DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1715Z March 13, 2024
SMOKE: Midwest/Southeast/Northeast United States... A mass of thin to moderate density smoke attributed to moderate to heavy seasonal burning was observed covering a large area of the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast U.S. this morning. Beginning from central Arkansas, to the north and east through the Midwest, ending in the western Great Lakes region near eastern Iowa and western Illinois. The burning and smoke continued east throughout the northeast/southeast U.S., extending just past the coastal Atlantic, where it was then seen dispersing over the Atlantic Ocean. As a mass the smoke was generally moving northeast and east in direction. Some light to moderate remnant smoke from last evening was also noted near the northern Arkansas and southern Missouri border. AEROSOL/SMOKE: Gulf of Mexico/Yucatan Peninsula/Western Caribbean Sea/Pacific Ocean south of Mexico/Central America... A large area of predominantly light density smoke originating from widespread fire activity in Central America and northern South America, mixed in with aerosol from a composite of volcanic emissions in Mexico, and industrial sources was observed over a large portion of the Gulf of Mexico, extending east towards the southern tip of the Florida peninsula. This smoke was also seen covering areas of Central America and the Pacific ocean off the coast of southern Mexico and Central America this morning. Willkens 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