Sunday, September 6, 2026

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1500Z September 6, 2026

SMOKE:

Canada…
Despite significant cloud cover, wildfires in the southern Northwest
Territories continued to burn this morning, which produced a localized
area of medium-to-heavy density smoke drifting southwestward into
British Columbia. 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 northeastern British Columbia. A separate layer of light-density
smoke was observed over the Davis Strait, drifting eastward into
Greenland. Light-to-moderate density smoke drifting northward from CONUS
was also observed over southern Manitoba and Ontario.

CONUS…
A layer of remnant light-to-moderate density smoke from yesterday’s
fire activity was observed across much of central and eastern CONUS
this morning. 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.

Western United States…
The Plaskett Fire in Monterey County, California was observed producing
light-to-moderate density smoke drifting southwestward over the Pacific
Ocean. Despite moderate cloud cover, fires in central Washington were
observed producing a localized area of light-to-moderate density smoke.

Southeastern United States…
Remnant smoke from yesterday’s fire activity in the Southeastern
U.S. contributed to a large layer of moderate-density smoke that drifted
eastward towards the Atlantic Ocean.

Mexico/Gulf of America/Pacific Ocean...
A layer of 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

 


Unless otherwise indicated:
  • Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.
  • Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.
  • A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.
  • Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.