Texas Smoke May 7-10, 2008
Images
- Backward Air Trajectory 7th
- Backward Air Trajectory 8th
- Backward Air Trajectory 9th
- Backward Air Trajectory 10th
- Satellite Animation Gulf of Mexico 6th
- Satellite Animation Gulf of Mexico 7th
- Satellite Animation Gulf of Mexico 8th
- Satellite Animation Gulf of Mexico 9th
- Satellite Animation Gulf of Mexico 10th
- Satellite Image Mexico 6th 11:25 am CDT - Indicated Fires Red
- Satellite Image Mexico 6th 2:35 pm CDT - Indicated Fires Red
- Satellite Image Mexico 7th 12:10 pm CDT - Indicated Fires Red
- Satellite Image Mexico 8th 2:20 pm CDT - Indicated Fires Red
- Satellite Image Mexico 9th 11:55 am CDT - Indicated Fires Red
- Satellite Image Mexico 9th 3:05 pm CDT - Indicated Fires Red
- Satellite Image Mexico 10th 2:10 pm CDT - Indicated Fires Red
- Satellite Image Mexico High Resolution 7th 12:10 pm CDT - Indicated Fires Red
- Satellite Image Mexico High Resolution 8th 2:05 pm CDT - Indicated Fires Red
Description
Smoke from agricultural burning in Mexico and Central America returned to South Texas Texas on Wednesday May 7th and continued in South Texas through Saturday May 10th. The smoke spread into Southeast Texas on the 8th, into Central Texas on the 9th, and across most of the eastern half of the state on the 10th.
The highest daily average PM2.5 measurement during this event was 36.1 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) at the Laredo Continuous Ambient Monitoring Station (CAMS) 313 on the 10th. This measurement rated as Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, on the proposed 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 90.8 µg/m³ at Austin Murchison CAMS 3 for the hour beginning 10:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) on May 9th, although this measurement probably included smoke from a regional smoke plume in addition to the long-range transport smoke. Peak hourly measurements from the long-range transport smoke were generally in the 30 to 40 µg/m³ range in the affected areas.
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 6th through the 10th. Fire channel satellite imagery shows numerous large fires in southeastern Mexico and Central America on the 6th through the 10th as well.
