Alaska Wildfires August 19, 2004

Just when we thought fire season was over many fires in the state came to life yet again. Records are being broken -- the warmest and third driest summer in 100 years for Alaska. In the area pictured in the photo above over 2 million acres has burned, a record since fire fighting efforts began in Alaska 50 years ago.

August is known as Interior Alaska's Monsoon season -- the time of year that the majority of the area's 10" to 15" of annual precipitation occurs. This year the Monsoons have failed to appear.

In the photo below the only clouds are in the lower right hand corner in Canada. The other white you see in the bottom of the photo is snow in the Alaska Range.

As of August 19, the city of Fairbanks had been under a layer of heavy smoke, creating hazardous air conditions, for a week without a break.

New fires were being found all the way into October and at Thanksgiving smoke was reported coming out from under the snow.

Alaska Wildfires 2004

2004 proved to be a banner year for wildfire in Alaska -- the hottest fire season in decades. The large photo below was taken June 29th. The close-up image is taken from that large image. Photos from the University of Alaska - Fairbanks


Close-up view of Interior Alaska, June 29, 2004. The river you see is the Yukon. Those are smoke plumes, not clouds! The snow clad peaks of the Alaska Range are in the lower right corner.