Georgia Smoke Leaves Florida's Space Coast

Categories: NASA

Georgia Smoke Leaves Florida's Space Coast

TITUSVILLE, Florida — Smoke from fires in both Georgia and Florida that were contributing to smokey conditions on Florida’s Space Coast and throughout Central and North Florida have ended.

Named ‘The County Line Fire’, it continues to generate a thick pall of smoke along the northern Florida/Georgia border as more than 100 firefighters combat the fire. NASA’s Terra satellite captured an image of the thick smoke from its orbit in space on April 11.

The fire is located in the Pinhook Swamp, which extends into both Baker and Columbia counties of northern Florida. Pinhook Swamp consists of pine flatwoods and swamps and are located between the Osceola National Forest and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

The National Weather Service in Jacksonville, Fla. stated in their Hazardous Weather Outlook on April 11, 2012 at 3:40 a.m. EDT, “Smoke from the large county line wildfire in northern Columbia and Baker counties will impact portions of northeast Florida this morning. Winds will become northwest early this morning in wake of a cold front. The smoke plume is expected to drift southeast today [into Central Florida]. Winds will increase by late morning and this will cause more dispersion of the smoke…thus visibilities should improve today away from the immediate wildfire site.”

Yesterday and this morning, winds have shifted from the northeast which has helped Brevard County avoid a third day of thick smoke. The smell of the fire has also left Brevard County this Friday morning.

Image Credit: NASA