Friday, April 3, 2015

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z April 4, 2015

SMOKE

Central Plains:
Several agricultural and prescribed burns were seen in eastern Oklahoma
and eastern Kansas this afternoon/evening in satellite imagery.
Light density smoke plumes associated with the fires were moving south.

Western/Southern Gulf of Mexico:
Large plumes of light density smoke were seen off the western coast
of the Yucatan Peninsula and the southern Gulf of Mexico.  The light
density smoke plumes originated from today's agricultural burning in
the Yucatan Peninsula and oil rigs  located in the southwestern Gulf
of Mexico.  Both plumes were moving to the northwest. A elongated area
of light density remnant smoke from yesterday's agricultural burning
and oil rigs in the southern Gulf of Mexico stretches from the eastern
coast of Mexico to the southern coast of Texas.

DUST

East Pacific/California:
Elevated dust that originated from Asia continues to be seen in GOES-15
imagery as it moves onshore along the coast of northern California.
Clouds associated with a frontal boundary trail the elevated dust as it
moves eastward.

-Cronin

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

 


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.