Cloudy Cloak Over the Northwest

What happened

Low-lying stratus clouds and fog extended as far inland as the western foothills of the Cascade Range. A low-lying cloud layer brought autumn ambience to western Washington and Oregon, while mountainous areas near the coast remained above the pall.

Near the coast, taller portions of the Olympic Mountains in Washington and the Oregon Coast Range appeared island-like, protruding above the cloud layer. The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite shows the extent of the Pacific Northwest’s cloudy cloak on September 19, 2026, at about 10:45 a.m.

Abundant clouds also appear offshore over the Pacific, while smoke from wildland fires fills valleys in the North Cascades. These clouds form when moist air near the surface, trapped beneath a warmer air layer in a temperature inversion , cools enough for its water vapor to condense.