DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z May 11, 2015
Western Canada/Pacific Northwest: An extended area of aerosols is seen across much of eastern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, eastern Manitoba, and southward into western Montana. This area of aerosol is believed to consist of mostly remnant smoke originating from Asia, although newer source regions for this smoke have appeared over the past few days. One new area is from fires occurring in north-central British Columbia that appear to be producing light to moderate density smoke currently moving to the north. Another newer source region is in southern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba, where numerous agricultural burns have been occurring over the past few days, contributing multiple light density smoke plumes drifting towards the west-southwest and congealing within the larger area of aerosol. Southeastern U.S: An area of light density remnant smoke is seen across much of the southeastern U.S over Georgia, the Florida panhandle, Alabama, Tennessee, and into Kentucky. This smoke likely originates from regional seasonal burning in southern and eastern Mexico. Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico/Eastern U.S: A large area of Saharan dust is seen stretching across much of the Caribbean Sea and northwestward into most of the Gulf of Mexico as well as over southern Florida. This Saharan dust appears to also be mixing with a large area of smoke focused in the western Gulf of Mexico, originating from fires occurring in Mexico. The dust has also seemed to have been transported up along the eastern seaboard likely due to Tropical Depression Ana, and dust is seen as far north along the coast as the Mid-Atlantic coast, specifically up to New Jersey. Heeps From earlier today: SMOKE Pacific Northwest/Western Canada: A large area of aerosols is visible in satellite imagery extending from the Northwest Territories across the border into Montana. The band of aerosols can be seen moving to the south from the central portions of the Northwestern Territories through Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana. It is suspected that aerosol is elevated remnant smoke originating from Asia as well as light density smoke from yesterday's wildfires in north-central British Columbia. Florida: A small detached plume of light-density smoke is visible this morning moving NE just NWof Lake Okeechobee. This smoke is remnant from the agricultural burns taking place there yesterday. Western Gulf of Mexico: A large area of light-density smoke was visible this morning ranging from the Western shore of Mexico all the way east to the Yucatan Peninsula. This smoke originates from the agricultural burns that have been continuing there for several weeks. AEROSOLS: East Coast: Due to the winds of Tropical Storm Ana, it has carried a mass of aerosols with it up the Atlantic coast, notably offshore the Southeastern states, but moving towards the Northeast off the coast of Maryland. These aerosols are most likely Saharan dust, that has been traveling through the Caribbean the last week, but potentially mixed with remnant smoke from the agricultural burning in Mexico and Central America. Oegerle 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