DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1500Z August 13, 2026
SMOKE: Northern Canada... Smoke of varying density was observed across nearly all of the northern tier of Canadian Provinces/Territories and the northern portions of BC and the Prairie Provinces. This smoke is likely the result of remnant smoke from wildfires across Canada and the Pacific Northwest. There is also be some cross-polar transport across the Arctic contributing to the smoke density. The densest smoke was observed across the Canadian Archipelago and Nunavut into the southeastern Northwest Territory and northern Hudson Bay. Some of this smoke is being drawn eastward and some drawn westward. There is also some moderate density across northwestern Canada where persistent wildfire activity continues to be noted. CONUS/Southern Canada/North Atlantic... Wildfires across the Pacific Northwest and southern BC continue to produce moderate to thick smoke. A portion of the smoke is moving westward out over Puget Sound, southern Victoria Island, and just offshore of Washington State and northern Oregon. Smoke from wildfires across the interior portions of the PNW and Big Sky country is observed moving northeastward to eastward across Montana, the Northern Plains, and the Upper Midwest. From there, the moderate smoke moves east-southeast over the Great Lakes, northern Mid-Atlantic, and southern New England. The smoke continues out over the North Atlantic, crossing over the Azores and nearly crossing the entire Atlantic while traversing the various storm systems in the Atlantic. Alaska/Yukon… A wildfire in southern Alaska continues to be analyzed in the fire analysis. However, the presence of cloud cover precluded the ability to directly observe any smoke emanating from the wildfire. Despite this, there is light to moderate smoke analyzed over northern Alaska, northern Yukon, and northern NW Territory. The source of this is also very likely cross-polar transport. BLOWING DUST: Caribbean... Light to moderate density Saharan Dust was observed extending as far west as Mexico and the western Gulf Coast. Once the dust layer crosses the Caribbean and enters the Gulf of America and the Yucatan Peninsula, the dust may be mixing with remnant smoke. Hosley 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