DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0210Z April 26, 2023
SMOKE: Central U.S... Remnant thin density smoke from agricultural burning activity along with smoke associated with new burning activity today was detected across parts of South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, and most of Iowa. SMOKE/AEROSOL: Southern U.S./Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean/Mexico/Atlantic... 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 and extended across parts of the south-central and southeastern U.S. and into the Atlantic off the coast of North Carolina. This large area of smoke also covered much of southern and eastern Mexico, northwestern Central America, the Pacific 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 present over southern Mexico, parts of northwestern Central America, and southern Gulf of Mexico. The thickest smoke was found 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: Midwest/South-Central Canada... A thin patch of unknown aerosol was seen extending from northern Manitoba, through parts of western Ontario, and into the Midwest. Within the Midwest region, the aerosol extended southeast through the Great Lakes and into the Ohio Valley. This aerosol is likely high-lofted dust originating from large dust storms over the Taklamakan and Gobi Deserts in Asia. Konon 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