DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1600Z April 4, 2017
SMOKE: GULF OF MEXICO...Primarily thin density smoke from the ongoing seasonal burning occurring over portions of Mexico and Central America was visible this morning over the Bay of Campeche and a large part of the Gulf of Mexico. The smoke may be overland near extreme southeastern Louisiana, the Florida panhandle, and western Florida though cloudiness especially over western Florida limited smoke detection in satellite imagery. DUST: Western Atlantic/Caribbean...A large area of rather significant Saharan dust was seen this morning spreading west over the Atlantic,the Windward and Leeward Islands, and the Caribbean generally south of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola but over northern South America. 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