DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0015Z May 5, 2011

Gulf of Mexico/Florida and SE Coastal Atlantic:
Thin smoke from multiple days of the Jughead fire in southern Florida and
now combining with smoke from the Honey Prarie fire in S GA can be seen
converged along the frontal zone off the SE coast of SC, GA 32.5N 75.7W
extending back toward central Florida from the Space Coast across to south
of Tampa Bay to the Jarhead fire.  A second narrower post-frontal band of
thin smoke is melding into the frontal zone smoke area near 32N and 77W
but extends more E-W across N FL around Jacksonville to Cedar City, FL
back into a large cloudy area over the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico
near 27.5N 90W, where it melds with the larger more moderately dense
smoke from the Mexican Yucatan and Belize/E Guatemala agricultural fires.

Gallina

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.