The National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg has issued a Red Flag Warning effective from 10 AM to 10 PM EST today for parts of Western North Carolina, Upstate South Carolina, and Northeast Georgia due to hazardous fire weather conditions. According to the NWS bulletin, residents in the affected areas should be aware of the critical weather conditions that involve strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures, which can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Outdoor burning is "strongly discouraged" under these conditions.
The detailed forecast for Charlotte, N.C., provided by the NWS, indicates "increasing clouds, with a high near 70," along with west southwest wind 7 to 16 mph and gusts as high as 28 mph. However, the concern isn't solely the rise in temperature but rather the potent combination of gusty winds and persistently low humidity levels—20 to 25 percent in the mountain valleys and even lower outside the mountains, "15 to 25 percent outside the mountains," with valley winds shifting from southwest to northwest after a dry cold front passes through this afternoon, which is why the warning was issued and the public should adhere to guidelines.
This evening, the atmosphere will see some relief as the warning lifts and the weather clears, falling to a chilly low around 29 degrees and northwest wind 9 to 16 mph, which may offer some respite as the gusts up to 29 mph begin to settle. Sunday's outlook appears more benign with "sunny, with a high near 50" and a "north wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon," thus suggesting an easing of the fire-prone conditions over the weekend, as per the National Weather Service forecast.
Looking into the start of the next week, the weather continues to stabilize; Monday is expected to be "mostly sunny, with a high near 55" with calm winds evolving to a slight easterly breeze while Tuesday's temperatures are predicted to climb to a pleasant "high near 65," and the possibility of showers surfaces only on Tuesday night with a 70 percent chance after 2 AM; "Showers likely, mainly after 2am." These showers could introduce increased humidity to the area, thereby lessening fire risks, even though any alleviation of fire dangers would be welcomed by the restoration of moisture in these parched regions that the National Weather Service has warned about.
