DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0000Z April 26, 2026
SMOKE: Southeastern CONUS/Georgia/Atlantic Ocean… Smoke emissions from the ongoing Highway 82 wildfire in southeastern Georgia, coupled with smoke from previous days from the Highway 82 wildfire, the Pineland Road wildfire, and other smaller fires throughout the southeastern CONUS, was producing a layer of smoke that was extending eastward out over the North Atlantic around a sprawling cyclone centered not far off of the Avalon Peninsula. Florida… Agricultural burning around Lake Okeechobee was producing light smoke throughout most of the day that was moving northwest to north. Yucatan/Southern Mexico… Widespread burning activity was observed across the Yucatan and southern Mexico. The light to moderate smoke was mainly moving northwestward. Central America… Widespread burning across Honduras and Nicaragua was observed producing an area of light to moderate smoke over mainly northern Nicaragua. Tennessee Valley… Remnant smoke from yesterday’s burning across the central US was observed extending east-southeastward across northeastern Arkansas, Tennessee, and northern Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. Central Plains… Some light smoke was noted across Nebraska and Kansas. There is a good chance that more smoke exists further north and east, but cloud cover is not allowing analysis of smoke in those areas. New Mexico… A wildfire in New Mexico was seen producing light to moderate smoke this afternoon. Although only a small handful of fires were analyzed in the vicinity, it is possible that there could be smoke production as cloud cover is plentiful across the state. SMOKE/AEROSOL: Mexico/Pacific Ocean/Gulf of America/Central America/South-Central CONUS… Smoke from fire activity across southern Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, and Central America, remnant smoke from previous days from the same areas, and aerosol emissions from gas flaring and other industrial activities contributed to a layer of light-density smoke/aerosol that blanketed and area from Oklahoma and southern Mississippi to the tropical Eastern Pacific and much of Central America. 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:http://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