Friday, May 2, 2008

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0115Z May 3, 2008

South and East Texas and the western Gulf Coast:
A large area of light to moderately dense smoke covers much of the western
Gulf of Mexico. Eastern Texas and Louisiana. This area has a mixture
of smoke from the numerous agricultural fires burning in Mexico and
Central America and the large wildfires that were burning last evening
and through the day today in West Texas. One area of smoke was mainly
east and south of a line from near Laredo to Texarkana. An area of light
to moderate smoke generated from the large blaze in Pecos county this
evening extended from the source eastward to near Concho county.

Texas Panhandle/Oklahoma/Kansas/Missouri:
An area of light to moderate aerosol was seen extending from
the Texas/Oklahoma panhandles east and northeast across northern
Oklahoma. Southern Kansas and into western Missouri. This area is
rotating around in the circulation of a large storm system over the
Central Plains. The source and composition of the aerosol is not certain
but it is likely a mixture of smoke and blowing dust from the past 2
days over Texas and New Mexico.

Colorado/New Mexico:
A fire in La Plata county in southwest Colorado had a plume of light
smoke extending to the southeast and reaching eastern Rio Arriba by
sunset. A narrow plume of thin smoke extending into northwest Lincoln
county was associated with the long running fine in western Torrance
county.  A fire in northern Otero county had a plume of mainly light
smoke extending about 150 km to the east. A fire in northern Lea county
ignited late in the evening and had a short plume of light to moderate
smoke extending to the southeast.

California/Arizona/Utah:
A large area of aerosol has moved inland with a storm system. This aerosol
is believed to be smoke from the massive Russian fires of about a week
ago. This area cover much of coastal central and southern California and
extends inland across southern California and through southern Nevada,
extreme northwest Arizona and southwest Utah. Much of this is light
but there is an area of moderate smoke along and lust off the coast in
the San Francisco Bay area and another stretching from the Los Angeles
area northeast through Las Vegas and into southwest Utah. There is
a separate small smoke plume with a fire along the Washington/Kane
county border. This area of light to moderate smoke was drifting to
the southeast.

Washington/Idaho/Montana:
A fire in northern Ferry county in Washington had a plume of locally
dense smoke that was drifting north into northwest Stevens county and
just across the Canadian border. Fires in Lincoln county Montana and
Clearwater and Shoshone county had light to moderately dense smoke that
was mainly drifting to the north within about 25 km of the blaze. Two
fires in eastern Mineral county Montana had light smoke plumes that
extended to the east into Lake and Missoula counties.

Southeast:
Smoke from the fire in western Hernando county extended continued to
move about 100 km into the Gulf. A fire on the western shore of Lake
Okeechobee had a plume of light smoke extending into the Gulf. A fire
along the southern Talladega/Clay county border in Alabama had a plume
of moderately dense smoke lift to the north into northeast Alabama. Two
fires in southeast Georgia had puffs of thin smoke that lifted to the
north and reached the South Carolina border near Augusta near sunset. A
fire in Chesterfield county in South Carolina had a plume of mainly
light smoke that lifted to the north and fanned out as it reached central
North Carolina.


Manitoba/Saskatchewan:
Numerous agricultural fires were seen across the southern half of these
provinces. Numerous puffs of smoke were generated which were all drifting
south with a few reaching the North Dakota border.


Ruminski

 


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.