DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z March 20, 2025
SMOKE: Florida and The Bahamas... fires scattered throughout southern Florida and The Bahamas were observed producing moderate to chick density smoke this afternoon. Smoke was moving east to east-northeast with dense smoke from the fire west of Lake Okeechobee extending approximately 250 miles to the east-northeast. Great Plains/Mississippi Valley/Central Gulf Coast/Northwestern Gulf of America... Widespread fire activity from Louisiana and Texas northward to Nebraska and Iowa was observed producing mainly light smoke plumes that were moving eastward north of the Kansas-Oklahoma border and southeastward south of that state border and across the Upper Mississippi Valley. Cuba... Widespread burning was noted across Cuba this afternoon with light to moderate density smoke production observed. Most low-level smoke is moving south-southwestward to south-southeastward while smoke from fires in the higher elevations of interior Cuba was moving east-northeasterly. AEROSOL/SMOKE/DUST: Eastern, Central and Southern Mexico/Western and Southern Gulf of Mexico/Pacific Ocean An area of light to moderate density smoke, dust and aerosols attributed to scattered burning, remnant lofted dust from yesterdays blowing dust event across Texas and northern Mexico, and industrial activity throughout Central and Southern Mexico was observed blanketing an area that includes Eastern, Central and Southern Mexico, the southwestern quadrant of Gulf of America, western Central America, and the Tropical Eastern Pacific. The thickest portions of the layer were observed extending southwestward from the Mexican State of Chiapas and western Guatemala (mainly smoke) and across eastern Mexico and western Gulf of America (mainly dust to equal dust-smoke contribution). 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