DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z May 16, 2026
SMOKE: Central Plains… Remnant smoke from yesterday’s fire activity and light-density smoke plumes generated by wildfires in the region contributed to a large area of light-density smoke that spanned over eastern Colorado, Kansas, northern Oklahoma, southern Nebraska, southern Iowa, northwestern Missouri, and northern Texas. Manitoba/Midwestern CONUS… Scattered wildfires in southern Manitoba, southeastern North Dakota, and northwestern Minnesota were observed producing individual light-to-moderate density smoke plumes drifting towards the south and southeast. A particular fire in Crow Wing County, Minnesota was observed generating a heavy-density smoke plume before transitioning to light-to-moderate density smoke as it extended eastward across northern Wisconsin, mixing with a light-density smoke plume in Bayfield County, Wisconsin before drifting into Lake Superior. Cuba… Industrial emissions and remnant smoke for previous fire activity in western Cuba contributed to an area of light-density smoke drifting northwestward into the eastern Gulf. New Mexico… A wildfire in Lincoln County, New Mexico was observed producing heavy-density smoke before transitioning to light-to-moderate density smoke as it extended northeastward towards northern Texas. Channel Islands of California… A fire on Santa Rosa Island was observed generating a light-to-moderate density density smoke plume drifting southeastward into the Pacific Ocean. Southeastern CONUS… Despite significant cloud cover across the Southeastern United States this evening, a few light-density smoke plumes were observed drifting northward through breaks in the clouds. SMOKE/AEROSOL: Mexico/Pacific Ocean/Gulf of America/Central America... Smoke from fire activity, aerosol emissions from gas flaring and other industrial activities, as well as remnant smoke from previous days contributed to a widespread layer of light-density smoke/aerosol that was observed extending north across the Gulf, continuing eastward along the U.S. Gulf Coast before drifting northeastward across Florida into the Atlantic Ocean. Light-density smoke also extended eastward over the Yucatan Peninsula and Central America before drifting into the Gulf of Honduras. The smoke continued extending from the Mexican Gulf coast across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec before drifting into the Pacific off the coasts of Mexico and Central America. An area of moderate-density smoke was also observed along the Mexican Gulf coast before drifting northward into the western 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