Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
Population 7,270 (2025) 24,832 sq mi
Large wildfires have burned 3,697,766 acres of Southeast Fairbanks Census Area since 1984, 2nd most of 30 counties in Alaska; the largest was the Taylor Highway Complex (Billy Creek) Fire in 2004.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Wildfire burn scars since 1984152
At a glance
The record for Southeast Fairbanks Census Area in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Acres burned since 1984
3.70 million
2nd of 30 in Alaska
152 large fires; the largest was Taylor Highway Complex (Billy Creek), 2004
DetailsSnowiest season
102.0in
Winter of 2021-22
Tornadoes
No tornado is recorded here in the Storm Prediction Center database, which begins in 1950.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
No tropical storm or hurricane has tracked within 100 miles since records began in 1851.
Wildfire and smoke
3.70 million acres burned in 152 large fires since 1984, equal to 23% of the land.
Largest
June 18, 2004
Taylor Highway Complex (Billy Creek), 460,335 acres
460,537 acres inside Southeast Fairbanks Census Area.
Most recent
August 7, 2023
Napoleon Fire
1,092 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Napoleon | 2023 | 1,094 | 1,092 |
| Waterfall | 2023 | 1,270 | 1,267 |
| Wood | 2023 | 1,474 | 1,472 |
| Ponds | 2023 | 17,136 | 17,119 |
| Mount Hayes | 2023 | 7,041 | 7,037 |
| 6 Mile Pogo | 2023 | 5,411 | 5,406 |
| Delta | 2023 | 57,974 | 57,928 |
| Pogo Mine Road | 2023 | 50,937 | 51,191 |
| Serpentine Creek | 2022 | 1,298 | 1,297 |
| Biederman | 2022 | 6,758 | 6,754 |
| Central Creek | 2022 | 6,887 | 6,882 |
| Gold Hub | 2022 | 16,068 | 16,054 |
| Gilles Creek | 2022 | 2,473 | 2,469 |
| Volkmar River | 2022 | 7,644 | 7,642 |
| South Fork | 2022 | 4,314 | 4,308 |
| Hard Luck | 2022 | 2,632 | 2,631 |
| Waterfall | 2022 | 6,064 | 6,062 |
| Ladue | 2022 | 1,113 | 1,115 |
| Central Creek Airstrip | 2022 | 7,686 | 7,680 |
| Black Hills | 2021 | 22,773 | 28,339 |
| Cultas Creek | 2021 | 6,415 | 42,173 |
| Three Castle | 2019 | 5,614 | 5,610 |
| Rainbow 2 | 2019 | 18,437 | 18,423 |
| Boundary River | 2019 | 13,772 | 13,764 |
| Yukon Charley | 2019 | 3,308 | 3,308 |
| Mcarthur Creek | 2019 | 18,299 | 36,859 |
| Oregon Lakes | 2019 | 23,926 | 23,913 |
| Taixtsalda Hill | 2018 | 28,055 | 28,040 |
| Trout Creek | 2017 | 2,800 | 2,799 |
| South Fork Salcha | 2017 | 3,613 | 8,215 |
| Dennison Fork | 2015 | 7,222 | 7,224 |
| Tetlin Hills | 2015 | 1,873 | 1,871 |
| Long Lake | 2015 | 27,670 | 27,655 |
| Robinson Fork | 2015 | 1,354 | 1,354 |
| Michigan Creek | 2015 | 9,222 | 9,219 |
| Healy Lake | 2015 | 8,577 | 8,572 |
| Chisana River 2 | 2015 | 37,941 | 37,915 |
| 100 Mile Creek | 2014 | 22,109 | 22,094 |
| Big Timber Creek | 2013 | 8,745 | 8,736 |
| Moon Lake | 2013 | 27,819 | 27,815 |
| Tetlin Jct Ridge | 2013 | 18,530 | 18,523 |
| Ladue Fork | 2013 | 7,517 | 7,512 |
| Billy Creek | 2013 | 16,385 | 16,383 |
| Nation River | 2013 | 11,568 | 11,556 |
| Bitter Creek | 2013 | 1,947 | 1,946 |
| Chisana River | 2013 | 44,397 | 44,365 |
| Mississippi | 2013 | 59,188 | 59,146 |
| Industrial Park | 2012 | 6,445 | 6,434 |
| Delta Creek # 2 | 2012 | 3,002 | 3,000 |
| Marie Creek | 2012 | 9,865 | 9,860 |
| Waterfall | 2010 | 2,335 | 2,335 |
| Witch Mountain | 2010 | 1,285 | 1,282 |
| Delta Complex (Big Swede) | 2010 | 4,929 | 4,925 |
| Delta Complex (South Fork Healy) | 2010 | 2,547 | 2,548 |
| Delta Complex (Gilles Creek) | 2010 | 20,520 | 20,503 |
| Eagle Trail | 2010 | 20,203 | 20,191 |
| Swamp Creek | 2009 | 4,409 | 5,103 |
| Tetlin Refuge 1 | 2009 | 1,147 | 1,146 |
| East Fork Dennison | 2009 | 2,057 | 2,057 |
| Oklahoma 2 | 2009 | 38,398 | 38,361 |
| Unnamed | 2007 | 1,826 | 1,827 |
| Charley River | 2007 | 3,146 | 3,143 |
| Nation River | 2007 | 2,174 | 2,174 |
| Little Delta | 2007 | 18,499 | 29,805 |
| Fairplay | 2006 | 2,066 | 2,064 |
| Dennison | 2006 | 6,302 | 6,298 |
| Little Delta River | 2006 | 14,163 | 14,155 |
| Mission Creek | 2005 | 29,520 | 29,493 |
| Boundary Creek | 2005 | 118,752 | 149,695 |
| Smith Creek | 2005 | 13,307 | 78,172 |
| Trout Creek | 2005 | 6,912 | 6,908 |
| Big Sitdown Creek 2 | 2005 | 11,566 | 110,101 |
| Charley Creek 1 | 2005 | 43,511 | 75,113 |
| Kandik River | 2005 | 39 | 156,377 |
| Change | 2005 | 13,338 | 13,512 |
| Big Sitdown Creek | 2005 | 13,258 | 13,258 |
| Island Lake | 2005 | 1,475 | 1,478 |
| Upper Healy River | 2004 | 5,478 | 5,472 |
| Rock Creek | 2004 | 9,254 | 9,258 |
| Lucky Creek | 2004 | 43,371 | 43,341 |
| Bullion Creek | 2004 | 12,387 | 12,374 |
| Dawson 31 | 2004 | 6,475 | 95,913 |
| Taylor Highway Complex (Anomaly) | 2004 | 19,691 | 19,681 |
| Champion Creek | 2004 | 14,654 | 14,639 |
| Taylor Highway Complex (Porcupine) | 2004 | 267,725 | 267,550 |
| Camp Creek | 2004 | 114,518 | 173,342 |
| Taylor Highway Complex (Wall Street) | 2004 | 89,279 | 89,212 |
| Eagle Complex (King Creek) | 2004 | 39,630 | 39,600 |
| Taylor Highway Complex (Billy Creek) | 2004 | 460,537 | 460,335 |
| Eagle Complex (Kandik River) | 2004 | 6,029 | 53,605 |
| Eagle Complex (Indian Grave Creek) | 2004 | 26,383 | 26,364 |
| Taylor Highway Complex (Gardiner Creek) | 2004 | 125,664 | 125,659 |
| Eagle Complex (Deer Creek) | 2004 | 95,080 | 95,002 |
| Taylor Highway Complex (Chicken) | 2004 | 338,193 | 337,961 |
| Eagle Complex (American Summit) | 2004 | 9,862 | 9,855 |
| Nation River | 2004 | 76,380 | 76,323 |
| Hillbilly | 2004 | 10,225 | 10,216 |
| Molly Creek | 2003 | 2,247 | 2,248 |
| Black Hill | 2003 | 41,928 | 41,893 |
| Sand Creek | 2003 | 49,787 | 49,760 |
| Tok River | 2003 | 5,570 | 5,575 |
| Spurs | 2002 | 72,638 | 72,583 |
| Hillbilly | 2001 | 1,791 | 1,788 |
| Duluth | 2001 | 8,339 | 8,329 |
| Big Ol Monster | 1999 | 25,216 | 44,974 |
| Mt.Terrel | 1999 | 8,100 | 8,092 |
| Witch | 1999 | 47,588 | 47,552 |
| Beverly | 1999 | 6,201 | 20,581 |
| Dennison-Taylor | 1999 | 6,722 | 6,717 |
| Indian Grave | 1999 | 1,749 | 1,748 |
| Upperwestfork | 1999 | 32,986 | 32,968 |
| Donnelly Flats | 1999 | 18,346 | 18,335 |
| Mosquito | 1999 | 26,220 | 26,199 |
| Gardiner Creek | 1998 | 28,824 | 28,795 |
| West Fork | 1998 | 5,876 | 5,872 |
| Walker Fork | 1998 | 3,144 | 3,144 |
| Carla Lake | 1998 | 62,508 | 62,462 |
| Stp001 | 1998 | 42,796 | 42,763 |
| Stp001 | 1998 | 9,736 | 9,728 |
| Shawnee Peak | 1997 | 1,568 | 1,565 |
| Observation Post 27 | 1996 | 7,940 | 7,937 |
| Dennison Fork | 1995 | 2,024 | 2,024 |
| Clearwater1 | 1995 | 1,689 | 1,688 |
| Eaa Sw 20 | 1994 | 1,115 | 1,116 |
| Eaa Sw 37 | 1994 | 1,164 | 1,163 |
| Gardner Cr | 1994 | 8,817 | 8,812 |
| Hajdukovich | 1994 | 21,138 | 21,140 |
| Chisana | 1993 | 5,036 | 5,032 |
| Eaa N 47 | 1991 | 2,434 | 2,433 |
| Scottie Mountain | 1991 | 2,259 | 2,261 |
| 113349 | 1991 | 17,384 | 18,026 |
| Spitler | 1990 | 7,763 | 7,759 |
| Cem E 90 | 1990 | 2,468 | 2,463 |
| Shawnee | 1990 | 12,867 | 12,865 |
| Porcupine | 1990 | 11,457 | 11,454 |
| Ladue River | 1990 | 4,364 | 4,363 |
| Military 8 | 1990 | 20,010 | 19,996 |
| North Fork | 1990 | 1,819 | 1,818 |
| Tok River | 1990 | 95,687 | 95,722 |
| Military 7 | 1990 | 23,796 | 23,782 |
| Trail Lake | 1989 | 964 | 3,242 |
| Stuver Creek | 1989 | 4,786 | 4,785 |
| Fbk E 155 | 1987 | 2,967 | 2,965 |
| Granite Creek | 1987 | 40,843 | 40,821 |
| 60 Mile | 1986 | 1,230 | 1,229 |
| West Fork | 1986 | 1,478 | 1,476 |
| Porcupine | 1986 | 11,049 | 11,045 |
| Rapid Creek | 1986 | 4,012 | 4,005 |
| Blueberry | 1986 | 12,539 | 12,529 |
| 613009 | 1986 | 2,656 | 2,658 |
| 531004 | 1985 | 4 | 1,086 |
| Glacier Creek | 1984 | 1,896 | 1,896 |
- Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2022: 23 days
Heavy smoke on 11 days in 2022, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
10.6 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
18 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 3 so far in 2026.
- A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.
NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Floods and flood insurance
No federal flood insurance claims are recorded for this county.
OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.
River crests
Most severe crest
June 10, 1964
Fortymile River near Steele Creek, 96.20 ft
6.20 feet above the 90.0 ft flood stage; moderate flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
July 12, 2010
Fortymile River near Steele Creek, 94.43 ft
Moderate flooding.
River gauges
| Chisana River at Northway Road Bridge | 12.5 | 13.85 ft | 0 |
| Fortymile River near Steele Creek | 90.0 | 96.20 ft | 0 |
| Goodpaster River near Big Delta | 19.5 | 21.14 ft | 0 |
| Mosquito Fork of the Fortymile River near Chicken | 24.0 | — | 0 |
| Nabesna River at Northway Village | 26.5 | 26.60 ft | 0 |
| O'Brien Creek at Taylor Highway near Eagle | 70.0 | 71.30 ft | 0 |
| South Fork of the Fortymile River near Chicken | 97.0 | — | 0 |
| Tanana River at Big Delta | 23.0 | 23.57 ft | 0 |
| Tanana River at Tanacross | 16.8 | — | 0 |
| Walker Fork of the Fortymile River near Chicken | 16.0 | 12.15 ft | 0 |
| West Fork Dennison Fork near Chicken | 21.0 | — | 0 |
| Yukon River at Eagle | 34.0 | 55.71 ft | 0 |
- Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.
NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Drought
NOAA’s county drought index covers the lower 48 states only.
Earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides
339 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 7.9 in 2002.
1,371
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
1,943
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
339
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
48
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
November 3, 2002
2002 Denali Fault, Alaska Earthquake; 14.2 miles away, 2.6 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
October 21, 2026
Magnitude 3.1
129 km E of McCarthy, Alaska; 33.9 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
- Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
- Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Volcanoes within 100 miles
| Mount Churchill | 36.3 | High |
| Buzzard Creek | 44.7 | Low |
| Wrangell | 51.7 | Moderate |
- U.S. volcanoes within 100 miles, from the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. The threat category is the USGS 2018 National Volcanic Threat Assessment, which ranks volcanoes by how hazardous their past eruptions were and how many people and how much infrastructure lie near them. It is not a forecast of eruption.
USGS Volcano Hazards Program, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Mapped landslides
859
Landslides mapped, probable or better
859
With a recorded date
2
Source inventories
Mapped by USGS Earthquake-Triggered Ground Failure (688), AK DOT (171).
- Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.
USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.
Severe weather and other events
33 events in the National Weather Service record, 33 of them since 1996.
0
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
0
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
6
Winter weather events since 1996
0
Heat events since 1996
1
Cold events since 1996
Costliest events since 1996
- Apr 16, 2025High Wind, Delta Junction$5,000
National Weather Service narrative
Strong gap winds emerged out of Isabel Pass and crossed into the Tanana Valley near Delta Junction where the Delta Junction ASOS (PABI) reported a peak wind gust of 70 mph. Nearby mesonet site MGTA2 registered a maximum wind gust of 76 mph. Trees were reported down at Delta Junction and south of Greely. In addition social media showed a green house with the roof ripped off near Delta Junction.
- Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.
Weather records
From Delta Junction 20 Se, 14.3 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1980.
- All-time high
- 91°FJun 27, 2013
- All-time low
- −63°FFeb 4, 1999
- Warmest night
- 62°FJun 28, 2013
- Coldest day
- −46°F2 times, most recently Jan 6, 2009
- Wettest day
- 1.70 inJul 29, 2008
- Snowiest day
- 10.0 inOct 12, 2019
- Hottest year
- 2016mean 32.1°F
- Coldest year
- 2012mean 23.2°F
- Wettest year
- 202016.72 in
- Driest year
- 20037.69 in
- Snowiest season
- 102.0 in2021-22
Median first snow
October 5
Earliest: September 18, 2013
Median last snow
April 14
Latest: May 18, 2013
0 of 29 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Delta Junction 20 Se (USC00502352), 1,125 ft elevation, 14.3 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1980 to September 30, 2026; 97.6% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.
NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.
Federal disaster declarations
13 since 1953. The most recent: Mukluk Fire, August 18, 2026.
| Aug 18, 2026 | Fire | FM-5672-AK |
| Aug 23, 2023 | Flood | DR-4730-AK |
| Aug 26, 2022 | Flood | DR-4667-AK |
| Apr 9, 2020 | Biological | DR-4533-AK |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3446-AK |
| Jun 25, 2013 | Flood | DR-4122-AK |
| Nov 27, 2012 | Severe Storm | DR-4094-AK |
| Jun 11, 2009 | Flood | DR-1843-AK |
| Dec 8, 2006 | Severe Storm | DR-1669-AK |
| Aug 10, 2004 | Fire | FM-2542-AK |
| Nov 8, 2002 | Earthquake | DR-1440-AK |
| Feb 17, 2000 | Severe Storm | DR-1316-AK |
| May 10, 1989 | Freezing | DR-826-AK |
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.
How this compares
Where Southeast Fairbanks Census Area stands among 30 counties in Alaska and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 0 | — |
| Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger | 0 | — |
| Tropical cyclones within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Wildfire acres since 1984 | 3,697,766 | 2 / 30 |
| Flood insurance claims | 0 | — |
| Flood insurance paid | $0 | — |
| Disaster declarations | 13 | 6 / 30 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 0 | — |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 26 | 7 / 30 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 6 | 20 / 30 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $5,000 | 14 / 30 |
| River crests at major flood stage | 0 | — |
| High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years | 0.0 | — |
| Months in severe drought since 1895 | 0 | — |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 10.6 | 2 / 30 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 339 | 13 / 30 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 1,371 | 9 / 30 |
Neighbouring counties
| Copper River Census Area | 0 | 0 |
| Denali Borough | 0 | 0 |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | 0 | 0 |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 0 | 0 |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | 0 | 0 |
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
- Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
- Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
- Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
- Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
- Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00502352.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
- Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Volcanoes USGS Volcano Hazards Program, U.S. volcanoes and 2018 threat assessment.
- Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
- Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.
Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.