DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z August 9, 2026
SMOKE: Canada… Wildfires in the Northwest Territories continued to produce a localized layer of moderate-to-heavy density smoke this evening, while wildfires in southern British Columbia produced moderate-to-heavy density smoke plumes that joined with smoke from the fires in the Pacific Northwest. The smoke drifted east-southeastward, contributing to a widespread layer of moderate-density smoke that extended eastward through southern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, and the Great Plains before drifting northeastward across the Midwestern U.S. into southern Ontario and Quebec. A fire in west-central Quebec was also observed producing a light to-moderate density smoke plume that drifted eastward. Overall, a layer of light-density smoke covered almost all of Canada, extending from the Northwest Territories and British Columbia to Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, and southeastward from west-central Canada to the Atlantic Ocean. Pacific Northwest... Wildfires in Washington and Oregon continued to produce moderate-to-heavy density smoke plumes. Smoke from these fires drifted generally eastward and contributed to a widespread layer of medium-density smoke across much of CONUS. Heavy smoke from these fires traveled as far eastward as Minnesota and Iowa. CONUS… In addition to the numerous wildfires in the Pacific Northwest, fires located in northern California, Idaho, Utah, and Montana all produced smoke plumes that drifted generally eastward. Smoke from these fires contributed to a widespread layer of moderate-density smoke that drifted eastward from the Pacific Northwest across the Central U.S., traveling as far south as Texas and Oklahoma before continuing into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, eventually drifting into the Atlantic Ocean. Light-density smoke was observed covering nearly all of CONUS before drifting southward over Mexico, eastward into the Atlantic Ocean, and northward to join with light-density smoke over Canada. California… The MP18 Fire in northern California was observed producing localized heavy-density smoke and an extensive layer of light-to-moderate density smoke drifting southeast. Mexico/Gulf of America/Pacific Ocean... An area of moderate-density smoke was observed over the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, while light-density smoke was observed across central Mexico, eventually drifting southwestward into the Pacific Ocean. BLOWING DUST: Caribbean… Light blowing dust was observed drifting from the Sahara Desert towards the Caribbean, reaching as far west as the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Gaskill 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