DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0202Z May 15, 2021
SMOKE:
Ontario, Manitoba...
Widespread agricultural burning and embedded wildfires were producing a
large area of light density smoke (with some pockets of moderate density
smoke) over the southern half of Manitoba and southwestern Ontario. The
smoke was observed moving east in direction.
Gulf of Mexico/Mexico/Central America/Pacific south of Mexico…
A large area of light to moderate density smoke remains in the area
covering some of northern and central Mexico all of southern Mexico,
Central America, a portion of the Pacific south of Mexico, the
southwestern Gulf of Mexico and. Embedded patches of moderate density
smoke were visible in association with some of the more active fires
especially in Mexico, and along the coasts. This entire area of smoke was
due mainly to the ongoing seasonal fires in Mexico and Central America.
Southeastern US…
Scattered fire activity throughout the southeastern US was producing light
density smoke plumes moving primarily southwest. Some plumes in South
Carolina and the Florida panhandle extended offshore into the Atlantic
Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, respectively. Due to widespread stratocumulus
cloud cover, more smoke plumes were not visible.
Missouri…
Scattered fire activity due to agricultural burns was producing light
density smoke plumes moving northward. Additional fire and smoke activity
was not visible due to cloud cover.
New Jersey…
A fire in central New Jersey was producing a notable amount of light to
moderate density smoke that fanned dramatically from north to east then
south as cloud cover departed from the area.
DUST:
Eastern/Central Tropical Atlantic Ocean and Southern Caribbean Sea...
Light density Saharan dust was observed over parts of the Southern
Caribbean Sea around Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, extending south
over Coastal northeastern South America.
Levine
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