DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0100Z February 7, 2023
SMOKE: Cuba… Widespread fire activity throughout Cuba was seen producing light to moderate smoke this afternoon. The prevailing winds were moving the smoke southeastward offshore into the Caribbean Sea. Southeastern CONUS… Widespread agricultural burning was observed producing light to moderate density smoke from the Carolinas south into Florida and then west into Louisiana. Smoke was moving clockwise around a high pressure area whose center was drifting eastward across central Alabama toward the border with Georgia. Smoke across Georgia and the Carolinas was moving southeastward while smoke across far southern Georgia and into Florida was moving south-southwest to west-southwest while smoke across western Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana was moving mainly north-northwestward. The most prolific smoke producing fire was observed across far southwestern Louisiana, with smoke entering the easternmost portions of Texas. New Mexico… A single fire in northeastern New Mexico was observed producing a light to moderate smoke plume extending east-northeastward. The smoke was observed reaching as far out as the westernmost portions of the Oklahoma Panhandle and far southeastern Colorado. Arizona/Northwestern Mexico… A single fire in far western central Arizona very near the border with California was observed producing smoke for much of the day. The smoke plume was observed extending across the northern Gulf of California. Also in the vicinity was a blowing dust event, which is discussed more in the BLOWING DUST section below. The portion analyzed as smoke is the portion that is certainly mainly smoke. BLOWING DUST… Southwestern CONUS and northern Mexico… Throughout the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, along with Willcox Playa, White Sands National Park, and portions of north-central Chihuahua, light to moderate plumes of blowing dust were observed. Sand kicked up from southern California into western Arizona was seen moving south-southeastward, while sand from Willcox Playa was being transported east-southeastward and sand from White Sands National Park and northern Chihuahua was being transported northeastward. Southern Great Plains… Dust was observed becoming lofted by a southward advancing cold front that was moving across northeastern New Mexico, the Oklahoma and North Texas Panhandles, and central Oklahoma this afternoon. The dust was light in nature as the front was moving south through Oklahoma and the North Texas Panhandle this afternoon and evening. SMOKE/AEROSOL/DUST: Southern Mexico/Northwestern Central America/Pacific Ocean South of Southern Mexico and Northwestern Central America… Similar to recent days, a very large mass of a mixture of primarily thin to moderate density smoke/industrial aerosol/dust was seen over southern Mexico, Northwestern Central America, and extending well off the southern coast of Mexico and Northwestern Central America over the Pacific Ocean. It is believed that the western and northwestern portion of this large area was likely mainly composed of smoke from ongoing seasonal fire activity in Mexico while the areas farther to the east off the southeastern coast of Mexico and northwestern Central America were composed primarily of aerosols from industrial activities in the region and blowing dust which was seen emanating and moving to the south especially from sources in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Oaxaca and the southern part of the Mexican state of Chiapas. Volcanic plumes which added to the aerosol mixture were noted spreading to the southwest and well offshore from at least a couple of volcanoes in Nicaragua and Guatemala, and from Popocatepetl near Mexico City. California’s Central Valley… Aerosol that is likely a combination of light smoke from numerous small agricultural fires in the central portions of the Central Valley, dust kicked up by a strong wind event, and aerosols from urban sources within and upstream of the Central Valley all are contributing to a light cloud of aerosol blanketing the southern third of the Central Valley. Flow is generally moving south-southwestward, not allowing much exhaust of the aerosol trapped in the valley. Hosley 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