DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0142Z February 26, 2022
SMOKE: Southeastern U.S., Atlantic ocean, Gulf of Mexico... Widespread agricultural burning activity was observed throughout the southeastern United States. In the southeastern U.S. numerous fires blanketed the area with light density smoke that included large swaths of moderate density smoke. The burning area starts where Florida, Alabama, and Georgia meet and continues northeast through south Carolina and southeast throughout Florida. This smoke extended off the east coast over the Atlantic from northern Florida to Virginia, and from central Florida south the smoke is moving west over the Gulf of Mexico. California... Seasonal burning activity in northern California was creating an area of light density smoke that was moving south as evening approached. British Columbia, Alberta... Numerous seasonal fires in British Columbia and Alberta were seen with at least light density smoke generally moving southeast as night approached. Cloud cover and snow in the background made it hard to gauge the amount of smoke in the area preventing further analysis. Hispaniola/Caribbean Sea... Scattered wildfire activity continues to be observed in the Southwestern Dominican Republic emitting light density smoke that was seen progressing southwestward offshore from Hispaniola over the Caribbean Sea. Cuba: Seasonal burning was responsible for numerous light density smoke plumes throughout Cuba creating areas of light smoke over the Caribbean moving southwest off Cuba over the Caribbean. SMOKE/AEROSOL: Bay of Campeche/Gulf of Mexico/Southern and Eastern Mexico/Northwestern Central America/Pacific Ocean South of Mexico and Central America... The combination of thin density smoke from seasonal fires in Mexico and significant smoke contributions from Central America and other atmospheric pollutants including aerosols from oil and gas flaring and other industries in the region was visible today over the Bay of Campeche, central and southern Gulf of Mexico, portions of southern, western, and eastern Mexico, northwestern Central America, and the Pacific Ocean off the southern and western coast of Mexico and Central America. Eglin THIS TEXT PRODUCT IS PRIMARILY INTENDED TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF SMOKE ASSOCIATED WITH ACTIVE FIRES AND SMOKE WHICH HAS BECOME DETACHED FROM THE FIRES AND DRIFTED SOME DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE SOURCE FIRE. TYPICALLY OVER THE COURSE OF ONE OR MORE DAYS. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST ARE ALSO DESCRIBED. USERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO VIEW A GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF THESE AND OTHER PLUMES WHICH ARE LESS EXTENSIVE AND STILL ATTACHED TO THE SOURCE FIRE IN VARIOUS GRAPHIC FORMATS ON OUR WEB SITE: JPEG map: https://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/land/fire/currenthms.jpg Smoke data: https://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/FIRE/web/HMS/Smoke_Polygons Fire data: https://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/FIRE/web/HMS/Fire_Points ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THIS PRODUCT SHOULD BE SENT TO: SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov