DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1500Z September 5, 2026
SMOKE: Canada… Despite significant cloud cover, a layer of light-density smoke was observed drifting eastward from the northern Northwest Territories into Nunavut before traveling southwestward into northern Alberta and Saskatchewan. The layer of smoke continued eastward across the Hudson Bay and northern Quebec into the Atlantic Ocean and southeastward over Manitoba and Ontario, eventually merging with the layer of remnant light-density smoke over CONUS. CONUS… A layer of remnant light-density smoke from yesterday’s fire activity was observed across much of eastern CONUS this morning, merging with the layer of light smoke from Canada before drifting eastward into the Atlantic Ocean and southward into the Gulf of America and Mexico. Washington State… Wildfires in central Washington were observed producing a localized area of light-to-moderate density smoke. Northern Plains... Wildfires in Montana and South Dakota were observed producing localized moderate-to-heavy density smoke generally drifting eastward. Central California... The Plaskett Fire in Monterey County, California was observed producing light-to-moderate density smoke drifting southwestward over the Pacific Ocean. 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 along the eastern coast of Mexico. The smoke extended southward over the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and westward across Mexico before dispersing into the Pacific Ocean. 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 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