Last Updated on April 6, 2016 10:12 am
North Carolina Forest Service/Watauga County Headquaters Forest Ranger Stuart Scott is advising landowners to hold off burning yard debris until precipitation arrives later this week. Low humidity and strong wind gusts may increase fire risk and behavior today, he notes.
The National Weather Service is also advising of increased fire danger across the region. From their Wednesday morning statement:
INCREASED FIRE DANGER ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN AND SOUTHERN
VIRGINIA AND SOUTHEASTERN WEST VIRGINIA FROM LATE MORNING THROUGH
EARLY EVENING TODAY…
A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION FROM THE WEST
THURSDAY MORNING. IN ADVANCE OF THIS FRONT…GUSTY SOUTH TO
SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP DURING THE MORNING HOURS TODAY AND
CONTINUE INTO EARLY EVENING. WIND SPEEDS OF 15 TO 20 MPH WITH
GUSTS TO 30 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED DURING THIS TIME FRAME. AT THE
SAME TIME…RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP INTO
THE 20 TO 25 PERCENT ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION. FUELS ARE DRY WITH
NO PRECIPITATION EXPECTED UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT OR EARLY
THURSDAY MORNING.
THE COMBINATION OF DRY FUELS…GUSTY WINDS…AND LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITY VALUES WILL RESULT IN AN ENHANCED FIRE DANGER. EXTREME
CAUTION SHOULD BE EXERCISED WITH ANY IGNITION SOURCE TO PREVENT
THE DEVELOPMENT AND SPREAD OF WILDFIRES.
