DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z April 23, 2026
SMOKE: Southeastern CONUS/Georgia… Agricultural fires were active across the Southeastern United States this morning, 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 morning. Localized heavy-density smoke was observed with light-to-moderate density smoke as it extending northeast before mixing with the broader layer of light-density smoke. 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. GM 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