DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z April 30, 2026
SMOKE: Cuba… Many individual fires throughout Cuba created one large plume of light-to-moderate density smoke over Western Cuba and a few individual plumes of light-density smoke over Eastern Cuba. SMOKE/AEROSOL: Mexico/Pacific Ocean/Gulf of America/Central America/Gulf Coast of CONUS… Smoke from fire activity across southern Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, and Central America, remnant smoke from previous days, and aerosol emissions from gas flaring and other industrial activities contributed to a layer of light-density smoke/aerosol that extended north, encompassing the Gulf of America and continuing into the U.S. Gulf Coast. Light-density smoke also extended across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and east into Central America, before drifting southwest into the Pacific off the southern coasts of Mexico and Central America. A moderate-density plume of smoke was present within the larger plume of light-density smoke that expanded over the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and out over the Gulf. GM 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