DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0315Z May 13, 2019
SMOKE:
Mexico/Central America/Gulf of Mexico...
Fire activity remains high across central-southern Mexico, while showing
signs of relief over the Yucatan peninsula and Honduras as cloud coverage
increases. A large area of moderate-to-heavy density smoke covers most
of central-southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and northwest Honduras. The
plume extends to west for approximately 200 miles over the Pacific ocean
waters off southern Mexico, to the east over the Gulf of Honduras,
and to the north-northeast over the majority of the Gulf of Mexico,
reaching coastal Louisiana and near the Florida panhandle. Low and
variable winds continue to favor smoke entrapment in the region, with
pockets of heavy smoke concentration covering the Gulf of Honduras, the
Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, and the western Gulf of Mexico.
Additional smoke plumes of light and medium density were located along
the eastern portion of central and northern Mexico, with plumes extending
to the east-northeast.
Northwestern Canada...
Some large medium density plumes were visible associated with large
seasonal fires. Smoke began to wrap into cloud activity, though a thin
veil of smoke was carried far east into the border of the neighboring
province and south. Very light smoke was also visible in far northern
Canada, wrapped into the cloud features.
Central Plains...
Light density smoke was visible wrapped into cloud features over
the mid-west with the aid of the Aerosol Watch product. Light smoke
associated with seasonal burns throughout the mid-west was spotted at
sunset over Kansas and Nebraska.
JL
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/data/land/fire/currenthms.jpg
GIS: ftp://satpsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/FIRE/HMS/GIS/
KML: http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/land/fire/fire.kml (fire)
http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/land/fire/smoke.kml (smoke)
ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THIS PRODUCT SHOULD BE SENT TO:
SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov