DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330 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 and over the Hudson Bay, before traveling southwestward to span northern Manitoba to southern Yukon. A separate layer of light-to-medium density smoke was observed over the eastern side of the Hudson Bay, drifting northeastward toward Greenland. Light-density smoke drifting northward from CONUS was also observed over southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, CONUS… A layer of remnant light-density smoke from yesterday’s fire activity was observed across much of central and eastern CONUS this evening. The smoke drifted northward into Canada and southwestward toward Mexico, as well as eastward over the southern and mid-Atlantic United States, ultimately drifting offshore into the Atlantic Ocean. Northern Plains… Wildfires in Montana and South Dakota were observed producing localized moderate-to-heavy density smoke generally drifting northward. Western United States… The Plaskett Fire in Monterey County, California was observed producing localized heavy smoke, as well as light-to-moderate density smoke drifting northwestward over the Pacific Ocean. The Broad Fire in northern Utah produced a plume light-to-moderate smoke that drifted northward into Idaho. Despite heavy cloud cover, fires in central Washington were observed producing a localized area of light-density smoke. Central Plains/Southeastern United States… Numerous fires in Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Missouri were observed producing localized moderate-to-heavy density smoke plumes. Smoke from these fires contributed to a layer of moderate-density smoke that drifted eastward over the southern United States and offshore into the Atlantic Ocean. Mexico/Gulf of America/Pacific Ocean... A regional layer of moderate-to-heavy smoke was observed over Tabasco, Veracruz, and the Bay of Campeche. 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. 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