DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z May 31, 2026
SMOKE: Manitoba/Ontario/Northeastern CONUS… A broad area of light-to-moderate density smoke from fire activity and remnant smoke from previous days was observed extending from Manitoba eastward towards northern Ontario before drifting southeastward across Ontario towards the northeastern United States. A wildfire in eastern Ontario was also observed producing a light-to-moderate density smoke plume extending southward, mixing with the broader layer of smoke. Saskatchewan… Despite significant cloud cover, a wildfire in east-central Saskatchewan was observed through breaks in the clouds generating a light-to-heavy density smoke plume extending towards the northwest. New Mexico… The Seven Cabins Fire in New Mexico continued to burn this evening and was observed producing a light-to-moderate density smoke plume drifting northeast towards the Texas panhandle. Sonora/Chihuahua… Fires located in eastern Sonora and southern Chihuahua were seen producing individual smoke plumes ranging in various densities drifting towards the north and northeast. California… A wildfire in Monterey County, California was observed generating a light-to-moderate density smoke plume drifting southwestward into the Pacific Ocean. Idaho… Two wildfires in southern Idaho were observed producing light-to-moderate density smoke plumes drifting towards the southeast and northeast. 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 western Nicaragua, and north across the western Gulf of America into the Lower Mississippi Valley. An area of moderate-density smoke was observed across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec before drifting northward into the western Gulf of America. BLOWING DUST: Caribbean… Blowing dust from the Sahara Desert was observed drifting westward across the Lesser Antilles and into the Caribbean Sea. GL 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