DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0049Z May 19, 2022
SMOKE: New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma… The New Mexico files were responsible for an area of moderate to high density smoke which extended to the east and extended across northern Texas and southern Oklahoma. Central and Eastern U.S, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic off the U.S. East Coast… A large area of thin density to localized moderate density smoke attributed to the New Mexico wildfires was seen covering much of the central and eastern U.S. and extending off the U.S. east coast over the far western Atlantic. The smoke also was present over the Gulf Coast region and Gulf of Mexico where it likely mixed with smoke from the ongoing significant seasonal fire activity along with a few wildfires burning in Mexico and Central America. Areas of moderate density smoke were seen off the Southeast United States Coast and further east over the Central Atlantic Ocean. SMOKE/AEROSOL: U.S. Gulf Coast States, Mexico, Central America, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific south of Mexico and Central America... A large area of mostly light to moderate density smoke from widespread ongoing seasonal fire activity and a few wildfires mixed with aerosols from oil/gas flaring and other industrial sources in Mexico was observed covering most of Mexico, parts of Central America, most of the Gulf of Mexico and extending well offshore south of Mexico and Central America into the Pacific. The smoke/aerosol was believed to be present farther to the north up at least as far as the U.S. Gulf Coast region from Texas to Florida though it is likely mixed with smoke primarily from the New Mexico wildfires. Moderate density smoke was seen over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, southern Mexico and the Tropical Pacific Ocean south and southwest of Mexico. BLOWING DUST: Tropical Atlantic and Caribbean Sea… An area of Saharan Dust was extending from the Tropical Atlantic Ocean west through the Caribbean Sea towards coastal Central America. Hanna 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