DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1500Z May 23, 2026
SMOKE: New Mexico/Eastern Rockies/Central U.S.… The Seven Cabins Fire in Lincoln County, New Mexico continued to burn today, and produced a large plume of moderate-to-heavy smoke. Moderate density smoke moved east, over northern Texas and southern Oklahoma where it met a weather system. Light smoke expanded from the plume and drifted north over eastern Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana, and western Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. Light smoke spread into Canada and merged into a larger area of light smoke that moved east. Northwest Territories/Central Canada… A fire located in the southern Northwest Territories continued today and produced a large plume of moderate-to-heavy smoke. Moderate smoke drifted east towards Nunavut, met with light smoke coming north from the central United States. Southern U.S.… Areas of light smoke were observed between weather systems in the eastern United States, over Alabama and Mississippi, and the Atlantic coast of Georgia and Florida. Northwestern U.S.… A fire in eastern Oregon produced a small light-density smoke plume that drifted southeast, while a fire in southwestern Idaho produced a small plume that moved northwest. 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 layer of moderate-to-light density smoke and aerosols across Mexico and northern Central America. Moderate density smoke gathered along the Gulf coast of Mexico, and extended south over Guatemala and the Pacific coast. Light smoke spread west into the Pacific, and north over the western Gulf of America before meeting with multiple weather systems in the southern United States. 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