Wildfire smoke map
Where wildfire smoke was seen from satellite over the United States, Canada and Mexico, today and yesterday, as outlined by analysts at NOAA's Hazard Mapping System. Light, medium and heavy are NOAA's own words for how thick the smoke looks from above.
NOAA's analysts outlined 26 areas of wildfire smoke over North America on 19 Oct 2026, none of it heavy.
Smoke seen from space can be high above the ground. This map is not a measure of the air you breathe; for that, and for any health advice, follow your local or state air-quality agency and health authority.
The map needs JavaScript. Every state and province under smoke is listed below.
- Light smoke (dashed outline)
- Medium smoke (dotted outline)
- Heavy smoke (solid outline)
Today, 19 Oct 2026 (UTC)
26 smoke outlines: 0 heavy, 1 medium, 25 light. Analysis to 17:00 UTC.
Heavy smoke
None.
Medium smoke (and no heavier)
United States: Georgia
Light smoke (and no heavier)
United States: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin
Canada: Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Québec, Saskatchewan
Yesterday, 18 Oct 2026 (UTC)
205 smoke outlines: 25 heavy, 69 medium, 111 light. Analysis to 23:30 UTC.
Heavy smoke
United States: Arkansas, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Washington
Medium smoke (and no heavier)
United States: Alabama, Colorado, Mississippi
Canada: Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan
Light smoke (and no heavier)
United States: Florida, Illinois, Montana, North Carolina
Canada: British Columbia, Manitoba
Mexico: Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas
A state or province is listed when any part of it lies under an outline, so "heavy" may mean one corner of a large state. Places are matched against simplified boundaries (Natural Earth, public domain) and are approximate near borders.
How to read this map
The outlines are drawn by hand by NOAA analysts looking at satellite images through the day, and each one is labelled light, medium or heavy by how thick the smoke appears. Smoke travels far: a band of heavy smoke over the Midwest may come from fires in western Canada days earlier. Gaps can be cloud, not clear air, because smoke under cloud cannot be seen from above. Coverage is North America and nearby waters only.
This is an analysis of smoke already seen, not a forecast and not a warning. Fire perimeters are not drawn here: the US interagency perimeter data does not state a licence that clearly allows reuse. Active fires reported by satellite are on the live map and the wildfire page.
Smoke outlines from NOAA's Hazard Mapping System (NESDIS), a U.S. government product. About HMS · NOAA's files · all tools.
Questions
Where is the wildfire smoke coming from?
The outlines on this map are drawn by analysts at NOAA's Hazard Mapping System from GOES and polar-orbiting satellite images, several times a day. Smoke often travels hundreds or thousands of kilometres from the fires that made it, so heavy smoke over a state does not mean a fire is burning there; the smoke may come from western Canada or the western US days earlier.
Does heavy smoke on the map mean the air is unhealthy where I am?
Not necessarily. The satellite sees smoke anywhere in the column of air, and much of it can be high above the ground. Air at street level can be clean under heavy smoke aloft, or smoky under light smoke. For the air you breathe, follow your local or state air-quality agency and health authority.
What do light, medium and heavy smoke mean?
They are NOAA's own three categories for how thick the smoke looks in satellite imagery. They are estimates of density, not measurements of particles at ground level, and they are not a warning level.
Is this a smoke forecast?
No. It is an analysis of smoke already seen from satellite today and yesterday. For where smoke is expected to go next, use NOAA's smoke forecasts or your national weather service, and for decisions about your health follow your local authority.