DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330 September 18, 2026
SMOKE: Canada… Fires were observed burning in southern British Columbia this evening, producing localized plumes of medium-to-heavy density smoke. Light-density smoke from these fires was observed dispersing over southern British Columbia and southward to join with light-density smoke over Washington State. Washington… Fires in north-central Washington produced medium-to-heavy density plumes which spread into the river valleys and dispersed, with some smoke reaching southern British Columbia. Light-density smoke from these fires dispersed locally. California… The Dome Fire in central California generated a large moderate-to-heavy smoke plume. Heavy smoke concentrated near the source and drifted southward, while light-to-moderate density smoke dispersed locally in all directions. Southeastern CONUS… Numerous isolated fires across the southeastern and central United States produced scattered individual plumes of moderate-to-heavy density smoke. Smoke plumes from fires in Arkansas and Missouri generally drifted northeastward, while smoke plumes from fires throughout the rest of the Southeast generally drifted westward or northwestward. Smoke from these fires produced a regional layer of medium-density smoke that drifted eastward over the southeastern United States and into the Atlantic Ocean, as well as southeastward over the Gulf coast of Florida. A broad layer of remnant light-density smoke appeared to circulate clockwise as it drifted towards the Gulf Coast, expanding across the southern Plains, the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, and the Northeastern and Southeastern states before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. The smoke also merged with a layer of smoke drifting northward from Mexico. Caribbean… A fire on the southwestern coast of the Dominican Republic was observed producing a heavy-density smoke plume that drifted over the border into southern Haiti. Light-to-moderate density smoke from this fire drifted northwestward across Haiti and into the Caribbean Sea. Mexico/Gulf of America… A layer of light density smoke from fires and industrial activity was observed in the Gulf coastal region, extending eastward into the Gulf of America, southward into the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and westward over much of Mexico before drifting 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