A fire weather watch is in effect for most of Georgia, covering areas from the mountains in the north to the southern border.
What’s Happening: The National Weather Service has issued fire weather watches covering nearly all of Georgia, from the northwest mountains through central Georgia and into the southwest corner of the state. The watches run through Saturday evening.
What’s Important: Forecasters expect winds, low humidity, and dry conditions to combine in ways that could allow fires to start and spread quickly. Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged across all affected areas.
How This Affects Real People: Anyone planning to burn yard waste, brush, or debris outdoors should check with local burn permitting authorities before doing so. People who are already burning or working near fire should notify local fire crews about the watch.
By the Numbers: Winds are expected to reach 10 to 20 mph with gusts of 25 to 40 mph depending on location. Gusts along ridgelines and peaks in northwest Georgia could reach 40 mph. Humidity levels are expected to drop to as low as 15 percent in some areas Saturday afternoon. Temperatures will range from 65 to 71 degrees at lower elevations.
What’s Covered: Three separate National Weather Service offices issued watches covering different parts of the state:
- The Peachtree City office covers all of North and Central Georgia, including the Chattahoochee and Oconee National Forests
- The Tallahassee office covers Southwest Georgia counties including Dougherty, Thomas, Lowndes, Colquitt, and surrounding areas
- The Columbia, South Carolina office covers Georgia’s CSRA counties, including Richmond, Columbia, Burke, Lincoln, and McDuffie
The Path Forward: A Fire Weather Watch can be upgraded to a Red Flag Warning if conditions meet critical thresholds.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
