DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1700Z May 5, 2023
SMOKE: Central U.S/Mid-West/Central and Western Canada/Nunavut... Thin density smoke from fire activity over in Canada was observed extending from much of western and Central Canada southeast through parts of the Rockies, Northern and Central Plains, the Great Lakes region, and into the Southeastern CONUS, where smoke was still visible over parts of the Atlantic Ocean. Due to weather conditions, the thin density smoke extended northeast across Nunavut and into parts of Hudson Bay. Within central Alberta, numerous wildfires were seen producing large amounts of moderate to thick density smoke moving northwestward, where the moderate and thick smoke began to mingle with cloud cover. Patches of moderate smoke was seen across eastern Alberta and Saskatchewan. SMOKE/AEROSOL: Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico States/Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean/Mexico/Central America/Pacific... A very large area of thin to moderate density smoke from ongoing fire activity in Mexico and Central America was detected over portions of the Atlantic Ocean off the Southeast U.S. coast and then extending west and southwest through the Gulf Coastal States of the U.S., Gulf of Mexico, the western Caribbean Sea, central and southern Mexico, northwest Central America, and into the Pacific Ocean south and southwest of northwest Central America and southern Mexico. Within this area, an area of moderate density smoke was over much of the western Gulf of Mexico, southern Mexico, northwestern Central America, and just offshore Pacific coastal locations of Mexico. NGUYEN 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