DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z March 14, 2024
SMOKE: Midwest/Northeast/Southeast United States/Atlantic Ocean... A mass of thin to moderate density smoke attributed to moderate to heavy seasonal burning was observed covering a large area of the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast United States this morning. The smoke was seen extending north and east from central Missouri, expanding throughout the Midwest and Great Lakes region. The burning and smoke continued east throughout the northeast region, extending past the coastal Atlantic, where it was seen dispersing over the Atlantic Ocean. As a mass the smoke was generally moving northeast and east in direction. In addition, several plumes ranging from light to moderate density were observed throughout the southeastern U.S. in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. There are likely more scattered throughout the area but with sporadic cloud cover, smoke analysis for these plumes are difficult to distinguish and analyze. 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. Cardona 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