DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1700Z April 25, 2023
SMOKE: Central U.S... Remnant thin density smoke from agricultural burning activity within the Central U.S over past few days was observed extending east from South Dakota and parts of northwestern Nebraska into most of Iowa. SMOKE/AEROSOL: Southern U.S/U.S Gulf States/Mid-Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean/Mexico/Central America/Pacific... The ongoing significant and widespread seasonal fire activity in Mexico and Central America resulted in a very large area of light to moderate density smoke which covered southern Texas while extending through the U.S Gulf States and into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Carolina. This large area of smoke also covered much of southern and eastern Mexico, northwestern Central America, the Pacific Ocean south of the southern coast of Mexico and northwestern Central America, the Gulf of Mexico, and the western Caribbean. Most of the moderate smoke was seen over southern Mexico, parts of northwestern Central America, and southern Gulf of Mexico. The thickest smoke was present over northwestern Central America, portions of southeastern Mexico, and the Bay of Campeche. Although most of what was seen in satellite imagery was believed to be smoke, some aerosols from industrial activity primarily from Mexico and Central America may be contributing. Unknown Aerosol: Mid-West/Manitoba/Ontario… A thin patch of unknown aerosol was seen extending from northern Manitoba, through parts of western Ontario, and into the Midwest. Within the Mid-west region, the aerosol extended southeast through the Great Lakes region and into the Ohio Valley region. This unknown aerosol is likely high-lofted dust originating from large dust storms brought by the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts. Nguyen 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