DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0100Z May 10, 2011
Southeast US Coast: Smoke from ongoing fires burning over eastern North Carolina, eastern and southeast Georgia (in the Okefenokee swamp) and southern Florida is seen along and off most of the southeast US coast this evening from North Carolina southward through Florida and the Bahamas. Much of the smoke is light but there are substantial plumes of moderately dense to locally dense smoke plumes. The Okefenokee swamp fire is the largest and is producing the most smoke today. Western Gulf of Mexico: Much of the western Gulf has remnant smoke from the seasonal burning that continues over parts of the Yucatan, Guatemala and surrounding areas. This smoke is lifting to the north. Additionally, more elevated smoke from numerous fires burning across western Texas and northwest Mexico is drifting to the east and blending with the smoke emanating from further south. Lower Mississippi Valley: A couple of small patches of remnant smoke were seen over southern Arkansas and west central Alabama and were drifting to the north. Central to Northern Plains: Remnant smoke from the fires in West Texas and New Mexico has lifted to the northeast during the day and by evening was seen over portions of northern and central Missouri into Iowa, southern Minnesota, eastern South Dakota and Nebraska and into western Illinois. A new pulse of smoke was seen developing in the afternoon/evening with these same fires and was again lifting to the northeast. Blowing dust in the Southwest and West Texas: Several areas of blowing dust were noted this evening, being generated by strong winds associated with a large cyclone over the central Rockies. The blowing dust was also mixing with smoke from the numerous large wildfires in the region. The most notable areas of blowing dust were seen originating from White Sands in south central New Mexico, areas near the Texas/New Mexico/Mexico border and the open areas of the western Texas Panhandle. All of this blowing dust was moving to the northeast. Blowing dust was also being kicked up over portions of southern California around the Salton Sea and along the east coast of the Baja peninsula and western Sonora. This dust was mainly moving to the east. 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.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. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THESE CHANGES OR THE SMOKE TEXT PRODUCT IN GENERAL SHOULD BE SENT TO SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov