DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0000Z January 31, 2026
SMOKE: Southeastern CONUS… Widespread agricultural fires were detected across the Southeastern United States this evening. However, due to significant cloud coverage in the region, only a few light-to-moderate density smoke plumes were observed in central Alabama, with two light density smoke plumes in Osceola County, Florida drifting east into the Atlantic. Cuba/Caribbean Sea… Fires in western Cuba were observed producing multiple light-density smoke plumes drifting southward into the western Caribbean Sea. Southern Plains/Missouri/Arkansas… Widespread burning activity was seen across Missouri, Arkansas, and the Southern Plains this evening, but only a couple of light smoke plumes in east Texas were observed due to the presence of cloud cover and an existing snow pack. Despite the current limitations, it is possible that there is at least a little more smoke present across these areas. AEROSOL/SMOKE: Mexico/Guatemala/Bay of Campeche... Scattered fire activity across southern Mexico, as well as remnant smoke and urban aerosol emission from previous days, has concentrated into a layer that extends southwestward from the Mexican and Guatemalan Coasts out over the Pacific as well as over the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the Gulf Coastal Plain of Mexico, and the Bay of Campeche. GL 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