DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z March 11, 2008
An incredible number of fires along with numerous smoke plumes were detected in the south central region (including Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma) and the southeastern states (including northern Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina). Kansas/Missouri/Oklahoma: Among the most noteworthy fires/smoke plumes analyzed in Kansas include a southward moving moderately dense smoke plume originating from a fire in Butler County of southeastern Kansas. Farther to the west, a couple of moderately dense puffs of smoke emanated from a fire in Gray County of southwestern Kansas and moved to the southeast. In Missouri, most of the plumes were of the relatively small and thin density variety. A rather small but moderately dense plume was observed moving mainly in a southerly direction from a fire in Camden County of west central Missouri. Across Oklahoma, plenty of smoke producing fires were detected. A large thin smoke plume fanned out as it moved southward from a fire in Osage County of north central Oklahoma. Thin to moderately dense plumes were visible moving to the south from fires in Carter and Jefferson Counties of south central Oklahoma as well as southern Cleveland County of central Oklahoma, and Okmulgee County of east central Oklahoma. Northern Florida/Alabama/Georgia/South Carolina: Thin to moderately dense smoke originating from a fire in Okaloosa County of the western Florida panhandle moved northward into southern Alabama and combined with smoke from other fires nearby to form a somewhat larger patch. The same situation existed farther to the east with thin to moderately dense smoke from fires in Jefferson County of northern Florida moving northward into southern Georgia and combining with smoke from other nearby fires. Over Alabama, several fires combined to form a batch of mainly thin but locally moderately dense smoke across the east central portion of the state. Moderately dense to locally dense smoke was visible moving to the east from a fire in Chilton County of central Alabama. A bit farther to the east, moderately dense to locally dense smoke originated from fires in Talladega and Calhoun Counties of northeastern Alabama and moved eastward into northwestern Georgia. Over the remainder of Georgia, primarily thin smoke plumes were observed in visible imagery. Moderately dense plumes were detected moving to the northeast from fires near the Burke-Richmond County border of east central Georgia and Bryan County of southeastern Georgia. In both cases, these areas of smoke moved across the border into portions of South Carolina. Elsewhere, all of the smoke plumes analyzed over South Carolina were of the thin density variety and were moving in a northerly or northeasterly direction. Hawaii: The usual possible smoke plume mixed with volcanic steam/fog (VOG) emanating from the Kilauea Volcano lava flows was partly visible through the clouds moving to the west-southwest along the southern coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. JS