This morning, the National Weather Service issued the following ‘Red Flag Warning’ for “IREDELL, DAVIE, ROWAN, MECKLENBURG, CABARRUS, and UNION COUNTIES”
IREDELL-DAVIE-ROWAN-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC- 530 AM EDT FRI APR 30 2021 ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY, WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. * AFFECTED AREA...IREDELL, DAVIE, ROWAN, MECKLENBURG, CABARRUS AND UNION NC. * TIMING...THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING. * WINDS...NORTHWEST 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH. * HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 25 PERCENT. * FUEL MOISTURE...ALREADY SEASONABLY LOW WILL LIKELY DROP FURTHER WITH NO SIGNIFICANT WETTING RAIN IN THE FORECAST TONIGHT OR FRIDAY. * IMPACTS...OUTDOOR FIRES MAY EASILY GROW OUT OF CONTROL IN THESE CONDITIONS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW, .OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS, LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY, AND WARM TEMPERATURES CAN CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR
While wildfires are rare in North Carolina, they do occasionally occur.
Back in 2016, dozens of devastating fires erupted all across the North Carolina mountains and Piedmont after a similar dry spell.
This shot was just taken in 2016 by John Cayton of the Party Rock Fire on Lake Lure: