DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z April 22, 2026
SMOKE: Midwestern CONUS… Fires were present across much of the Midwestern United States this evening, producing individual light-to-moderate density smoke plumes across the region. A notable fire in central Nebraska was observed producing a light-to-heavy density smoke plume traveling north before being obscured by clouds. A light-density smoke plume generated earlier this afternoon by a fire in Iosco County, Michigan was observed traveling east-southeast across Lake Huron and into southern Ontario. Southeastern CONUS/Georgia… Agricultural fires were active across the Southeastern United States this evening, producing a few light-to-moderate density smoke plumes throughout the region. A large area of remnant smoke from yesterday’s fire activity was observed across the region, spanning from eastern Arkansas to the Georgia and the Carolinas before continuing southwest into the Gulf. The Pineland Road Fire located in the Georgia counties of Clinch and Echols continued to burn this evening. Localized heavy-density smoke was observed through breaks in the cloud cover before transitioning to light-to-moderate density smoke as it extended northeast into the southern part of South Carolina before mixing with the broader layer of light-density smoke. A fire in northern Florida was also observed producing a light-to-moderate density smoke plume drifting towards the west, merging with the broader layer of light-density smoke as it extended into the Gulf. Southern Ontario… A fire in southern Ontario was observed producing a light-to-moderate density smoke plume drifting towards the southeast. SMOKE/AEROSOL: Mexico/Pacific Ocean/Gulf of America… 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/aerosol that covered most of southern Mexico, extending across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec into the southern Gulf of America. The smoke also extended into the Yucatan Peninsula and western Guatemala before continuing southwestward into the Pacific off the southern coast of Mexico. 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