Saturday, June 20, 2026

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1500Z June 20, 2026

SMOKE:
Northwest Territories/Yukon/Alaska…
Several fires in the Northwest Territories were observed producing
moderate-to-heavy density smoke that traveled westward this morning. A
large area of remnant light-density smoke from these fires was observed
from the central Northwest Territories, continuing westward into Yukon
and parts of northeastern Alaska.

Southwestern U.S…
Scattered fires in Nevada, Utah, and Arizona were observed producing
light-to-heavy density smoke plumes this morning. The Iron fire, located
south of Salt Lake City, produced a large plume of medium-to-heavy density
smoke that encompassed central and northern Utah before drifting to the
northeast into neighboring states.

Central Plains/Upper and Middle Mississippi Valley
An area of remnant light-density smoke from yesterday’s fires was
observed this morning, spanning from eastern South Dakota, as far south
as Missouri, and eastward into Indiana and Kentucky.

Florida/Atlantic Ocean…
A fire in southern Florida was observed producing light-density smoke
that drifted towards the northwest. An area of light-density remnant
smoke stretched from the eastern Gulf, across central Florida, and into
the Mid-Atlantic Ocean.

Northwestern and Southeastern Mexico/Central America/Pacific Ocean/Gulf
of America…
An area of light-density remnant smoke from previous days, as well as
smoke from industrial sources and fire activity spread over northwestern
Mexico and Baja California this morning. Smoke also traveled northwards
into New Mexico and western Texas. Another area of light-density smoke
was observed over the Isthmus of Tehuantepec dispersing into the Bay of
Campeche the central Gulf, parts of Central America, and southwards into
the Pacific Ocean.

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

 


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.