Monday, April 13, 2020

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

 


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.