Interior faces warmest stretch of summer as Tanana Valley smoke lingers

Residents from Fairbanks to Delta Junction face the warmest stretch of weather so far this summer from Wednesday through the weekend, while wildfire smoke is already reducing air quality across the middle Tanana Valley. The National Weather Service in Fairbanks says light winds are unlikely to clear it. The agency says outdoor workers putting in long hours face compounded heat and smoke exposure and may need adjusted work practices. It is urging people to check on older adults, children and people with health conditions, who are considered more vulnerable.

High temperatures are forecast in the upper 70s or lower 80s each day, well above the mid-70s highs Interior Alaska typically sees in summer. Overnight lows dip only into the 50s. The special weather statement covers the Yukon Flats, Fortymile Country, the Upper Tanana Valley, Delta Junction, Eielson Air Force Base and Salcha, the Fairbanks Metro Area, Nenana, the Central Interior, both halves of the Denali Borough, White Mountains and High Terrain South of the Yukon River, the Upper Chena River Valley, Tanana Flats, Goldstream Valley and Nenana Hills, the Chatanika River Valley, Two Rivers, and the eastern Alaska Range zones north and south of Trims Camp.

"Drinking plenty of fluids, avoiding strenuous outdoor activity, and limiting exposure to smoke is recommended," the statement said. It was issued Tuesday at 2:42 p.m. AKDT and runs through 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Areas of wildfire smoke across the middle Tanana Valley are already reducing air quality, according to the statement.

The smoke has a known source. Alaska News previously covered the Tatlanika Fire, burning about 40 miles from Fairbanks under the state's limited response plan, which pushed smoke into Fairbanks and Nenana for weeks. In an August 3 post on X, NWS Fairbanks said ash fell across portions of the Fairbanks North Star Borough and warned of continued smoke and reduced air quality. In a post Tuesday, the office said warming temperatures may complicate cooling homes and pointed residents to the borough's air quality observations, forecasts and alerts.

Interior summers commonly top out in the mid-70s, though temperatures have occasionally reached 100 degrees in past years. This week's forecast runs well above that seasonal norm, and the smoke is not expected to clear anytime soon.