A very warm weekend is in store for the eastern Interior, due to a high-pressure system that’s parked over the region.
Fairbanks National Weather Service meteorologist Stephen Dennis says there’s a slight chance of rain today and Friday. But he predicts some of the warmest weather for the region so far this summer. Temperatures could creep up into the 80s.
“Tomorrow we could see a quick shower move through the area,” he said. “But for the most part, warming temperatures all the way up to possibly even the low eighties as early as Friday afternoon, and those are going to continue all the way into Sunday.”
Dennis says that’s especially likely for areas east of Fairbanks, near the Canadian border.
“ For people that are closer to, say, Northway, they have a better shot of seeing eighty-five by the time we get to Sunday afternoon,” he said.
Communities to the south of Fairbanks also will feel the heat. But that’ll probably be moderated by smoke from the Tatlanika Fire, a 31,000-acre blaze burning in the Tanana Flats.
“We're kind of thinking that the haze is going to start moving a little bit farther to the south,” he said. “It’ll probably be from the Tatlanika Fire, all the way to roughly Salcha.”
Dennis says the warm temperatures likely will stick around through the weekend and into next week.
Editor's note: This story has been updated.
