Saturday, September 20, 2025

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z September 20, 2025

SMOKE:
Southwest Canada/Central Canada/Southeastern United States…
Wildfires persisted throughout Canada in southern British Columbia,
Alberta, and southern Northwest Territories. Light-to-moderate density
smoke drifted east from the western fires over Nunavut and northern
Manitoba into the Hudson Bay and traveled south towards Great Lakes region
but was obscured by clouds. The light smoke appeared to continue spread
into the Southeastern United States, the northern portion of the Gulf
of America, and the Atlantic Ocean, mixing with some additional light
smoke from the agricultural burns in the region.

Washington State…
Fires continued across Washington State, producing moderate-to-heavy
plumes which drifted northeast from the Olympic Peninsula and eastern
Cascades. Light-to-moderate smoke spread across eastern Washington,
northern Idaho and northwestern Montana, with some movement north to
mix with smoke from the fires in British Columbia and Alberta.

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

 


Unless otherwise indicated:
  • Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.
  • Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.
  • A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.
  • Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.