Sunday, March 24, 2013

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0100Z March 25th, 2013

Gulf of Mexico:
A broad, light density remnant smoke mass encompasses the majority of
the Gulf of Mexico. The smoke is moving east north east from the Yucatan
Peninsula and reaches as far east as over southern Florida and barely
into the Bahamas.

Cuba:
Semi-large wildfires scattered along the northern perimeter of Cuba are
producing light to moderate density smoke streamers that reach as far
north as the Florida Keys and the southern tip of the Florida Peninsula.

Bahamas:
Several smoke producing wildfires are located on Northern Andros
Island, Bahamas, and Great Abaco Island, Bahamas. As of local sunset the
light density smoke, embedded with areas of moderate smoke, was moving
north-northeast away from the U.S. Florida coast.

Blowing Dust:
A band of light to moderate density blowing dust/sand stretches from
the southern tip of Texas northeast across the northern Gulf of Mexico
and into the Florida panhandle. This dust/sand has been visible for the
past 24hrs and originated from dry lake beds in northern Chihuahua,
Mexico and the deserts of White Sands, NM after strong surface winds
associated with a frontal boundary occurred yesterday.

Ramirez

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

 


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.