DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1500Z October 20, 2026
SMOKE: Northern Great Plains/Canada… Remnant light-density smoke was observed from far norther Idaho/far southeastern British Columbia and extending eastward into western Quebec. Southeastern CONUS… Scattered fires in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana were observed producing light-to-heavy density smoke plumes generally drifting southwestward. Remnant areas of moderate-density smoke were observed across southern Mississippi, Alabama, and far northwestern Florida, central Missouri, and western Iowa. A broad area of remnant light-density smoke was observed across the central plains, the southeastern U.S., and the Mid-Atlantic. Gulf of America/Mexico… A broad area of moderate-density smoke was observed from the southern Gulf of America through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec along the southwestern Mexican coast and drifting southward into the Pacific Ocean. A broad area of remnant light-density smoke was observed across the Gulf of America, the Mexican Gulf and Pacific coasts, and drifting westward into the Pacific Ocean. Monaghan 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 map: https://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