DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0000Z May 20, 2026
SMOKE: California… The Santa Rosa Island fire persisted and produced overnight and was producing a plume of heavy smoke that dispersed to the south offshore southern California. Moderate density smoke gathered over the coastal area from the Channel Islands to northern Baja. Thicker smoke from the area spread into a wide area of light density smoke that followed the coast to the south, with some movement offshore to the southwest. Central and Midwest U.S. … An area of light smoke extended from Kansas to southern Manitoba, possibly remnant from fires in New Mexico and obscured by a weather system this morning. Smoke drifted mainly north from Kansas and eastern Nebraska, while smoke over the eastern Dakotas appeared to change course and drift east towards Minnesota Iowa. Southeastern U.S. and Mid-Atlantic Scattered fire activity across the southeastern United States contributed to a widespread layer of light smoke from Mississippi northeast across Appalachia and the Mid-Atlantic. Smoke dispersed along the coast and moved offshore into the Atlantic. SMOKE/AEROSOL: Mexico/Pacific Ocean/Gulf of America/Central America... Fire activity, aerosol emissions from gas flaring and other industrial activities, and remnant smoke from previous days contributed to a widespread mixed layer of light-to-moderate density smoke and aerosols across Mexico and northern Central America. Moderate density smoke gathered along the Gulf Coast south of Texas, and the Pacific Coast, south of southern Mexico and Guatemala. Mills 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