DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z September 3, 2026
SMOKE: Canada… Despite significant cloud cover this evening, a layer of remnant moderate density smoke was observed over eastern Nunavut and most of the Hudson Bay. Light density smoke, some of which was likely attributed to cross-polar transport, stretched across central and northern Canada into Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea. U.S. Pacific Coast… Wildfires across Washington, Idaho, and Montana were present this evening; however, due to cloud cover in the region, only a small area of localized light-to-moderate density smoke was observed in Washington. The Snow Fire in Custer County, Montana produced a sprawling plume of heavy-density smoke which traveled east-northeast into North Dakota. The Plaskett Fire in Monterey County, California produced a regional plume of heavy density smoke that traveled northwards, while light-to-moderate density smoke dispersed southeastward into the Pacific Ocean and over the coast. Central and Eastern CONUS… Fires were active across central, southern, and southeastern CONUS this evening, contributing to an area of light-to-moderate smoke. Numerous individual plumes were observed across the Mississippi Valley, with many located in eastern Arkansas. A band of moderate-density smoke from these fires extended from the Mississippi and Tennessee Valley, crossing the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic states before continuing eastward into the Atlantic Ocean. A broad layer of light-density smoke covered most of central and eastern CONUS before it extended into Mexico and the Gulf of America after moving south from Texas. Mexico/Gulf of America/Pacific Ocean… A layer of remnant light density smoke from fires, industrial activity, and smoke from CONUS was observed over the Gulf of America and the eastern coast of Mexico this evening. Individual plumes of light-to-moderate smoke were observed across the states of Tamaulipas and Veracruz. Moderate-to-heavy density smoke emanated from offshore industrial facilities in the Bay of Campeche and traveled westward across the Gulf. A layer of moderate density smoke was also observed over the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which dispersed into light density smoke before continuing northwards into the Gulf and southwards into the Pacific Ocean. Gaskill 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