Tuesday, June 16, 2026

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z June 16, 2026

SMOKE:
Southern Plains/Mississippi Valley…
An area of remnant smoke was observed in southern CONUS this evening,
spanning much of northeastern Texas, Oklahoma, northern Louisiana,
Arkansas, Kansas, and southern Missouri.

Saskatchewan…
Two wildfires in central Saskatchewan produced individual smoke plumes
ranging in various densities extending towards the south and southeast
within the province.

Northwest Territories…
Two wildfires in western Northwest Territories generated individual
moderate-to-heavy density smoke plumes dispersing northward within the
territory. A nearby fire was also observed producing an localized area
of light-to-moderate density smoke.

Pacific Northwest…
Scattered fires in Oregon, Washington, northern Idaho, and southern
British Columbia produced individual smoke plumes ranging in various
densities drifting towards the east.

California…
Remnant smoke from previous days and smoke from fire activity in the
Central Valley this evening contributed to a broad layer of light-density
smoke spanning much of northern California. The smoke extended eastward
into southern Nevada.

Utah/Arizona…
A wildfire in southwestern Utah was observed generating
a moderate-to-heavy density smoke plume moving towards the
southeast. Another fire in northern Arizona was observed producing an
area of light-to-moderate smoke extending eastward within the state.

Florida…
Wildfires in southern Florida, such as the Quarry 2(13) Fire, were
observed producing individual light-to-heavy density smoke plumes
extending northeast into the Atlantic Ocean.

Bahamas…
Fires in the Bahamian islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama were observed
producing light-to-moderate density smoke plumes extending northeast
into the Atlantic.

Western and southern Mexico/Pacific Ocean/Gulf of America…
An area of light-density smoke consisting of remnant smoke from previous
days and smoke from fire activity was observed in the Gulf of California,
across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and extending northward into the
southern Gulf of America. The smoke also extended across southern Mexico,
before drifting southwest into the Pacific Ocean. An area of moderate
density smoke was also seen in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec before extending
northward into the southern Gulf of America.

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

 


Unless otherwise indicated:
  • Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.
  • Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.
  • A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.
  • Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.