DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1630Z January 1, 2023
SMOKE/AEROSOLS: Western Gulf of Mexico/Southern Texas/Southwestern Louisiana/Eastern Mexico… A thin density aerosol likely composed of industrial pollutants from Mexico including smoke from rigs in the Bay of Campeche mixed with some smoke from seasonal fire activity in eastern Mexico was visible this morning over eastern Mexico, the Bay of Campeche, the western Gulf of Mexico, and southern and southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana. Cloud cover inland over Texas and Louisiana prevented additional information on the extent of the smoke/aerosol mixture in that region. Cuba/Caribbean Sea/Eastern Gulf of Mexico… Several patches of thin density aerosol from industrial activity in Cuba along with smoke from seasonal burning in Cuba were seen over central and western Cuba and extending to the southwest over a relatively small portion of the Caribbean Sea. The smoke/aerosol mixture was also present over the northeast part of Cuba and extending north from there over the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Pacific Ocean/Southern Mexico/Northwestern Central America Coast/Bay of Campeche… A batch of thin density smoke and aerosol mixture was observed this morning along a portion of the southern coast of Mexico, northwestern Central America, and extending to the south over the Pacific ocean. These aerosol mixtures were likely composed of some smoke from seasonal fire activity in Mexico along with a more significant contribution from industries in Mexico. JS 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 map: https://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/land/fire/currenthms.jpg Smoke data: https://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/FIRE/web/HMS/Smoke_Polygons Fire data: https://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/FIRE/web/HMS/Fire_Points ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THIS PRODUCT SHOULD BE SENT TO: SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov