DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0035Z February 20, 2022
SMOKE: Southeastern U.S. and Southern Great Plains... Widespread seasonal fire activity across the Southeastern U.S. and the southern Great Plains this afternoon led to numerous individual smoke plumes being observed specially along the eastern Carolinas, southern Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, northern Florida, northeastern Texas, central-southern Oklahoma and Arkansas. Plumes were dispersing toward the southeast-south in the southeastern states, and toward the northwest-north across the southern Great Plains, describing a large clockwise circulation associated with a high pressure system moving eastward through the region. AEROSOL: Pacific Ocean South of Mexico and Central America… The combination of light density smoke from seasonal fires in Mexico and significant smoke contributions from Central America and other atmospheric pollutants including aerosols from oil and gas flaring and other industries in the region was visible this afternoon off the coast of southern Mexico and Central America, extending westward for approximately 500 miles over the Pacific ocean. That large plume was mostly stagnant. DUST: Blowing dust could be seen forming off Summer, Albert, and Malheur dry lake beds and the Alevord desert in southern Oregon, as well as off sandy soils along Buffalo Valley and the Black Rock desert in northern Nevada. Dust plumes in southern Oregon were dispersing toward the east, while those in northern Nevada were seen dispersing toward the northeast. WS 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