Thursday, May 22, 2008

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0130Z May 23 2008

California:
A 3000 acre wildfire continues to burn in the Santa Cruz Mountains (Santa
Cruz and southwest Santa Clara counties) producing dense to very dense
smoke moving south along the California coast.  Very dense smoke spreads
south into western/central sections of Monterey county with moderately
dense to dense smoke moving into the western sections of Santa Barbara,
San Luis Obispo counties and across the Channel Islands.  Most of the
very dense smoke is remaining off the  California coast.

Minnesota/North Dakota:
A fire in Roseau county is producing moderately dense smoke moving
west into Kittson county Minnesota and into Pembina county in northeast
North Dakota.  Another fire is burning on the border of Pennington and
Marshall counties with light smoke moving west into Polk county.
Multiple fires are burning across northern/central Polk county with
multiple plumes of light smoke moving west into counties in northeast
North Dakota.  In central Aitken county a fire is producing moderately
dense smoke moving west into Crow Wing and Cass counties.  Moderately
dense smoke is also moving south SW into Kanabee and Mille Lacs counties.
In northern Morrison county a fire is emitting light smoke west into
Otter Tail, Todd and northern sections of Grant and Douglas counties.

Alabama/Georgia:
A fire on the border of Talladega and Clay counties is producing dense
smoke moving north into Calhoun county.  Light to moderately dense smoke
is moving east into Randolph, Cleburne and Clay counties in Alabama
and Haralson, Carroll, Heard and sections of western Fulton and Douglas
counties.

Washington:
A fire in central Yakima county (near the town of Goose Prairie) is
producing light to moderately dense smoke southeast across the county
(staying within county borders).

Earlier Today:
Gulf of Mexico/Texas Gulf Coast/Florida:
There is an area of haze throughout the entire Gulf of Mexico which
appears to be remnants of smoke from the fires in the Yucatan Peninsula.
The haze extends up the east coast of Texas and is being carried eastward
over southern Florida and the Bahamas in the westerly flow to the south
of a frontal boundary.


 


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.