Fires rage, spread across Carolinas as central US braces for severe weekend weather
As wildfires continued to spread across the Carolinas on Friday, storms dropped heavy rain over parts of Texas and Louisiana as forecasters warned of a weekend outbreak of severe weather.
Red flag warnings and wind advisories were active Friday throughout the central and eastern U.S., including in North and South Carolina, where a breakout of wildfires has triggered evacuations and destroyed homes. Flood advisories stretched from South Texas and Louisiana as a potent storm dropped 5 to 12 inches of rain.
Through the weekend, forecasters say over 100 million people are at risk of severe weather, from torrential rain and possible tornadoes in the Plains region to hail and high winds in the Mississippi Valley, according to AccuWeather.
More: Monster storm heading east this weekend to spew tornadoes, hail and snow
On Saturday, strong storms will impact a zone from Texas to Nebraska, Arkansas and Iowa. The next day, the volatile weather will broaden, bringing a threat of hail, flash floods and possible tornadoes to a large swath of the country, from Michigan to the Gulf Coast.
As the storms move eastward, they could snarl traffic and disrupt flights Monday in several major cities, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.
In North Carolina, wildfires continued to spread in parts of the state ravaged by Hurricane Helene about six months ago. The largest of the blazes, the Black Cove Complex Fire, is the "the highest priority fire in the U.S.," leading surrounding states to deploy resources to assist in containing it.
The Black Cove Complex Fire, burning outside the city of Saluda, is 3,288 acres in size and 17% contained as of Thursday night, according to the North Carolina Forest Service. Officials have determined it was caused by a downed powerline. Meanwhile, northwest of Columbus, the Deep Woods Fire grew to 3,373 acres and was 30% contained.
In South Carolina, two large wildfires have torched 16 square miles of land and have continued to grow in recent days. On Friday, forecasters warned of continued high winds and dry conditions in the region.
"Weather conditions tomorrow are a concern for increased fire activity, as relative humidity is expected to fall to 23%, and wind gusts could reach nearly 30 mph," said the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fires spread across Carolinas as central US braces for severe storms
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rain, storms to return to much of Northeast for Father's Day weekend
The clock is ticking on a batch of dry air that turned off showers and thunderstorms for most areas in the Northeast. AccuWeather meteorologists say that moist air capable of producing downpours is not all that far away and will return to some areas before the Father's Day weekend. A small area of high pressure that moved in from the Midwest was just strong enough to dry out the atmosphere through Thursday for much of the Northeast. An exception will be some showers in northern Maine and a narrow zone of showers and spotty thunderstorms from the Lower Peninsula of Michigan to along the northern Pennsylvania and southern tier of New York border on Thursday. The sunshine and overall good drying conditions will help temperatures rise with widespread highs in the 80s F on Thursday. Some parts of the mid-Atlantic can reach the lower 90s on Thursday with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures in the mid- to upper 90s. Beyond Thursday, however, the dry air will be replaced by clouds and the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+ By Friday afternoon, the return of higher humidity levels will lead to an uptick in showers and thunderstorms from southern and western New York through the rest of the mid-Atlantic and central Appalachians. While not all of this area will experience a downpour, the places that do could be drenched. And, some places might be soaked by more than one shower. As a storm rolls slowly out of the south-central United States this weekend, it will continue to pump moisture northward from the Gulf and northwestward from the Atlantic. The moisture surge may be significant enough for downpours to repeat and trigger flash flooding in parts of the Ohio Valley, southern Appalachians and part of the mid-Atlantic by Saturday. Those heading to the 250th anniversary parade of the U.S. Army in Washington, D.C., on Saturday should be prepared for a couple of drenching showers or thunderstorms. As the storm continues to advance northeastward and moisture further expands in the region on Sunday, most of the Northeast will be at risk for locally drenching showers and perhaps gusty thunderstorms. Father's Day barbeque plans, a fishing trip or a day at the ballpark or beach could be hampered by downpours and the potential for thunderstorms. The best day at the mid-Atlantic beaches over the next several days is likely to be on Thursday before the rain arrives over the weekend. Looking ahead into next week, "there are some signs that a spell of very warm weather or perhaps a even a heat wave may evolve," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said. "That will depend on how strong an area of high pressure is that is forecast to build in place over the region." Time will tell if the high is strong enough to shunt the Father's Day weekend storm to the east and hold off new storms to the west. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why doesn't the South Atlantic get many tropical storms?
If you look at a map showing the tracks of every tropical depression, subtropical storm, tropical storm and hurricane (called typhoons in the Western Pacific basin and cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere), you will notice something peculiar. There is a complete absence of storm tracks west of South America and very few tracks east of the continent. Why is that? The waters are too cold The lack of activity off the west coast of South America is primarily because of cold waters, AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva says. The Peru Current in the southeastern Pacific Ocean brings cold water unusually far northward along the west coast, too cold for tropical storms and hurricanes. Water temperatures need to be in at least 79 F (26 C) for tropical storms to develop and strengthen. Wind shear is stronger in these regions Another factor is higher wind shear, which tears apart most tropical storms before they can strengthen. Wind shear is particularly high in the Southern Hemisphere, due to a larger temperature gradient. "The waters off Brazil, in the Southern Atlantic, are not as cold, thanks to warmer water coming down from the north, but the wind shear is still too strong to support many tropical storms," DaSilva explained. The 'wave train' is missing in the South Atlantic Another missing piece of the puzzle in the South Atlantic is the African wave train, which pushes clusters of thunderstorms off the continent and over the North Atlantic during hurricane season. These storms can then go on to become a tropical depression, storm or hurricane. "Approximately 80 percent of major North Atlantic hurricanes develop in this area. This conveyor belt of tropical seedlings is absent from the southern Atlantic," DaSilva said. Only one hurricane is known to have traversed this basin Only one hurricane in recorded history has formed in the South Atlantic. In 2004, an unnamed storm, locally called Catarina, formed off the coast of Brazil. The storm made landfall near northeastern Rio Grande do Sul with 100-mph winds, killing three people and causing $300 million (2004 USD) in damage. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, only two additional unnamed tropical storms ever roamed the southern Atlantic basin, in 2010 and 2011. More South Atlantic storms likely missed by official records Other storms shown on the map above are not recognized in NOAA's database. Many of these are subtropical storms, which possess some tropical characteristics but are not fully developed tropical systems. The map also includes tropical storms named by the Brazilian Navy Hydrographic Center's Marine Meteorological Service (HCMM). The HCMM has been naming subtropical and tropical storms off the Brazilian coast since 2011, but its threshold for naming storms may not be as rigorous as in the rest of the world, so it may name more storms than other agencies, such as NOAA. On the other hand, because the records in the other basins stretch back much longer, 75 to 150 years, there are likely many storms in the South Atlantic that were never tracked. Out of roughly two dozen storms named by HCMM in the last 15 years, fewer than 10 of the named storms tracked since 2011 have made landfall on the South American coast. You may also notice that no storm has ever crossed the equator. This is because, at 0 degrees latitude, the Coriolis force is essentially zero, making it impossible for a tropical system to cross over from one hemisphere to another.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nolichucky Blooms complete projects at Helene impacted homes
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The David Crockett High School Future Farmers of America's (FFA) Nolichucky Blooms first on-site project took place on Wednesday. Through Nolichucky Blooms, students and volunteers help with planting and mulching needs around homes impacted by Hurricane Helene. 'We're getting together all these plants, we've got donations, we've got sponsors, we have a lot of sponsors, and the community has come together,' Journey Higgins, with Nolichucky Blooms, said. 'We're taking these plants that have been donated and planting them at houses that were affected by the flood.' On Wednesday, the group started at the home of Gary Cloyd, Steven Cloyd's brother. 'This is one of our things we wanted to focus on was helping the emotional aspect,' Higgins said. 'These people have been through so much, but most importantly, we want to see their spirits uplifted. It's more also just about a spiritual and emotional connection with these people as well.' For more information on Nolichucky Blooms, or to stay updated on donation needs and more, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.