DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z April 12, 2008
Gulf of Mexico: The large area of thin to moderately dense smoke described in the earlier smoke text narrative still extends from southeastern Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, and western Central America northward across the Bay of Campeche to the western Gulf of Mexico just off the southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana coast. This smoke was due to ongoing seasonal fires burning across southern and southeastern Mexico as well as portions of Central America. Florida: Moderately dense to locally dense smoke from a fire in central Sarasota County of west central Florida was visible moving to the west and offshore during the afternoon. A fire in eastern Columbia County of northeastern Florida produce a thin to moderately dense smoke plume which fanned out as it moved mainly in an easterly direction and across the Jacksonville metro area. Georgia: A fire along the border of Long and Liberty Counties of southeastern Georgia was responsible for a large moderately dense to locally dense smoke plume which also fanned out as it moved to the northeast and east across Savannah and southern South Carolina before moving offshore. California: A fire on Sherman Island east of San Francisco in the Delta was emitting a thin to moderately dense black smoke plume which moved westward across a portion of the San Francisco-Oakland metro areas. A narrow smoke plume of mainly thin density was spreading in a westward direction from a fire in Mariposa County in the foothills of the central Sierras. Oregon: Fires in western Jackson and southeastern Klamath Counties of southern Oregon were producing moderately dense to locally dense smoke plumes which moved in a westward direction. Montana: Several fires in Teton County of western Montana were emitting primarily thin smoke plumes which moved to the east-southeast. Hawaii: Extensive cloud cover limited any smoke detection around the Big Island from lava flows burning vegetation. A swath of what is believed to be mainly volcanic steam/fog (VOG) was visible moving to the northwest and well offshore of the Big Island. JS