DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0000Z February 4, 2024
SMOKE: Southeastern United States... Widespread seasonal burning was detected throughout the southeastern CONUS. Numerous light density smoke plumes were observed from Florida to Alabama and North Carolina. Seasonal burning and smoke were likely further west towards Louisiana, Arkansas, and perhaps east Texas but cloud cover prevented analysis in the region. Most of the smoke plumes were seen seen generally moving westward or southwestward with the exception of smoke across South Florida, where the smoke was moving northward. An area of remnant smoke from yesterday’s activity (coupled with smoke from gas flaring in the Bay of Campeche yesterday) was also observed across the western and central Gulf of Mexico, moving southeastward to eastward ahead of a front. Cuba… Widespread fire activity was also noted throughout Cuba this afternoon. The light to moderate smoke produced by this fire activity was mainly moving northward out over the Florida Strait. SMOKE/AEROSOL… Mexico/Central America/Northwest Central America/Pacific Ocean: An area of light to moderate aerosol from a composite of smoke from agricultural burning and gas flaring in the Bay of Campeche and aerosol from industrial sources was observed blanketing an area from south Texas through western Gulf of Mexico and into parts of eastern Mexico. BLOWING DUST… East-central Mexico… Areas of thick blowing dust were observed being lofted from the high deserts east and northeast of Mexico City. The blowing dust was moving east-northeast to northeast, with the thickest blowing dust moving northeast from northern Puebla and far east-central Veracruz reaching over 200 miles offshore to the northern Bay of Campeche. It is possible that there could be a light smoke plume or two within the thick dust plume. CONUS/Mexico Border Region… Dust of varying density was observed being lofted from numerous sources across northern Chihuahua, southern New Mexico, and western Texas and being transported east-southeastward with the leading edge of the largest plume reaching central Texas. 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