DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z April 20, 2026
SMOKE: Georgia… The Pineland Rd wildfire in Clinch County, Georgia, was active throughout the evening and produced moderate-to-heavy smoke that moved southwest across the Florida-Georgia state line, gradually transitioning to light-density smoke as it reached the northeastern section of the Gulf of America. Another fire in Muscogee County was active and was observed producing moderate-to-heavy density smoke that moved southwest across the Alabama-Georgia state line. Kansas… Agricultural fires were active throughout much of eastern Kansas. These fires were observed producing individual, light-density smoke plumes that moved northeast towards Nebraska and Iowa. Montana… The East Side wildfire in the southern region of the Custer Gallatin National Park in Montana was active throughout the evening and produced heavy-density smoke which moved east within the state before transitioning to moderate-to-light density smoke. SMOKE/AEROSOL: Mexico/Pacific Ocean… Smoke from fire activity, remnant smoke from previous days, and aerosol emissions from gas flaring and other industrial activities contributed to a layer of light-density smoke that extended across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and continued southwestward into the Pacific Ocean off the southern coasts of Mexico. Hernandez 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