DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0220Z May 22, 2019

SMOKE:
Gulf of Mexico/Mexico/Central America/Pacific off the coast of Mexico
and Central America...
The continuing significant seasonal burning occurring across portions
of Mexico and Central America was responsible for a huge mass of
smoke covering much of southern and eastern Mexico, Central America,
and stretching offshore to the south over the Pacific. The smoke also
extended northward over the Bay of Campeche and the western Gulf of
Mexico and into far southern and eastern Texas and Louisiana. Embedded
areas of moderately dense smoke were noted within the larger surrounding
thin density smoke and these were seen over portions of southern and
eastern Mexico and Central America and offshore over the nearby part
of the Pacific, as well as the southern part of the Bay of Campeche and
the far western Gulf of Mexico.

Western Canada...
Several large wildfires continued to burn across central and northern
Alberta resulting in thick smoke plumes which fanned out as they spread
to the north and northwest across northwestern Alberta, northeastern
British Columbia, southwestern portion of the Northwest Territories,
and southeastern Yukon.


-YL


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.