DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1730Z March 15, 2023
SMOKE…. Mississippi Valley/Southeastern Conus/Gulf of Mexico... widespread light density smoke plumes produced from seasonal fire activity was observed across southeastern U.S. Majority of the smoke plumes was seen moving west-southwest. In addition, large area of a mostly light density mixture of smoke from the same contribution sources was observed along the Mississippi Valley, extending from Iowa and Illinois, south along the Mississippi river, and into the Gulf of Mexico, where it then mixes with smoke/aerosol from fire and industrial activity from Mexico and the Caribbean. SMOKE/AEROSOL… Southern Mexico/Gulf of Mexico/Central America/Pacific Ocean south of Mexico… A large area of mainly thin density smoke from fire and industrial activity in Mexico and Central America was seen extending through Mexico and Central America, the Pacific Ocean well south of Mexico, and the Gulf of Mexico. The smoke/aerosol mix likely extends further east into Cuba, Hispaniola, and the Caribbean Sea but cloud cover precluded further analysis. In addition, the smoke/aerosol mix seen within the Gulf of Mexico has likely mingled with smoke from seasonal fire activity in the southeastern U.S. 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