DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0300z May 19, 2019

SMOKE:
Southern and Southeastern Texas/Louisiana/Gulf of Mexico/Mexico/Central
America/Pacific off the coast of Mexico and Central America...
A large mass of varying density smoke from ongoing fire activity across
Mexico and Central America was seen across much of that region with
the smoke also spreading northward over the Bay of Campeche and the
central and western Gulf of Mexico. The smoke appeared to reach inland
over southern and southeastern Texas and Louisiana though cloud cover
in this region did interfere with smoke detection farther inland. The
smoke also extended to the south and off the southern coast of Mexico
and Central America.

Western Canada...
Several larger fires over the north central and northwestern part of
Alberta produced smoke plumes of moderate to thick density which fanned
out as they spread to the north and northwest.

DUST:
Western Texas/Southwestern Oklahoma...
A region of mainly thinner density blowing dust was visible late this
afternoon and early evening emanating from sources generally between
Amarillo and Midland and spreading to the east toward north central and
central Texas and into southwestern Oklahoma.

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/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

Unless otherwise indicated:

Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.

Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.

A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.

Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.