DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0245Z April 17, 2018
SMOKE: Kansas/Oklahoma... An extensive area with numerous short-lived agricultural fires was active throughout the afternoon and early evening hours encompassing the majority of the Flint Hills region in central-eastern Kansas and northeast Oklahoma states resulting in a large plume that included sectors of moderate and heavy density smoke. The bulk of the smoke was seen spreading towards the northwest. Texas... A large plume consisting of light-density smoke from previous day seasonal fires in northern Mexico was observed being transported towards the east across the state of Texas this afternoon. Central America... Separate pockets of light-density smoke were observed along the Sierra Madre Occidental, Guadalajara, Veracruz, and Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, and over much of Guatemala originating from widespread seasonal fires in those regions. WS 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