DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1830Z May 6, 2017
SMOKE: Florida/Georgia... The West Mims fire was reinvigorated today with lower humidity and gusty winds which resulted in greater smoke generation. A plume of moderately dense to dense smoke extended east from the fire along the Florida/Georgia border in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge across the Jacksonville area and into the Atlantic. Another wildfire in Pasco county north of Tampa was producing moderately dense smoke which also extended to the east across nearly the width of Florida to the east coast. Southwest and northern Mexico... Several wildfires burning in northwest Mexico in Sonora and Chihuahua states and in southeast Arizona continue to burn this evening and produce smoke plumes which extend to the north northeast. Northern and Central Plains... Numerous agricultural and prescribed fires with mostly small. Localized light smoke plumes were seen this afternoon and evening over western Minnesota, the eastern Dakotas, Kansas and Oklahoma. DUST: California/Arizona... A potent storm system developing over the Southwest had strong winds associated with it which were generating areas of significant blowing dust. An area of moderate to dense dust was detected sweeping eastward across far southern California into Arizona. Southerly winds ahead of this area of dust were kicking up a broad area of light to moderate dust over much of southern Arizona and part of northern Sonora. This dust was moving to the north. One particular plume that was more dense was originating from the Willcox Playa in southeast Arizona. This plume extended to the north northeast to the New Mexico border. Nevada... Cloud cover prevented dust detection in most of Nevada. However, surface observations indicate that there was at least some blowing dust over western Nevada due to strong winds associated with the storm system. 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