Tuesday, January 31, 2023

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1630Z January 31, 2023

SMOKE/AEROSOL:
Southeastern U.S./Gulf of Mexico/Cuba/Caribbean Sea/Southern and Eastern
Mexico/Northwestern Central America/Pacific South of the Southern Coast
of Mexico and Northwestern Central America…
An expansive area of primarily thin density aerosol from industrial
activities in Mexico and Central America and smoke from seasonal fires
primarily in Cuba and Mexico was seen this morning across a portion
of the central and eastern Gulf Coast region and much of Florida, as
well as the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, the western Caribbean Sea, eastern
and southern Mexico, northwestern Central America, and well out over the
Pacific Ocean south of Mexico and northwestern Central America. Swaths of
thin density smoke from oil rigs in the Bay of Campeche were also visible
spreading to the northwest and adding to the smoke/aerosol mix in the
Gulf of Mexico. Within the larger mass of thin density smoke/aerosol
mixture was an embedded batch of moderate density smoke/aerosol mix
located over southeastern Mexico and extending to the south over the
Gulf of Tehauntepec and a relatively small portion of the Pacific Ocean.

JS


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

 


Unless otherwise indicated:
  • Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.
  • Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.
  • A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.
  • Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.