Post-followup...after awhile of letting the motor run, the environment
does not appear to be cooling (i.e., the fan now runs continuously on
the highest setting.

So, I figure that it's either a lack of soffits or the hood is
restricting the air from flowing out at a rate sufficient for the fan.

While I believe the soffits are adequate, I will double-check them
tomorrow.

Can a hood restrict enough of the air flow to be a hinderance for a
1050 RPM fan?

Thank you,
Dave