NWS issues alert for fire danger

The National Weather Service issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook alert Monday because of dangerous fire conditions throughout the region.

“Increased fire danger possible Tuesday and Wednesday due to low relative humidity and gusty winds, particularly along and west of I-95,” the alert stated.

Forecasters are calling for dry conditions through the week with high temperatures in the mid to high 50s and lows in the high 20s to low 30s.

The record high for Tuesday is 82 degrees, set in 1973. The record low is 15 degrees, set in 1903.

Rain last week helped firefighters in the western part of the state battling wildfires.

According to the NC State Extension Service the fire struck during a vulnerable time of year, stating the “dry spell … had the unfortunate timing to coincide with the seasonal leaf fall in the mountains. Those dry leaves acted as fuel for wildfires and over the past few weeks wildfires have burned thousands of acres in the mountains like the Poplar Drive Fire which destroyed multiple homes in Henderson County, and the Collett Ridge Fire which has burned over 5,500 acres. The high fire activity and high fire risk prompted burn bans, public land closures, and a declaration of a state of emergency by state officials.”

A report by Lisa Sorg, assistant editor and environmental reporter at NC Newsline, the “last time the rain gauge at Asheville Regional Airport collected much more than a teardrop prior to last Tuesday was three months ago, on Aug. 27, when 1.06 inches of rain fell. In the interim, this mountain town was as dry as sand, federal weather data show, and is nearly 11 inches short of rain for the year.”