ATLANTA — Conditions have been very dry across north Georgia over the past few months with some spots now under extreme drought for the first time since November 2019.
Drought conditions alone can lead to a decent fire danger, but we now tack on lower humidity and strong wind behind our recent cold front to the mix and wildfire conditions are even higher.
With these combined factors, the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning across north Georgia from 12 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
According to the NWS, this is our first Red Flag Warning in Fulton County since May. Areas in eastern Georgia including Athens last had a Red Flag Warning in early October.
Wind will be out of the northwest at 10 to 15 mph, gusting from 25 to 30 mph, bringing in a drier air mass with relative humidity as low as 20%.
Dan Chan, meteorologist and fire weather forecaster with the Georgia Forestry Commission, said our dew point is much lower than Atlanta's last Red Flag Warning in May.
"This really dry air is a concern, as it could help an ignited fire to spread rapidly," he said.
With all of these factors coming together, outdoor burning is not recommended to keep down the chances of wildfires occurring.
Wendy Burnett, spokesperson with the Georgia Forestry Commission, says the organization recommends that they advise against burning until conditions improve. Technically there is no burn ban in place at this time. Burnett adds, "state law requires that residents abide by the 5 SSTAR system... with the last requirement being reasonable precautions, and burning under these conditions would be the opposite of taking reasonable precautions."
You can learn more about the GA Code mandating the 5 SSTAR system here: Burn Permits and Notifications | Georgia Forestry Commission (gatrees.org)
A good, soaking rain is needed for north Georgia to make sure the threat of wildfires doesn't continue, but unfortunately, that doesn't look likely for the next week.
Since September 1st, Atlanta has only had 3.07" of rainfall when the normal amount of rain received in that time is 7.10". This puts us at a deficit of more than four inches since September 1st.
MORE FROM THE 11ALIVE STORMTRACKERS
DOWNLOAD THE 11ALIVE APP:
Set up weather notifications by clicking the Gear icon in the upper right corner of the app. Select Notification -> Notification Settings -> Severe Weather Alerts -> Toggle the Severe Weather Alerts button to the right to turn alerts on.
Send photos and videos through the app by selecting the Near Me feature on the bottom right task bar of the app and entering your information.
TEXT YOUR WEATHER PHOTOS TO US: 404-885-7600
JOIN THE 11ALIVE STORMTRACKERS FACEBOOK GROUP: Nearly 10,000 metro Atlanta and north Georgia weather enthusiasts share their weather photos every day. Click here to join the group!