DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0141Z March 5, 2022
SMOKE: Southeastern United States, Southern Plains and Central Plains... Widespread fire activity was observed across much of the Southeastern United States, Southern Plains and Central Plains. Countless small to larger plumes of light-to-Heavy density smoke was coalescing into a much larger area of light to moderate density smoke from Oklahoma, to southeastern Texas, through Florida, reaching as far north as Virginia. This light to moderate smoke extended far off the eastern coast over the Atlantic. A large area of moderate smoke with numerous heavy smoke plumbs was visible stretching from far eastern Alabama, through Georgia Alabama South Carolina and southern North Carolina. Clouds in this area precluded further analysis around the Southern Plains and Central Plains this afternoon. Cuba: Seasonal burning was responsible for numerous light to moderate density smoke plumbs throughout Cuba creating areas of light smoke over the Caribbean moving off the Cuban coast. SMOKE/AEROSOL: Bay of Campeche/Gulf of Mexico/Southern and Eastern Mexico/Northwestern Central America/Pacific Ocean South of Mexico and Central America... The usual combination of thin to moderate 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 this morning over most of the Bay of Campeche, the southern and western Gulf of Mexico, portions of southern, central, and eastern Mexico, northwestern Central America, and the Pacific Ocean extending well off the southern coast of Mexico and Central America. Within the larger mass of thin density smoke/aerosol were a large area of moderate density smoke/aerosol which were more prevalent over southern Mexico and extending to the south off the coast of southern Mexico over the Pacific Ocean. BLOWING DUST: Southeastern Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico, Texas... An area of moderate density blowing dust with some thick swaths was observed moving northeast from Southeastern Arizona northern Mexico, southern and southeastern New Mexico. It continues northeast into western and northern Texas where it was more dispersed and light density. 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 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