DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z August 5, 2026
SMOKE: Canada… Wildfires in the Northwest Territories were observed producing localized heavy-to-medium density smoke plumes this evening. Multiple wildfires in southern British Columbia produced heavy-to-moderate density smoke plumes that joined with smoke from fires in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Smoke from these fires drifted southward, contributing to a widespread layer of moderate-density smoke that extended through much of southern Canada before joining with moderate-density smoke over CONUS. Moderate-density smoke from fires in the United States drifted northeastward to to cover parts of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Labrador, and Newfoundland. Light-density smoke was observed covering most of Canada, extending southweastward over the Northwest Territories and northward over the Hudson Bay and into Nunavut. Pacific Northwest... Wildfires in Washington and Oregon continued to produce heavy-density smoke plumes that were observed drifting eastward this evening. Smoke from these fires drifted southeastward and contributed to a widespread layer of medium-density smoke across much of CONUS. CONUS... In addition to numerous wildfires in the Pacific Northwest, the Widemouth 2 and Black Canyon Fires in Utah, the Elk Fire in Colorado, the Gann Fire in California, the New Pass Fire in Nevada, the Big Grass and Moose Mountain Fires in Idaho, and the Skillet, Moose, and Bobcat Lakes Fires in Montana all produced heavy-density smoke plumes that drifted eastward. Smoke from these fires contributed to a widespread layer of moderate-density smoke covering much of the central U.S. This smoke was observed drifting southeastward to reach northern Mexico and the Gulf of America, and drifting northeastward over the Midwest, into Canada, and offshore into the North Atlantic Ocean. Light-density smoke was observed covering nearly all of CONUS before drifting southward over Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as northward to join with light-density smoke over Canada. Mexico/Caribbean/Central America... Light smoke covered the region from Chihuahua, Mexico to Haiti, and drifted southward over the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, ultimately reaching as far south as central Nicaragua. Marrs 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