DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2345Z March 19, 2020
SMOKE:
Southeastern US...
Numerous agricultural fires and prescribed burns were actively burning
during the afternoon and early evening hours across the region. Fires
were particularly concentrated at: (i) the south of Lake Okeechobee in
Florida where light-to-moderate smoke was seen dispersing towards the
northwest and across the lake for approximately 100 miles, (ii) northern
Florida and southwestern Georgia with multiple smoke plumes emitting
towards the north resulting in a larger area of light-to-moderate smoke
concentration covering most of southwestern Georgia, and (iii) southern
South Carolina where several prescribed fires were seen emitting smoke
towards the north-northeast.
Mexico...
High fire activity prevailed during most of the day across much of
southern Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula. A pocket of stagnant
light-density smoke was seen covering the states of Tabasco and
Veracruz, extending over the southern Gulf of Mexico for approximately
100 miles. Smoke from gas flaring activity at the Bay of Campeche could
also be seen extending for 400 miles over the western Gulf of Mexico.
Cuba...
Fire activity remained abnormally high across the entire island today
including a few large wildfires which were observed emitting heavy-density
smoke plumes. The overall smoke trajectory is due west, blanketing the
greater part of the western shoreline and adjacent waters.
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/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