DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0057Z January 16, 2022
SMOKE:
Florida...
Numerous agricultural fires primarily south of Lake Okeechobee in southern
Florida were emitting thin density smoke plumes which combined into
one large plumb that was moving quickly off to the northeast. A light to
heavy density smoke plumb was observed in northern Florida from seasonal
burning activity. The smoke plumb was seen moving generally northeast
in direction as evening approached.
Texas...
Several thin to locally moderate density smoke plumes were seen spreading
quickly to the southeast from grassland/brush fires in north central
and southeast Texas which were being fanned by strong northwesterly winds.
Smoke/Aerosol...
Gulf of Mexico/Bay of Campeche/Southern and Eastern Mexico/Northwestern
Central America/Pacific Ocean South of Mexico and Central America…
A very large area of primarily thin density aerosol which is composed in
part from smoke from seasonal fire activity in Mexico and Central America
along with pollution from oil and gas flaring and other industrial sources
in those regions was seen over the Bay of Campeche, the western and
southern Gulf of Mexico, sizable portions of eastern and southern Mexico,
northwestern Central America, and extending well off the coast of southern
Mexico and northwest Central America over the tropical eastern Pacific.
BLOWING DUST:
Texas/Northern Mexico…
A broad area of generally thin density blowing dust kicked up by strong
northerly and northwesterly winds yesterday and continued today as it
was seen spreading to the south and southeast over western, central, and
south central Texas. Additional blowing dust is likely present farther
to the south and east but widespread cloud cover prevented additional
information from satellite imagery. Within this larger area of thinner
density dust was a fresh batch of moderately dense to perhaps locally
thick dust which originated from sources between Midland and the Big
Bend region and spread quickly to the south reaching and crossing the
Rio Grande into northern Mexico between the Davis Mountains and the
Edwards Plateau.
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: 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