DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z March 17, 2011
US East Coast: Light to moderately dense smoke can be seen extending from South Carolina to Virginia and 170 miles off the coast. The smoke is moving to the northeast. -Salemi Earlier Today: Southeast US: Thin smoke from yesterday's large amounts of fires over portions of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina was seen off the southeast coast of the US this morning. Gulf of Mexico: An unknown mix of aerosols was present along a southward sinking frontal boundary that was draped across the northern Gulf of Mexico, with the aerosols seen from the Texas coast to northern Florida. These aerosols could be a mix of smoke, dust, and other particles. Western Great Lakes: Thin remnant smoke was seen moving east and northeastward across northern Illinois, north Indiana, southwest Michigan, and Lake Michigan. Another smaller area of possible remnant smoke was present over southeast Lake Superior. This smoke is believed to have come from the numerous amounts of fires that were burning yesterday in the Central Plains, particularly in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. Sheffler 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