DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z January 8, 2008
Southeastern US: A rather large number of fires were detected in satellite imagery during the day stretching from Alabama/Georgia/Florida to Virginia. Due to patchy cloudiness across the region, less than 20 of these fires were producing smoke which was discernible in visible satellite imagery. The most significant smoke producing fires were located in the Florida panhandle. Moderately dense to even locally dense smoke plumes were visible moving to the northwest from fires in Okaloosa, Franklin, and Taylor counties of the Florida panhandle. Farther to the south, small patches of thin smoke were observed during the afternoon moving to the northwest across Lake Okeechobee. This smoke was likely the result of rather short lived agricultural fires in areas to the south and southeast of Lake Okeechobee. Western Texas/Southeastern New Mexico: Some blowing dust/sand was apparent in satellite imagery during the late afternoon moving to the northeast from sources in far north central New Mexico. The blowing dust/sand spread from Mexico across southeastern New Mexico and far western Texas, including El Paso. Hawaii: Once again, possible smoke mixed with the usual volcanic steam/fog (Vog) was present coming from the Kilauea lava flows. The area of possible smoke/vog moved generally to the west-southwest along the southern coast of the big island of Hawaii and out over the Pacific. JS