MONDAY APRIL 6, 2009

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH


A large area of smoke is associated with a tremendous amount of fire
activity in Guatemala and the Yucatan region of Mexico. The movement of
the smoke is being affected by a frontal system in the Gulf of Mexico. The
smoke is basically aligned with the front and extends from the southwest
Gulf in the Bay of Campeche northeastward across the northern Yucatan
and into south Florida. The heaviest/thickest smoke is over the Bay of
Campeche and the northern Yucatan as well as over inland areas. The
smoke has also quickly spread into the East Pacific over the Gulf of
Tehuantepec and fanning out from there. This is an area of moderately
dense to dense smoke.

Other smoke plumes associated with actively burning fires were seen over
Oregon and Washington, Arizona and New Mexico and over portions of east
Oklahoma, east Texas and Arkansas. Details can be seen in the links to
the graphics below.

Ruminski


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.