DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z February 9, 2008
Western and Central Texas: Strong northwesterly winds blowing across western Texas kicked up an area of blowing dust/sand which spread southeastward from a source region north of Midland to the area southeast of San Angelo in south central Texas. The gusty winds also fanned scattered fires present in western and south central Texas. In west Texas, a moderately dense to dense smoke plume moved quickly southeastward from a fire located near the border of Andrews, Martin, and Midland Counties. A large dense smoke plume fanned out as it moved off to the east-southeast from a fire close to the Kerr-Real County border of south central Texas. This plume reached the northern portion of the San Antonio metro area by sunset. A long and thin smoke plume was observed moving to the southeast from a fire along the Val Verde-Edwards border in southwestern Texas. Southern and Southeastern US: A massive number of fires were detected across the area stretching from eastern Texas, Louisiana, and southern Arkansas to northern Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Many smoke plumes were also seen in visible satellite imagery over this large region. In eastern Texas, a moderately dense plume was noted moving to the northeast from a fire in southern San Augustine County. In western and north central Louisiana, moderately dense to dense smoke plumes spread northeastward from fires in Vernon and western Winn Parishes. The most pronounced smoke plume in Arkansas originated from a fire in western Columbia County in the southwestern part of the state and also moved off to the northeast. Moderately dense to dense smoke plumes were most significant across central and southeastern Mississippi. Among the most noteworthy in Mississippi included plumes moving to the northeast from fires in Scott, Jasper, Jones, and along the border of Forrest-Perry Counties, and Jackson-Harrison Counties. In southwestern Alabama, moderately dense to dense plumes moved northeastward from fires in Washington and Clarke Counties while a fire close to the Talladega-Clay border in east central Alabama emitted a moderately dense to dense northeastward moving plume. Northern Florida also had quite a few significant smoke plumes. Moderately dense to dense plumes moved off to the east-northeast from fires in Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Liberty, Wakulla, and Franklin Counties. A bit farther to the east, a large fire was still burning as of 0400Z in southern Lafayette County of northern Florida. This fire produced a large moderately dense to dense smoke plume which moved in an east-northeast direction toward Jacksonville. Across Georgia and the Carolinas, fires and smoke plumes were just as numerous as spots to the southwest, but the smoke plumes were generally somewhat smaller and of thinner density. JS