Wednesday, February 2, 2011

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0045Z February 3, 2011

Only a few smoke plumes were visible in satellite imagery during the
day across the US. The spots where smoke was detected were over southern
Florida, western Oregon, and northern California.

Elsewhere, a small patch of blowing dust was seen moving to the
south-southeast from a dry lake bed in central Esmeralda County of
southwestern Nevada. Much more significant blowing dust was observed
moving to the south and southwest from numerous point sources across
Baja California, Baja California Sur, and the Mexican state of Sonora in
western Mexico. The dust was easily detected in visible satellite imagery
as it moved over the Pacific and the Gulf of California. The area of
dust being kicked up in western Sonora was particularly thick. Another
streak of blowing dust was seen moving to the south from a source in
the northern portion of the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

An aerosol of very thin density but unknown origin and composition
was visible in satellite imagery just prior to sunset off the coast of
central California and inland over the San Joaquin Valley.

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.osdpd.noaa.gov/ml/land/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. THE SMOKE TEXT PRODUCT IN
GENERAL SHOULD BE SENT TO SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov

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.