DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z APRIL 2, 2009

South Central US:
Most of the fires which were producing smoke visible in satellite imagery
were observed over central and eastern Texas, Arkansas, and southern
Missouri. The majority of these plumes were moving in a northerly
direction. Cloudiness also moved across portions of the Southern and
Central Plains during the afternoon which  prevented additional smoke
detection in satellite imagery. For more graphical information concerning
these smoke plumes please refer to the website links below.

Gulf of Mexico:
A large mass of haze which likely contains thin smoke from the ongoing
seasonal fires burning in Mexico and Central America spread northward
into the central and northeastern Gulf of Mexico just off the coast of
the Florida panhandle. Another patch of thin smoke, most likely from
the seasonal fires in Cuba drifted to the north-northwest across the
Florida Keys and along the southwestern and western coast of Florida.

New Mexico/Western Texas:
A swath of blowing dust/sand was evident in satellite imagery this
afternoon extending from the White Sands region of south central New
Mexico northeastward to near the Texas-New Mexico border. Cloudiness in
the region interfered with additional detection of blowing dust/sand in
satellite imagery.

JS


THE FORMAT OF THIS TEXT PRODUCT IS BEING MODIFIED. IT WILL NO LONGER
DESCRIBE THE VARIOUS PLUMES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ACTIVE FIRES. THESE
PLUMES ARE DEPICTED IN VARIOUS GRAPHIC FORMATS ON OUR WEB SITE:

JPEG:   http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/hms.html
GIS:    http://www.firedetect.noaa.gov/viewer.htm
KML:    http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/kml.html

THIS TEXT PRODUCT WILL CONTINUE TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF SMOKE
WHICH HAVE BECOME DETACHED FROM AND DRIFTED SOME DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE
SOURCE FIRE, TYPICALLY OVER THE COURSE OF ONE OR MORE DAYS. IT WILL ALSO
STILL INCLUDE DESCRIPTIONS OF BLOWING DUST.

ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THESE CHANGES OR THE SMOKE TEXT
PRODUCT IN GENERAL SHOULD BE SENT TO SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov

Unless otherwise indicated:

Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.

Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.

A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.

Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.