DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0030Z MAY 16, 2009

Western Gulf of Mexico/Bay of Campeche:
Moderate to hvy smoke continues to be pumped out from the Yucatan and
Southern Mexican states which is generally moving W and NW covering all
of the Bay of Campeche and Western Gulf of Mexico (west of 93W) to the
large thunderstorm complexes moving off the south TX coast.  Moderately
dense smoke from the Eastern Coast of Mexico (Quintana Roo), Belize and
N Guatemala is either nearly stationary  (north) or slowly drifting SSE.

Northern Mexico:
Numerous wildfires and agricultural fires along the western portions of
the Sierra Madre and coastal plains of Sinaloa, Chihuahua and Durango
states are producing thin to moderately dense smoke that has split motion
to the west and east along the ridge line/state boarders.

Gallina


THE FORMAT OF THIS TEXT PRODUCT IS BEING MODIFIED. IT WILL NO LONGER
DESCRIBE THE VARIOUS PLUMES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ACTIVE FIRES. THESE
PLUMES ARE DEPICTED IN VARIOUS GRAPHIC FORMATS ON OUR WEB SITE:

JPEG:   http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/hms.html
GIS:    http://www.firedetect.noaa.gov/viewer.htm
KML:    http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/kml.html

THIS TEXT PRODUCT WILL CONTINUE TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF SMOKE
WHICH HAVE BECOME DETACHED FROM AND DRIFTED SOME DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE
SOURCE FIRE, TYPICALLY OVER THE COURSE OF ONE OR MORE DAYS. IT WILL ALSO
STILL INCLUDE DESCRIPTIONS OF BLOWING DUST.

ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THESE CHANGES OR THE SMOKE TEXT
PRODUCT IN GENERAL SHOULD BE SENT TO SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov

Unless otherwise indicated:

Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.

Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.

A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.

Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.