DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0150Z October 31, 2021
SMOKE:
Texas…
Fires along the eastern coast of Texas were producing thin density smoke
that extended into the Gulf of Mexico. Additional wildfire activity in
northern Texas was producing a large area of primarily light density
smoke moving eastward. Some medium density smoke was also observed from
both fire complexes.
Louisiana…
Widespread fire activity was producing a number of light density smoke
plumes moving east and southeast this afternoon. One region of high fire
activity was also producing a large plume of light smoke moving off of
the coast and into the Gulf of Mexico.
Arizona and New Mexico…
Scattered wildfires were producing light density smoke plumes moving
primarily east.
Western Canada…
Widespread fire activity was producing a large amount of primarily light
density smoke. Smoke moved in a number of directions. The full extent of
smoke coverage could not be determined due to partly cloudy conditions
throughout the day.
*Partly to very cloudy conditions throughout the US today prohibited
detection of the full extent of smoke coverage, especially in western
Canada and the Mississippi valley region where fire activity was
widespread, but minimal smoke was observed.
EARLIER TODAY...
SMOKE:
Texas/Gulf of Mexico/Eastern Mexico…
A broad area of residual thin density smoke possibly mixed with leftover
blowing dust was visible in satellite imagery this morning stretching
from north central Texas to far southern Texas, eastern Mexico, the
western Gulf of Mexico, and the Bay of Campeche. It is possible that a
decent portion of this smoke is due to the Buck Fire burning near the
Throckmorton and Shackelford county border area between Wichita Falls
and Abilene in north central Texas. Some localized moderate density
smoke was seen near and to the east of this fire this morning.
Pacific Northwest/Southwestern Canada…
Numerous agricultural fires and/or seasonal/prescribed/controlled fires
were detected across portions of the Pacific Northwest and Southwestern
Canada though no smoke was seen in morning satellite imagery with
these fires.
DUST:
Eastern Caribbean/Puerto Rico…
Some very thin density Saharan dust may still be present as seen in
satellite imagery across a portion of the eastern Caribbean including
Puerto Rico and extending to the north and northeast of Puerto Rico.
JL
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