DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z October 15, 2026
SMOKE: California… Large fires in northern California produced localized moderate-to-heavy density smoke and light-density smoke generally drifting northwestward. In San Diego County, the Henderson Fire generated a light-to-heavy density smoke plume extending southwestward into the Pacific Ocean. A layer of remnant light-to-moderate density smoke was observed along the coasts of California, which extended northward towards Oregon and Washington, westward into the Pacific Ocean, and southward towards Mexico. Southeastern CONUS... Fires were active across the Southeastern CONUS this evening. Numerous individual smoke plumes were observed across the region, ranging in various densities. A layer of light-density smoke was observed extending westward from the Southeastern U.S. towards Texas, eastward into the Atlantic Ocean, and southward over the Gulf of America to merge with the smoke from Mexico. The smoke may also consist of remnant smoke from yesterday’s fires. Pacific Northwest… Fires located across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho produced individual smoke plumes of various densities. The smoke plumes generally drifted northward to westward. Mexico/Gulf of America/Pacific Ocean... Remnant light-density smoke was observed across the Gulf of America, extending across the Bay of Campeche, and the Mexican Gulf Coast before continuing over the western coast of Mexico and into the Pacific Ocean. Smoke from fires in California also crossed into Baja California. BLOWING DUST: Baja California… Blowing dust was observed drifting southwestward off the coast of northern Baja California 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