DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z April 24, 2026
SMOKE: Southeastern CONUS/Georgia/Atlantic Ocean… Agricultural fires were active across the Southeastern United States this evening. A large area of light-density smoke was observed across the region, spanning from eastern Alabama to Georgia and the Mid-Atlantic states before continuing eastward far into the Atlantic Ocean. The Pineland Road Fire continued to burn this evening, producing light-to-moderate density smoke that drifted east into neighboring counties. The Brantley Highway 82 Fire in southeastern Georgia produced light-to-moderate density smoke that extended east-southeast into the Atlantic Ocean. Florida… Agricultural fires adjacent to Lake Okeechobee produced individual light-density smoke that merged into a larger plume and traveled west-northwest. Central Plains/Middle and Upper Mississippi Valley… Widespread agricultural fires located in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and southern Minnesota were observed producing a significant number of individual light-to-moderate density smoke plumes this evening. A majority of smoke in the region traveled due south before curving to the west. SMOKE/AEROSOL: Mexico/Pacific Ocean/Gulf of America/Central 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 all of southern Mexico and continued southwestward off the southern coasts of Mexico and Guatemala into the Pacific Ocean. Smoke also extended across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, central America, and the Yucatan Peninsula before continuing into the west-central Gulf of America. A layer of moderate-density smoke was observed in the Gulf, directly east of the US-Mexican border. Light-density smoke continued north, eventually reaching the coasts of Texas and Louisiana. Gaskill 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