DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z October 17, 2016
DUST: Alaska: An area of blowing dust was observed in satellite imagery this evening from central into west central Alaska. Strong winds were kicking up the light density dust which was moving to the southwest. An area of blowing dust was also reported near the top of the Cook Inlet near Wasilla and Palmer. This dust was obscured from detection from satellite by clouds so the full extent of the dust is not known. OTHER AEROSOLS: Gulf of Mexico: Light to moderate density emissions were seen coming from the oil rigs in the Bay of Campeche in the southwestern portion of the Gulf of Mexico. These emissions were traveling to the west and southwest towards Mexico's coastline. Northeast/Mid-Atlantic/Midwest: An unknown aerosol likely composed of sulfates was seen ahead of a frontal boundary that spans from the Midwest into the northeast. This aerosol was moving east and was seen in-between cloud cover in the US Northeast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states. 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