Tuesday, February 21, 2023

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1712Z February 21, 2023

SMOKE/AEROSOL/DUST:
Southeastern U.S./Gulf of Mexico/Atlantic off the Southeast
U.S. Coast/Cuba/Caribbean Sea/Southern and Eastern Mexico/Northwestern
Central America/Pacific South of Mexico and Northwestern Central
America...

Satellite imagery showed a very large area of a thin density mixture of
smoke and aerosol over the southern part of the south central and the
southern southeastern U.S. stretching from southern Texas across the
Gulf Coast region, through most of Florida, and offshore over the nearby
Atlantic. This smoke/aerosol mixture likely extends further north into
the southeastern CONUS, however cloud cover precluded further analysis in
the regions. The smoke/aerosol mixture also covered portions of southern
and eastern Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, and the Caribbean Sea. The
source of the larger mixture of thinner density smoke/aerosol was daily
seasonal fire activity scattered across Cuba, Hispaniola, Central America,
Mexico, and the south central and southeastern U.S. and from industrial
activity primarily in Hispaniola, Cuba, Mexico, and Central America. The
mixture of smoke/aerosol was also noted well off the coast of southern
Mexico and northwestern Central America over the Pacific. Recent bouts of
blowing was adding to the mixture in this region and was seen emanating
from a number of sources in far southeastern Mexico, as well as the
southern portions of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua and spreading
to the south over the Pacific.

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

 


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.