DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0010Z April 19, 2022
SMOKE: Central-southern Plains… Agricultural fires were actively burning across Kansas, Oklahoma and eastern Texas this afternoon producing light smoke that was moving south-southwest. An area of moderate-density smoke resulting from the mixing of several individual plumes occupied eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma. Mexico/Gulf of Mexico/Central America/Pacific Ocean... A large mass of primarily light density smoke from seasonal fire activity in Mexico and Central America mixed with aerosols from oil and gas flaring and other industrial sources in Mexico covered the majority of Mexico with the exception of the northwestern states, in addition to Central America. The smoke extended further out over the entire Gulf of Mexico, Bay of Campeche, and for more than a 1,000 miles over the Pacific ocean off the coast of southern Mexico and Central America. Winds were pushing part of the smoke from the Gulf of Mexico back inland over the Yucatan Peninsula and southern Mexico where pockets of moderate-density smoke could be observed. 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 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