DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z September 21, 2026
SMOKE: Canada… Fires in southern British Columbia and on Vancouver Island were observed producing moderate-to-heavy density smoke that drifted northeastward. A separate group of fires in the Northwest Territories was observed producing plumes of moderate-to-heavy density smoke that drifted eastward. Additional fires in southern Manitoba were also observed producing moderate-to-heavy density smoke that drifted northwestward. Light-density smoke from these fires and from fires in CONUS drifted northeastward across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nunavut, before continuing southeastward across the Hudson Bay and into Manitoba, Ontario, and western Quebec. Northern U.S.… Numerous individual fires in north-central Washington, Idaho, and Montana produced moderate-to-heavy density smoke that drifted northeastward. The Sisi Fire was also observed producing moderate-to-heavy density smoke that drifted southeastward within Washington State. Light-density smoke from these fires drifted northeastward into Canada, as well as northwestward over the Pacific Coast of Washington. Light-density smoke from fires in Canada drifted southeastward over North Dakota and northern Minnesota. California… A plume of medium-density smoke from the Dome Fire was observed traveling westward, while a regional remnant layer of light-to-moderate density smoke persisted, extending northward and eastward across the state and into southern Oregon. Southeastern CONUS… Multiple isolated fires were active across the southeastern United States this evening, concentrated in eastern Arkansas. A remnant plume of medium-density smoke from yesterday’s fires extended south-southwestward from central Indiana and Illinois, across Mississippi and Arkansas, and as far south as the Louisiana Gulf Coast. A regional layer of light-density smoke spanned the Southeastern United States, merging with smoke from the Gulf before reaching the Mid-Atlantic states and parts of New England, and continuing offshore into the Atlantic Ocean. Mexico/Gulf of America/Pacific Ocean… A layer of light-density smoke from fires and industrial activity was observed in the Gulf coastal region of Mexico, also spanning much of the Gulf of America. Localized layers of moderate-to-heavy density smoke from industrial activity were observed in the Bay of Campeche and over the Pacific Coast of Chiapas, while medium-density smoke continued southward over the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Additionally, moderate-to-heavy smoke plumes from fires in Tabasco were observed drifting southward. Light smoke extended the western coast of Mexico into the Pacific Ocean before merging with smoke over the Gulf and CONUS. A separate light-density plume was also observed over Baja California Sur and the Pacific Ocean. Caribbean… A fire in the southwestern Dominican Republic was observed producing a light-density smoke plume that drifted westward across Haiti into the Caribbean Sea. 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