DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300Z April 28, 2017
SMOKE: Gulf of Mexico into the Southeastern US... A large area of light to moderately dense smoke from ongoing seasonal burning occurring over southeastern Mexico and Central America covered nearly the entire Gulf of Mexico. The smoke also was being drawn to the north and northeast ahead of a cold front now pushing into the central Gulf and Southeastern US resulting in the smoke now extending inland over portions of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida to as far northeast as the Carolinas The smoke also now has pushed close to the southern and southeastern coast of Texas and inland over southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi. In addition more smoke of varying density emanating from the West Mims fire near the Florida-Georgia border in the Okefenokee Swamp was spreading to the northeast mainly impacting southeastern Georgia. Southeastern Gulf of Mexico... A patch of thin density remnant smoke likely from fire activity in Cuba moved to the west and northwest brushing over the western Florida Keys and southwestern Florida and over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. DUST: Southern Arizona/Southern New Mexico... A swath of moderately dense blowing dust originated from the Wilcox Playa in Cochise County of southeastern Arizona and quickly spread to the east extending into southwestern New Mexico just prior to sunset. Farther to the east, some blowing dust appeared to be moving east off of White Sands in south central New Mexico just before sunset though cloudiness made dust detection difficult. JS Earlier This Morning... Carolinas... An area of light remnant smoke from the West Mims fire along the Florida/Georgia border in and near the Okefenokee swamp has lifted north and was seen along the North Carolina/South Carolina border. Ruminski 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