Interior faces warmest stretch of summer as Tanana Valley smoke lingers

Interior Alaska is in its warmest stretch of the summer, with highs in the upper 70s and low 80s from Fairbanks to Delta Junction through the weekend — above the region's usual mid-70s — while wildfire smoke fouls the air across the middle Tanana Valley.

The smoke is coming from the Tatlanika Fire, a let-burn fire about 40 miles from Fairbanks that has pushed haze into Fairbanks and Nenana for weeks. It had grown to 31,421 acres by Wednesday, with 19 firefighters now cutting fuel breaks to protect a Native allotment.

The National Weather Service's heat advisory, issued Aug. 11, expired Wednesday evening and was not replaced for the Interior. By Friday morning, Fairbanks air quality had eased to moderate, with a fine-particulate index of 55.