DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z March 23, 2016
SMOKE: US Southeast: Numerous agricultural/prescribed burns were observed throughout the southeastern US this evening in satellite imagery. Light to medium density smoke plumes were seen emanating from these fires and were mostly traveling towards the northeast. DUST: Arizona/New Mexico: Several areas of blowing dust/sand were noted throughout Arizona and New Mexico. A large area of light density blowing dust was observed in northeast Arizona and northwest New Mexico and was being advected towards the east-northeast into southwestern Colorado. An impressive light to medium density plume of blowing sand spanned from southeast Arizona into central New Mexico and originated from the Wilcox Playa dry lake bed. A small area of light to medium density blowing sand composed primarily of gypsum was seen traveling east-northeast from the White Sand National Monument to the Texas/New Mexico border. Lastly a thin light density plume of blowing sand from seen moving to the northeast from a small dry lake bed called Salt Lake along the New Mexico/Texas border. Central Canada: Elevated dust was noted over central Canada moving towards the southeast. It was difficult to determine the full extent of this elevated dust due to clouds obscuring the southern extent in the Northern Plains and Great Lakes region as well as the diffuse nature of the aerosol itself. The origin of this aerosol is likely Asia. Texas: A small light density plume of blowing sand was seen traveling from two small dry lake beds (Illusion Lake and Yellow Lake) towards the northeast. California: A small area of light density blowing dust/sand was seen in southeastern Imperial county in southern California near the Salton Sea. This area of blowing dust/sand was seen moving eastward and extended into southwestern Arizona. -Cronin Earlier today... SMOKE: Gulf of Mexico/Western Atlantic: Patches of thin density smoke which are believed to be left over from yesterday's significant activity over the Southeast were visible off the South Carolina and Georgia coast and over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico just off the Florida panhandle. The smoke off the South Carolina and Georgia coast was likely trapped under high pressure and was moving little while the area over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico was moving off to the west and northwest. Southeast: Quite a few fires were already analyzed across the Southeast with a number of visible smoke plumes developing especially over portions of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. JS 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