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