DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1630Z February 28, 2023
SMOKE/AEROSOL: South Central and Southeastern U.S./Atlantic Ocean off the Southeast U.S. Coast/Gulf of Mexico/Hispaniola/Cuba/Caribbean Sea/Southern and Eastern Mexico/Northwestern Central America/Pacific Ocean South of Mexico and Central America… A huge mass of smoke from seasonal fire activity occurring in Mexico, Central America, Cuba, Hispaniola, and the southeastern U.S., a few wildfires especially in Cuba and Hispaniola, and aerosols from industrial activity mainly in Mexico, Central America, Cuba, and Hispaniola, was visible this morning and generally impacting the same regions affected in recent days. The smoke/aerosol mix covered a portion of the south central and southeastern U.S., the Atlantic well off the southeastern U.S. nearly reaching Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico, Hispaniola, Cuba, much of the central and western Caribbean Sea, southern and eastern Mexico, Central America, and the Pacific Ocean well south of the southern coast of Mexico and Central America. Embedded areas of moderate density smoke/aerosol were seen over far southeastern and eastern Mexico, northwestern Central America, and a portion of the Pacific just off the southern coast of southeastern Mexico and northwestern Central America. The moderate density mix also extended to the north over the Bay of Campeche and the far western Gulf of Mexico. Farther to the north and northeast, a west to east elongated moderately dense band of smoke/aerosol mix was seen across the far northern Gulf of Mexico brushing the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coastal areas and over northern Florida. Areas of moderately dense to locally thick smoke associated more with what are believed to be wildfires burning in eastern Cuba were visible extending from Cuba to the north over the Florida Keys and the far southern tip of the Florida Peninsula, and off the western and southwestern coast of Florida over the far eastern Gulf of Mexico. More moderately dense to locally thick smoke from what are believed to be a few wildfires in Hispaniola was present stretching from central Hispaniola to the southwest and just off the coast over the nearby Caribbean Sea. Dust: Central U.S… A swath of thin density aerosol which may be leftover blowing dust from yesterday’s event originating primarily in portions of western Texas, New Mexico, and norther Mexico, was visible this morning extending from eastern Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska to the east across and just east of the Middle Mississippi Valley region before becoming obscured by cloudiness. JS 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