DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1500Z August 31, 2026
SMOKE: Canada… Despite significant cloud cover this morning, fires were observed burning in the Northwest Territories, where they produced localized heavy-to-moderate density smoke. Light-density smoke from these fires drifted southeastward over British Columbia and Alberta. A layer of light-to-moderate density smoke drifting northeastward from fires in the Pacific Northwest of the United States was observed over southern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. United States… Wildfires across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana generated individual moderate-to-heavy density smoke plumes that generally drifted northward. These plumes contributed to a layer of moderate-density smoke that drifted northeastward over Montana and North Dakota, then into Canada. The Plaskett Fire in Monterey County, California was observed producing moderate-to-heavy density smoke moving northward into southern Oregon and northeastward into western Nevada. A layer of light-density smoke spanned from California to the Dakotas, before drifting northward into Canada. Small fires in Arkansas, Alabama, and Louisiana were observed producing localized moderate-to-heavy density smoke plumes. Smoke from these fires combined with a large layer of remnant light-to-moderate density smoke that was observed over much of the central and eastern United states, drifting southward toward Mexico and eastward over the Atlantic Ocean, nearly reaching the Azores. Mexico… A layer of remnant light-to-moderate density smoke from fires and industrial activity was observed across the Gulf of America and Mexico. The smoke eventually drifted westward into the Caribbean Sea and southward over Belize, Guatemala, and the Pacific Ocean. Cuba… A fire in eastern Cuba was observed producing localized moderate-to-heavy density smoke and an layer of light-density smoke that was observed drifting westward into the Caribbean Sea. 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