DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z May 27, 2026
SMOKE: Canada/Midwestern CONUS… A large plume of light-density smoke from fire activity in Canada and the Midwest was observed this evening, covering most of central Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba, and the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Region, continuing to move towards the east-southeast. A large fire located in central Saskatchewan produced moderate-to-heavy density smoke that extended to the northeast before merging with the regional plume. In Minnesota, one fire located in Roseau County produced medium-density smoke that dispersed to the west. Another fire located in Cook County produced heavy-to-moderate smoke that extended over Lake Superior. California… A fire located south of Salinas was observed producing a large moderate-density smoke plume that continued west-southwest into the Pacific Ocean. Florida… Two large fires were observed in central Florida producing light-to-moderate density smoke this evening. 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 light-density smoke and aerosols across Mexico and Central America. The smoke extended southwest into the Pacific Ocean, east into Central America, and north across the west-central Gulf of America towards the southern United States, reaching Louisiana before dissipating. Individual fires in western Jalisco also produced an area of light-to-moderate smoke. Another fire located in Veracruz near the border of Tabasco produced a moderate-to-heavy smoke plume that continued northwards into the Gulf. A broader region of moderate-density smoke stretched from the Bay of Campeche, across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and into the Pacific Ocean. DUST: Baja California… Light blowing dust was observed in Baja California peninsula this evening, drifting eastward into the Gulf of California. 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