DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1800Z April 01, 2011

Southern Plains:
An area of thin remnant smoke was seen this morning over central to
northeast Texas, southern Oklahoma, extreme southwest Arkansas, and
northwest Louisiana. This smoke is likely the result of the numerous ag
fires over north Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas yesterday.

Gulf of Mexico to southern Florida/Bahamas:
An expansive area of thin to moderately dense smoke is currently hanging
over the southern and western Gulf of Mexico as remnant smoke from
fires in Mexico and Central America has been depressed southward by the
large scale atmospheric trough over the eastern US. As this upper level
trough has moved east, remnant smoke has started to lift northward over
the western Gulf towards Texas. Over the southeastern Gulf, a frontal
boundary pushing southward through Florida and across the northern
Bahamas has pulled thin smoke, probably from Central America or Cuba,
northeastward along it. In addition, there are also a few smaller areas of
what is believed to be smoke moving across the northern Gulf just south of
Louisiana and just south of Alabama/Florida panhandle. That possible smoke
is from either Mexico or yesterday's fires in Oklahoma/Texas/Lousiana.

Southeast US Coast:
A thin unknown aerosol could be seen drifting eastward off the southeast
US coast. This may be some additional remnant smoke from either Mexico
or from fires in the south central Plains.

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.

ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THESE CHANGES OR THE SMOKE TEXT
PRODUCT IN GENERAL SHOULD BE SENT TO SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov

Unless otherwise indicated:

Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.

Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.

A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.

Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.