 5km wide.

Multiple fires across Gulf/S Liberty/Franklin and along the
Liberty/Wakulla county line have produced smoke that has very limited
motion (maybe a slight drift E).  The smoke is moderate in density due
to the lack of winds.

Gallina

 


Unless otherwise indicated:
  • Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.
  • Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.
  • A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.
  • Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.