DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0015Z March 17, 2008
Update for sand storm: A large area of sand is being kicked up by very strong Swly flow out of Mexico. The source regions are all the deserts of Northern Chihuahua and deserts of Luna county, NM. The sand is covering all of N and NE Chihuahua, western portions of the W TX panhandle and S Sierra, Dona Ana and Otero county. Most likely areas NW of Otero county also have very dense dust/sand, but dense cloud cover obscures the area. Gulf of Mexico: An area of thin smoke from fires Friday night has remained trapped along the boundary/front across the norther GoM across central FL and into the Atlantic. Currently, the smoke area is about 2 degrees wide from 26-28N from Grand Bahama and Abaco across central FL (between Melbourne to Ft. Lauderdale on the east coast, and between Brandenton to Marco Island on the west) and thins out to about 1 degree (between 26-27N around 85-87W. Here the area of smoke begins to lift Nwward toward under the influence of a developing Low over the Southern Rockies...so the northern boundary of thin smoke extends to the NW to around Galvaston Bay, while the southern boundary extends toward the W along 26N until it reachs a large area of thin smoke from the oil rigs in the Bay of Campeche, that have been moving due west and now cover all of the Western Gulf (W of 95W) including near coastal land areas of Mexico and SE TX. Georgia: A fire in NW Jones county is producing moderate smoke that is moving due south in a 15km wide swath to E Houston county. Florida: A fire in SW Okaloosa county earlier produced a moderately sized area of thin to moderate smoke that moved WSW into Pensecola Bay and northern GoM as far west as the MS/AL st line (but still about 20-40km offshore). Alabama: A fire along the central Winston/Walker county line is producing thin to moderate smoke that is extending SW into far NW and N Tuscaloosa county in a 5-10km wide plume. Mississippi: A fire in central Perry county is prouducing dense smoke that is moving NW covering all of Forrest and E Lamar counties. Thin smoke from earlier was moving due west and has reached S Marion county. A fire on the Stone/Harrison county line is producing thin smoke that is moving due west and has reached the Tangipahoa parish line in LA. The width of the plume is about 5-10km wide. A fire along the river betwen the Amite and Franklin county line earlier produced moderately dense smoke that is moving W and extends from S Grant/N Rapides parish back to the MS/LA state line. Louisiana: A fire in NC Grant parish is producing wisps of thin smoke that have a feathered appearance as it moves due west to NW across to De Soto and extreme SE Caddo parishes. The most dense section of smoke is the southern portion of the fan. Texas: A fire in NE Houston county is producing a plume of thin smoke that is extending NW in a 15-20km wide line out to S Kaufman and ext. E Ellis county. Mexico/S TX: The large forest fire south of Monterrey, MX along the Neuvo Leon state line continues to emit moderate to dense smoke that has been moving NNE acros NW Nuevo Leon...though it is difficult to see through increasing upper level clouds. Some thin to moderate smoke has reached Zapata county into central Webb county. California: A new wilfire across extreme NW Inyo county near Bishop, CA has been producing a cloud that does not look very much like smoke but more like a heat induced Cumulus or weak Cumulonimbus. This cloud has been pulsing in intensity but moving SSW over the main spine of the Sierra Nevada Mtns. Gallina