DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z March 19, 2026
SMOKE: Southeast CONUS/Midwestern CONUS… Agricultural fires persisted across the Midwestern and Southeastern United States this evening, generating numerous smoke plumes throughout the region. Fires in eastern Kansas and southern Missouri produced localized light-density smoke plumes, while the fires in Oklahoma, eastern Texas, northern Louisiana, and northern Arkansas were observed producing multiple smoke plumes, ranging in various densities, that drifted towards the northeast. From Mississippi to northern Georgia, light-to-moderate density smoke plumes were observed drifting towards the east. In eastern Georgia and south Carolina, light-density smoke plumes were observed extending towards the south. The smoke plumes, as well as smoke remnants from previous days, coalesced into a large area of light-density smoke that extended eastward into the Atlantic, southward into the Gulf, and northeastward into southern Illinois, southwestern Indiana, and western Kentucky. Southern Texas… A fire located in Kenedy County,Texas was observed producing a light-to-heavy density smoke plume extending towards the north, affecting neighboring counties. Colorado… A fire located in Fremont County, Colorado generated a light-to-heavy density smoke plume, extending southeastward towards northeastern New Mexico and western Oklahoma. AEROSOL/SMOKE: Mexico/Central America... Smoke from fire activity, remnant smoke from previous days, and aerosol emissions from gas flaring and other industrial activities in central and southern Mexico spread as a layer of light density smoke that extended from the southwestern Gulf of America westward over the Pacific. 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