Wildfire in Alaska, May 26 to 31, 2003

Name: Wildfire in Alaska, May 26 to 31, 2003
Start: 2003-05-26T14:45
End: 2003-05-31T23:59
Location: Alaska

May 26 to 31, 2003 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Rex Bridge wildfire started 20 miles south of Nenana from an illegal burn pile. The fire grew to 1500 acres before it was contained on the 7th of June.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $80,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS AFG wrote it up.

The Rex Bridge wildfire started 20 miles south of Nenana from an illegal burn pile. The fire grew to 1500 acres before it was contained on the 7th of June. An entire home and two other structures, including an abandoned trailer, were destroyed by the fire on the 26th and 27th. Property damage estimate is merely a guess, as no amounts on the structures were available. Event continued into June.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 26, 1:30 PM AST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 26, 1:30 PM AST, 1 hour 15 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM ADT MON MAY 26 2003

SATELLITE SHOWING SURGE OF RAIN MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHWARD
ACROSS THE WESTERN INTERIOR. RAIN HAS ALREADY REACHED
THE BETTLES AREA. A QUASISTATIONARY MOISTURE FEED FROM
SOUTHWEST ALASKA TO THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN BROOKS RANGE
WILL PERSIST THROUGH WEDNESDAY. MAXIMUM CUMULATIVE MODEL
QPFS FOR THE CENTRAL BROOKS RANGE RANGE FROM ABOUT 1 INCH
FOR THE AVN AND ETA MODELS TO ISOLATED AREAS OVER 2.5 INCHES
ON THE 12-KILOMETER ETA. PROGGED FREEZING LEVELS OVER
THE CENTRAL BROOKS RANGE WILL HOLD STEADY AROUND 3000 FEET.
WITH THE HIGHER LEVEL PRECIPITATION FALLING AS SNOW...HIGH
LEVEL RUNOFF SHOULD BE DELAYED. SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST LOW LEVEL
FLOW WILL KEEP THE EASTERN INTERIOR DRY. SOME PRECIPITATION MAY
SPILL NORTHWARD CROSS THE BROOKS RANGE SUMMITS.

WINDS ARE GUSTING IN EXCESS OF 25 MPH AT HEALY...DENALI PARK...
AND BIG DELTA. RED FLAGS ARE UP FOR ZONES 223-225-226 FOR GUSTY
WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES.

MRF AND ECMWF MEDIUM RANGE PROGS INDICATING WARMER TEMPERATURES
FOR MUCH OF THE INTERIOR BY THE END OF THE WEEK WITH UPPER
LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING.

.AFG...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE
MARINE...SMCR 10B. BRSK 11A-11B.
FIRE WEATHER...RED FLAG WARNING ZONES 223-225-226

RF MAY 03

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Wrn Tanana Vly Wrn Yukon Vly

When: May 26, 2:45 PM AST to May 31, 11:59 PM AST
Where: Wrn Tanana Vly Wrn Yukon Vly County, Anderson
Property damage: $80,000
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD

What these are

Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, May 2003

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5353975.