DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0015Z February 26, 2011
Gulf of Mexico: A broad area of light aerosol has become embedded in a frontal zone stretching across the northern Gulf of Mexico. This aerosol stretches from the northwest Florida peninsula near Cross City to the the southern tip of Texas and southward to the western Bay of Campeche. This is likely a mix of smoke from oil platforms in the Bay of Campeche and agricultural fires as well as anthropogenic haze. Florida: A fire in the eastern portion of the Everglades generated a plume of light to moderately dense smoke which moved to the east northeast and into the Atlantic Ocean toward the northern Bahamas. Texas and southern Louisiana: Numerous fires were seen over central, southern and eastern Texas this afternoon and evening and extending into southwest Louisiana. By sunset there was a broad area of light smoke covering much of south Texas. A large amount of smoke, locally moderate to dense, was over far southwest Louisiana. An area of light blowing dust was seen this evening over west Texas. This area was originating a bit north of Midland and was drifting 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. 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