DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z May 18, 2008
North Carolina: A moderately dense smoke plume was visible moving to the east from a fire in eastern Pamlico County of east central North Carolina. The smoke from this fire moved across Pamlico Sound and over Cape Hatteras before moving out over the Atlantic. South Florida: The Mustang Corner fire in western Miami-Dade County continued to produce significant moderately dense to locally dense smoke which moved more in an easterly direction and across Homestead during the afternoon before exiting the coast. The Myakka Cut fire along the western shores of Lake Okeechobee in eastern Glades County also was emitting moderately dense to locally dense smoke during the day which spread to the east across Lake Okeechobee to near West Palm Beach. Thinner smoke from this fire was also seen offshore moving across the northern Bahamas. Bahamas: Significant fires continue to burn on Great Abaco Island in the northern Bahamas resulting in dense smoke plumes which moved to the east over the Atlantic. Oklahoma: A fire close to the border of Ellis and Woodward counties in northwestern Oklahoma emitted a thin to moderately dense smoke plume which moved quickly to the south into southwestern Oklahoma. Southeastern Saskatchewan Province/Southwestern Manitoba Province/Northern North Dakota: Fires were detected scattered across south central Canada and North Dakota during the day. Several smoke plumes were observed moving to the south-southeast from fires particularly over southeastern Saskatchewan Province. Cloudiness moving across portions of the region limited some additional smoke detection. E Alberta/SW Saskatchewan/NE Montana/NW South Dakota: The smoke which was visible earlier in the morning from the fire(s) near 54.4N 113W in or just NE of Edmonton was no longer visible during the afternoon and early evening. Cloudiness in the vicinity of the fires prevented any additional smoke detection later in the day. Northern Idaho/Western Montana: Several smoke producing fires were visible in northern Idaho and western Montana with patches of moderately dense to even locally dense smoke observed. The smoke plumes were generally moving in a northeasterly direction. Again, cloudiness interfered with more details concerning the smoke later in the day. Hawaii: Some possible some from Kilauea lava flows burning vegetation was visible moving to the west-southwest along the southern coast of the Big Island. JS