DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0215Z April 17, 2021
SMOKE:
Central U.S…
A great amount of seasonal fires over southeastern Minnesota, eastern
Iowa, southern Wisconsin, and northern Illinois were responsible for
many individual thin density smoke plumes moving generally to the south
and southeast. Heavy cloud cover over the central U.S. limited smoke
detection in the area.
Northwestern U.S...
Seasonal wildfires were observed across Oregon, eastern Washington,
northern Idaho, and northwestern Montana producing light density smokes
moving generally to the west and southwest.
Mexico/Central America/Gulf of Mexico/Bay of Campeche/Pacific south of
Mexico/Atlantic Ocean…
The ongoing significant amount of seasonal fires occurring in Mexico
and Central America were responsible for a huge area of thin to moderate
density smoke covering portions of southern and eastern Mexico and Central
America and extending to the north and east over the Bay of Campeche,
almost the entire Gulf of Mexico, and south of Mexico over the Pacific. A
few embedded patches of thick density smoke were visible closer to some
of the more intense fires in Mexico. An area of moderate density smoke
was located just off the east coast of Mexico and extended northeast
to just southeast of southern Texas. Thinner density smoke appeared to
extend as far as to southern Florida and off Atlantic Ocean.
Cuba…
Seasonal fires in Cuba produced many smoke plumes which generally moved
to the north.
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