Friday, April 30, 2021

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0130Z May 1, 2021

SMOKE:
Central America/Pacific/Mexico/ Gulf of Mexico/SE CONUS/Western
Atlantic...
An expansive area of light to moderate density smoke was observed
blanketing northern Central America, central and eastern Mexico, portions
of the Pacific Ocean near Central America and Mexico, much of the Gulf of
Mexico, the Gulf Coast, much of the Florida Peninsula, and portions of
the western Atlantic Ocean. Smoke was moving out into the Pacific Ocean
from the Pacific coast side of Mexico and Central America, while the rest
of the smoke from Central America was moving NW across the Yucatan and
into the western Gulf of Mexico. From there smoke was being drawn north
into a stationary weather system over the Texas Gulf Coast, from where
the smoke was moving east ahead of the front associated with that system
out across northern Florida and out into the Atlantic. The most dense
smoke was observed over northern Central America and southern Mexico.

Central Plains…
From northern Oklahoma into Nebraska, widespread fire activity was
producing light to moderate smoke plumes this afternoon and evening. The
smoke was moving NNW over western OK, N over south-central KS and
north-central OK, northeast over north-central and eastern KS, and E to
SE over Nebraska.

Arizona…
A couple fires along the western Mogollon Rim were observed producing
moderate density smoke that was extending south then southwest across
the Phoenix metropolitan area into southwestern Arizona.

BLOWING DUST…
Southern Arizona…
Blowing dust was observed emanating from Willcox Playa and moving west
across southern Arizona

Central Sonora…
A dry lake bed in central Sonora was producing a moderately dense dust
plume that was moving off toward the southeast.

Hosley


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.