DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0229Z May 2, 2023
SMOKE: Central & SE U.S./Atlantic of the SE USA/Western and Central Canada... Thin density smoke from a few wildfires and a large amount of seasonal fire activity was noted today in Canada stretching from eastern British Columbia to east central Saskatchewan. The smoke also extended to the southwest reaching northeastern Oregon, northern Montana, eastern British Columbia, most of Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba, and northern Idaho when the smoke moved south down trough the central U.S. and east across the southeastern U.S. extending out approximately 1,700 miles off the North Carolina coastline over the Atlantic off the southeastern United States. Areas with moderate to heavy smoke plumes were noted throughout the described area such as, northern Montana, parts of Kansas, Nebraska, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, eastern Saskatchewan and central Manitoba. It is also possible that some dust aloft from significant dust storms in the desert regions of Asia over the past couple of weeks may be mixing in with smoke from the fire activity. New Mexico... Two fires in northern New Mexico was visible releasing light to moderate density smoke that was observed moving north into southern Utah as evening approached. Utah... A fire in central Utah was visible releasing light to moderate density smoke that was observed moving north into north within the state as evening approached. SMOKE/AEROSOL: South Central and Southeastern U.S./Atlantic off the Southeastern U.S. Coast/Gulf of Mexico/Cuba/Mexico/Northwestern Central America/Pacific Ocean Well South of the Southern Coast of Mexico and Northwestern Central America… A very large mass of thin to moderate density smoke linked to ongoing and significant seasonal fire activity and a few wildfires in Mexico and Central America was pres!WEEdsare11ent over portions of the south central and southeastern U.S. and extending well offshore to the east over the Atlantic Ocean. The smoke also covered most of Cuba, the Gulf of Mexico, the western and northern Caribbean Sea, northwestern Central America, most of Mexico, and the Pacific Ocean well south of the southern coast of Mexico and Central America. The thickest smoke within this large area was seen over portions of southern and eastern Mexico, northwestern Central America, the Bay of Campeche, and the Gulf of Mexico likely extending into the southern tip of Texas. Cloud cover though over the Bay of Campeche, southeastern Mexico including the Yucatan Peninsula, and northwestern Central America prevented a more detailed satellite based analysis of the density of the smoke in this region. Earlier today, UNKNOWN AEROSOL: Western and Central Canada/Area from North Central U.S. to Southeast and Middle Atlantic Region… A huge swath of thin density aerosol was seen this morning stretching from portions of western and central Canada to the southeast across the north central and central U.S. and extending farther to the southeast and east across the Mid-Atlantic region and some of the southeastern U.S. and offshore over the Atlantic. It is not known for certain, but this aerosol may be composed mostly of dust transported aloft all the way from the desert regions of Asia where significant dust storms have occurred in the past couple of weeks. Some smoke from a few wildfires burning in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan as well as from seasonal fire activity in south central Canada and the north central and central U.S. may also be mixing in. 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