DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z April 14, 2020
SMOKE: Gulf of Mexico/Florida/Mexico/Central America/Cuba… Extensive smoke from widespread seasonal fires in Mexico and Central America was seen over eastern and southeastern Mexico, Central America, a good portion of the Gulf of Mexico, and central Florida. Within this larger area of thinner density smoke was a region of moderately dense to thick smoke which was affecting the area from Honduras and Guatemala northward over the Yucatan Peninsula to the central Gulf of Mexico. Elsewhere... Relatively little smoke was visible over the U.S. during the day with thin cloud cover present over eastern Kansas where a fairly concentrated area of seasonal fire activity was occurring. Dust: Northern Mexico/Southern New Mexico/Western Texas… Relatively thin density blowing dust was visible spreading to the east and northeast from northern Chihuahua in northern Mexico across southern and southeastern New Mexico and far western Texas including El Paso. 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