DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z May 21, 2026
SMOKE: Oregon… A fire located in western Oregon was observed generating a light-to-moderate density smoke plume extending west into the Pacific Ocean. Midwestern CONUS… Scattered fires in the Midwestern United States were observed producing multiple smoke plumes this evening. Fires in northwestern Minnesota generated two light-to-moderate density smoke plumes drifting north into southern Manitoba. Fires in Michigan were also observed producing two individual light-density smoke plumes drifting west across the state and northwest into Lake Superior, while a fire in northeastern Wisconsin produced a light-density smoke plume moving northwest. Southern Florida… Fires located east of Lake Okeechobee were seen producing an area of light-density smoke extending northwest. New Mexico… The Seven Cabins Fire, located in Lincoln County, New Mexico, continued to burn this evening. A plume of light-to-moderate smoke was observed moving to the east-northeast. Southeastern CONUS and Mid-Atlantic... Scattered fire activity across the southeastern United States and remnant smoke from previous days has contributed to a layer of light-density smoke that extended northeast from the eastern Gulf, spreading across much of the North Atlantic. 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 northern Central America. Smoke stretched across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec into the central Gulf of America, however significant cloud cover over the Gulf obscured the possible full extent of smoke. Light-density smoke was observed across southern Mexico, Central America, and the Gulf of Honduras before continuing southwestward into the Pacific. Areas of moderate-to-heavy density smoke were also observed in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and Campeche before drifting into the western Gulf. 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