DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z March 21, 2014
Update! Asian dust/sand and/or pollution --- Oregon: An area of thin dust/sand and Asian pollution can be seen moving SSE across Oregon covering the southern 2/3rds of the state. Other patches can be seen stretching across the Pacific generally south of the two larger polar cyclones in the Western Gulf of Alaska and NW Pacific --- along 45N from OR to about 160W then SE to 35N/175W then west again to about 155E then SW parallel to the Japanese coast from 35N155E to 25N135E to the northern tip of Luzon, Philippines. Of course, density increases further west toward Asia, as well as in the warm sectors/ridging ahead of cyclones. Dust/Sand: Texas Panhandle: Light density dust/loose soils can be seen starting around 21Z from the eight counties bound by Oldham, Deaf Smith in the west and Gray and Donley in the East of the Texas Panhandle moving rapidly NE (though the bulk of the source is along/N of I-40). It is currently as far NE as Hansford to Beaver county OK and Ellis county, OK back to Gray county. Smoke: There is copious amounts of smoke across much of the eastern Great Plains, Ozarks, and Deep South, from E TX to GA. Large agricultural and prescribed burnings are producing thin to moderate smoke with isolated dense smoke aloft from Ozark fires... though all can be traced back to their sources using the GIS or JPEG links below Gallina THIS TEXT PRODUCT IS PRIMARILY INTENDED TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF 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.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/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