DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0159Z February 18, 2022
SMOKE:
Eastern Half of U.S…
Significant cloud cover over the eastern half of the U.S. prevented
much in the way of smoke detection in satellite imagery. Widespread and
numerous seasonal fires were detected the past few days in the south
central and southeastern U.S.
California...
Probable seasonal burning activity in northern and central California
was emitting mostly light to moderate density smoke plumbs that were
spreading out around their source and then moving east and north in
central California and in northern California a light to heavy density
smoke plumb was observed moving south. Earlier today; A relatively large
fire located in the valley south of Bishop in east central California
was producing a thin to moderately dense smoke plume which was moving
to the south-southeast.
SMOKE/AEROSOL:
Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Central and Western Gulf Coast Region/Bay of
Campeche/Gulf of Mexico/Southern and Eastern Mexico/Northwestern Central
America/Pacific Ocean South of Mexico and Central America...
The combination of thin density smoke from seasonal fires in Mexico and
Central America and other atmospheric pollutants including aerosols from
oil and gas flaring and other industries in the region was visible today
over southern and eastern Mexico, northwestern Central America, a sizable
portion of the Pacific off the southern coast of Mexico and Central
America, the Bay of Campeche, the western and central Gulf of Mexico,
continuing east over most of the Florida peninsula, south over Cuba,
and the Gulf coast region from southern and southeastern Texas across
to southern Louisiana. Within this very large area of thinner density
smoke/aerosol was an area of moderate density smoke over eastern Mexico
and extended out over the western Gulf of Mexico and the western part
of the Bay of Campeche.
BLOWING DUST:
Southeastern New Mexico/Northern Mexico/Texas...
An area of light density blowing dust was observed moving south
over western Texas and northern Mexico this evening. The blowing dust
originated this morning moving to the south over southeastern New Mexico
and western Texas. While most of the area appeared to be rather thin
density, the leading edge was moderately dense to even locally thick.
Eglin
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