DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0130Z May 24, 2021
SMOKE:
Middle and Lower Mississippi Valley/Ohio Valley/Southeastern
U.S./Middle Atlantic/Bahamas/Cuba/Atlantic off the Mid-Atlantic coast
and Southeast/Northeastern Gulf of Mexico…
A sprawling area of thin density smoke was visible late this afternoon
encompassing much of the area from the Middle and Lower Mississippi
Valley eastward to the Mid-Atlantic region and the Southeast. The smoke
also extended offshore well out over the Atlantic and down across the
Bahamas, Cuba, and the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. This smoke was
likely still primarily from wildfire activity in Manitoba which has
diminished in recent days. The smoke has become trapped under a very
persistent large ridge of high pressure and is likely mixed with other
atmospheric pollutants.
Mexico/Northwestern Central America/Pacific south of Mexico/Western
Texas/Eastern New Mexico/Western Oklahoma/Eastern Colorado/Western
Kansas…
A huge mass of thin to moderately dense smoke from the ongoing seasonal
fire activity in Mexico and Central America was seen covering much of
Mexico with the exception of the northwestern portion, northwestern
Central America, and a sizable part of the Pacific south of the coast
of southern Mexico. Moderately dense to thick smoke was present mainly
across southern Mexico and off the coast of southern Mexico. A swath of
thinner density smoke from this fire activity also spread to the north
over western Texas, eastern New Mexico, far western Oklahoma, eastern
Colorado, and western Kansas. The smoke may also extend farther to the
north, but that was not certain in satellite imagery.
Unknown Aerosol…
North Central U.S…
An unknown thin density aerosol was seen later in the afternoon over
the central and eastern portions of the Dakotas and Minnesota. This
aerosol may be composed in part by at least some smoke possibly linked
to the northward transport of smoke up over the Plains from the ongoing
seasonal fire in Mexico though that is not certain.
Dust:
Colorado…
A few patches of thin density blowing dust were visible moving to the
northeast this afternoon over south central and east central Colorado.
JS
Earlier This Morning...
DUST:
Central Canada….
An area of unknown aerosol, possibly blowing dust from portions of the
southwest United States mixed with an area of light smoke, was extending
from northern Manitoba west through central Saskatchewan into central
Alberta.
Caribbean Sea….
An area of Saharan Dust was seen over portions of the southeastern
Caribbean Sea and extending west into portions of the western Caribbean
Sea.
Hanna
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