DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0215Z MAY 31, 2008
Northern Gulf of Mexico/Southern US: A patch of haze was visible over the north central part of the Gulf of Mexico extending into the southern US states of Alabama and Georgia. This haze may be from the seasonal burnings in Mexico or the fires on the west coast of Lake Okeechobee. Florida: There is light to moderately dense smoke being emitted from the two fires on the western coast of Lake Okeechobee located in Glades county. The smoke is moving to the west and extends into the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana/Southern Arkansas: There are numerous fires in the eastern parishes of Louisiana and southern Arkansas which are producing light smoke which is moving northward. There is also an area of haze which could be from the seasonal burnings in Mexico. New Mexico: A large fire in Socorro county is producing moderately dense to dense smoke which extends over 150km to the east reaching Guadalupe county. Light smoke is fanning out the the southeast from a fire in the northwestern corner of San Juan county. Oregon: Light to moderately dense smoke from a fire in western Lane county is traveling southwest offshore into the Pacific. Central Canada/northeastern Montana/northwestern North Dakota: A region of haze with some possible contribution from smoke was observed moving to the southeast across central Alberta, southern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba province of south central Canada into northeastern Montana and northwestern North Dakota. Cloudiness a bit farther to the southeast limited additional haze/smoke detection. The source region for this possible smoke was not known at this time. Earlier: Mexico/Southern and South Central US: A large mass of haze was evident in satellite imagery stretching from southern Baja, the eastern Pacific, and southwestern Mexico northeastward across a large portion of the southern and south central US which is most likely leftover smoke from seasonal fires burning over southern and southwestern Mexico. The mixture of smoke and other atmospheric pollutants covered southeastern New Mexico, much of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, southeastern Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and western Tennessee. The smoke appeared to be the thickest from northeastern Texas to eastern Kansas and western Missouri, and also from Louisiana and Mississippi to Missouri. Farther to the east, the haze was not nearly as visible due to the unfavorable morning sun angle using the GOES-East satellite. Salemi/JS