DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0045Z December 1, 2011
California/Nevada: A rather significant blowing dust event began during the afternoon and continued through sunset across portions of southern Nevada and central and southern California. Moderately dense to even locally dense blowing dust originated from several point sources over central and south central Nevada and east central California. The dust moved in a southerly direction into southern Nevada (just west of Las Vegas) and southeastern CA (between Bishop and the desert region of southeastern CA). Thinner density blowing dust was visible moving to the south originating from sources just west of Merced, CA and spreading southward to near Bakersfield, CA. More thin density blowing dust originated from near Palmdale, CA and moved to the east into the desert region of southeastern CA. Washington: A narrow ribbon of thin density blowing dust originated from a source in east central Washington and moved approximately 50-60 miles to the south during the afternoon. Southern Louisiana/Southeastern Texas/Western Gulf of Mexico: Numerous fires burning in southern Louisiana during at least the past couple of days are responsible for large area of varying density smoke which extends well to the south over the western Gulf of Mexico. During the afternoon and early evening, the smoke was moving in a southwesterly direction, bringing it closer to the coast of southeastern Texas. JS THIS TEXT PRODUCT IS PRIMARILY INTENDED TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT AREAS 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: 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 ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THIS PRODUCT SHOULD BE SENT TO SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov