Texas Smoke April 21-25, 2008
Images
- Backward Air Trajectory 21st
- Backward Air Trajectory 22nd
- Backward Air Trajectory 23rd
- Backward Air Trajectory 24th
- Backward Air Trajectory 25th
- Satellite Image Gulf of Mexico 20th 5:09 pm CDT
- Satellite Image Gulf of Mexico 21st 9:09 am CDT
- Satellite Image Gulf of Mexico 21st 5:09 pm CDT
- Satellite Image Gulf of Mexico 22nd 9:09 am CDT
- Satellite Image Gulf of Mexico 22nd 5:09 pm CDT
- Satellite Image Gulf of Mexico 23rd 9:09 am CDT
- Satellite Image Gulf of Mexico 23rd 5:09 pm CDT
- Satellite Image Gulf of Mexico 24th 9:09 am CDT
- Satellite Image Gulf of Mexico 24th 5:09 pm CDT
- Satellite Image Gulf of Mexico 25th 9:09 am CDT
- Satellite Image Gulf of Mexico 25th 5:09 pm CDT
- Satellite Image Mexico 20th 11:25 am CDT - Indicated Fires Red
- Satellite Image Mexico 20th 2:30 pm CDT - Indicated Fires Red
- Satellite Image Mexico 21st 12:10 pm CDT - Indicated Fires Red
- Satellite Image Mexico 22nd 2:20 pm CDT - Indicated Fires Red
- Satellite Image Mexico 23rd 12:00 pm CDT - Indicated Fires Red
- Satellite Image Mexico 24th 2:05 pm CDT - Indicated Fires Red
- Satellite Image Mexico 25th 11:45 am CDT - Indicated Fires Red
Description
Smoke from agricultural burning in Mexico and Central America covered most of South, Central, and North Central Texas Texas on Monday April 21st and Tuesday 22nd, and continued in South and North Central Texas and spread into eastern portions of West Texas on the 23rd. The smoke was confined mainly in South Texas on the Wednesday the 24th, but continued in South Texas and spread back into Central Texas on Thursday the 25th. A cold front pushed the smoke out of the state by the 26th.
The highest daily average PM2.5 measurement during this event was 28.7 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) at the Laredo Continuous Ambient Monitoring Station (CAMS) 313 on the 25th. This measurement rated as Moderate, on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI)
scale. PM2.5 measurements were in the "Moderate" range across most of the affected areas on all five days. The highest one-hour average PM2.5 measured was 39.5 µg/m³ at Laredo CAMS 313 from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) on the 25th.
Backward air trajectories indicate that the air came from Mexico and Central America. Satellite imagery also shows evidence of smoke in the western Gulf of Mexico on the 20th through the 25th. Fire channel satellite imagery shows numerous large fires in southeastern Mexico and Central America on the 20th through the 25th as well.
