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2016/17 Drought & Fire Concerns

NWNC2015

By NWNC2015,
in Southeastern States

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CherokeeGA

CherokeeGA

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, LithiaWx said:

Well damn..... today's image

 

IMG_1568.JPG

It's really terrible here north of the city.  I had to go run an errand and fill up my gas tank at lunch and I thought I was going to have a full-blown asthma attack standing there.  It's been over 5 years since the last one and I don't even carry an inhaler anymore.  If this doesn't end soon I'll be at the doctor to get one.

Was hoping to see the super moon... too much smoke and haze.

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LithiaWx

LithiaWx

Posted
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1 hour ago, CherokeeGA said:

It's really terrible here north of the city.  I had to go run an errand and fill up my gas tank at lunch and I thought I was going to have a full-blown asthma attack standing there.  It's been over 5 years since the last one and I don't even carry an inhaler anymore.  If this doesn't end soon I'll be at the doctor to get one.

Was hoping to see the super moon... too much smoke and haze.

I got out of town yesterday and headed down to Orlando for the week.  No smoke,  the grass is green and it even sprinkled a little.  It was like whoa I had forgotten what these things were like. 

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CherokeeGA

CherokeeGA

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, LithiaWx said:

I got out of town yesterday and headed down to Orlando for the week.  No smoke,  the grass is green and it even sprinkled a little.  It was like whoa I had forgotten what these things were like. 

Yeah our bermuda's been dormant and brown since before July 4th.  The trees hung onto their green until mid September, when they just sort of started turning brown and falling off.  Dry as dust.

We are far enough north that there aren't any fire breaks for us.  We're surrounded by woods and farms and all of it is a tinder box.  I decided today given how dry it is and how many of my nearby neighbors are highly likely to ignore the fireworks ban the governor announced today... it's time to make a box of stuff that has to go with us if we end up needing to leave for a bit.  Insurance papers and birth certificates and stuff.  Better prepared.

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LithiaWx

LithiaWx

Posted
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10 minutes ago, CherokeeGA said:

Yeah our bermuda's been dormant and brown since before July 4th.  The trees hung onto their green until mid September, when they just sort of started turning brown and falling off.  Dry as dust.

We are far enough north that there aren't any fire breaks for us.  We're surrounded by woods and farms and all of it is a tinder box.  I decided today given how dry it is and how many of my nearby neighbors are highly likely to ignore the fireworks ban the governor announced today... it's time to make a box of stuff that has to go with us if we end up needing to leave for a bit.  Insurance papers and birth certificates and stuff.  Better prepared.

stay frosty man,  better safe than sorry.  ive got a box ready.  Actually I really need to toss a few more things into it myself.  The danger continues to increase.  

 

There were a couple of posters early on who mocked my concerns but here we are a month later with no additional rain and now wildfires rampaging the southeast. 

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NWNC2015

NWNC2015

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today was the first day smoke has been a problem in my backyard. very hazy. looks to only get worse. McCroy said these conditions could last into March based on his governmental weather briefing today. one of the NC fires is #2 priority in the country. #1 priority fire in the nation is actually in Georgia....not the usual California spots

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Lookout

Lookout

Posted
Posted
On 11/13/2016 at 0:38 PM, J.C. said:

Are you not getting any rain today?

I'm a little late obviously but yeah I did get some to my shock...I didn't expect much but ended up getting around 0.40...it was wonderful lol...first I've had in weeks. Was really hoping it would make it into the mountains...would have given it up for it to have. Was so refreshing smelling clean air...but the very next day the smoke was back.

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Lookout

Lookout

Posted
Posted
On 11/13/2016 at 10:37 AM, LithiaWx said:

Thank you Rosie!  I agree anyone caught setting an arson fire needs to face some long jail time.  The amount of people the crime impacts is tremendous. 

I can't repeat here what I would like to see happen to those who start these fires on purpose. 

But yeah this seems right up there with 2007 in terms of length of dry weather...and still the gfs is showing nothing until well into the fantasy range. It's quite extraordinary but so frustrating...sure hope this isn't what we have to look forward to all winter or we are going to be in severe and extreme trouble by the time spring rolls around. 

 

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jshetley

jshetley

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, Lookout said:

I can't repeat here what I would like to see happen to those who start these fires on purpose. 

But yeah this seems right up there with 2007 in terms of length of dry weather...and still the gfs is showing nothing until well into the fantasy range. It's quite extraordinary but so frustrating...sure hope this isn't what we have to look forward to all winter or we are going to be in severe and extreme trouble by the time spring rolls around. 

 

With LaNina though I'm afraid we may have to deal with this drought at least until March, if not longer. I'm hoping it'll be like the 1989 LaNina, when a very long dry spell finally broke in late Feb of that year. Once that spell broke, we had 8 or 9 months of above normal rainfall, with a couple of VERY wet months. I'm afraid it's going to be more like 1999 though, which was drier and warmer than normal from the fall of 1998 through the fall of 1999. One difference which will make this drought worse than that one is that we had gotten above normal rainfall in the late winter and spring of 1998. We will not have anything like this going into next year if it does turn out like 1999, so next year could be REALLY UGLY, with an even hotter summer than last year and many more fires. It's possible that some places mat even run out of water if this goes through next fall. We will see rain and maybe even winter precip of course, but not nearly enough if this LaNina is like the one in 1999. 

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LithiaWx

LithiaWx

Posted
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14 hours ago, Lookout said:

I can't repeat here what I would like to see happen to those who start these fires on purpose. 

But yeah this seems right up there with 2007 in terms of length of dry weather...and still the gfs is showing nothing until well into the fantasy range. It's quite extraordinary but so frustrating...sure hope this isn't what we have to look forward to all winter or we are going to be in severe and extreme trouble by the time spring rolls around. 

 

I just read that the rough ridge fire is now over 20,000 acres.  It's been burning for over a month and now with new leaves falling the areas that were previously extinguished are lighting back up. 

 

I was also reading NC is dealing with some "smaller" fires but still a 3,600 acre fire is nothing to dismiss at lake lure and there is one at about 13,000 called the tellico fire. Also if some of those smaller fires don't get contained they could easil grow.  Perhaps not as easily as rough ridge just due to how damn dry it is but if the dry weather continues areas like NC are going to see conditions spiral more and more out of control like what North GA and soon TN are dealing with.  The rough ridge fire has almost reached the TN border.   If NC drought gets to exceptional like NW GA it could get just as ugly there as it is near rough ridge. 

 

JMO but I've never seen anything like this in my 30+ years in GA. 

 

Here is an ugly picture of the drought monitor and a link to the article I am referencing.

This article says over 70% of the fires in TN are suspected arson and many of the GA fires as well.  Amazing and sad all at once also makes me very angry. 

http://wildfiretoday.com/2016/11/14/maps-of-five-wildfires-in-georgia-and-north-carolina/

IMG_1695.PNG

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Coach B

Coach B

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Posted
12 hours ago, Snowless in Carrollton said:

Why don't I remember this many fires and smoke in 2007 when we had that horrible drought ? Why does this seem worse ?

I would think time of year would have a lot to do with it. Vegetation is naturally dying off and drying up in the fall. There is also more wind on average in October and November than thru the summer. In 2007 we actually had above normal rainfall here in October and November after being below normal all spring and summer. 

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CherokeeGA

CherokeeGA

Posted
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3 hours ago, Coach B said:

I would think time of year would have a lot to do with it. Vegetation is naturally dying off and drying up in the fall. There is also more wind on average in October and November than thru the summer. In 2007 we actually had above normal rainfall here in October and November after being below normal all spring and summer. 

 

IIRC in 2007 we had some rain occasionally, it was just a lot less than usual.  We did lose a lot of plants that year, but it was mainly due to the fact that they were young and not well established and we weren't allowed to supplementally water them.  If they had had a couple of years of roots in the ground they would have survived.  As dry as it has been this year we have not lost any bushes or trees because they're old enough and have deep enough root systems.

This year it hasn't been a problem in my area of "less than usual" rain.  It's NO rain.  The last time I recall having rain imby was a very small shower in September, and before that, there was a long completely dry spell going back to June-ish.

"Less than usual" rain over a period of months can still keep things moist enough to not just instantly combust, even if it's not enough to keep the rivers and lakes topped up.  But NO rain... not so much.  It's a tinderbox outside right now.

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LithiaWx

LithiaWx

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, CherokeeGA said:

 

IIRC in 2007 we had some rain occasionally, it was just a lot less than usual.  We did lose a lot of plants that year, but it was mainly due to the fact that they were young and not well established and we weren't allowed to supplementally water them.  If they had had a couple of years of roots in the ground they would have survived.  As dry as it has been this year we have not lost any bushes or trees because they're old enough and have deep enough root systems.

This year it hasn't been a problem in my area of "less than usual" rain.  It's NO rain.  The last time I recall having rain imby was a very small shower in September, and before that, there was a long completely dry spell going back to June-ish.

"Less than usual" rain over a period of months can still keep things moist enough to not just instantly combust, even if it's not enough to keep the rivers and lakes topped up.  But NO rain... not so much.  It's a tinderbox outside right now.

dude,  it's bad and you're not exaggerating the lack of rain for our area.  Cartersville is just insane. 

IMG_1897.JPG

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LithiaWx

LithiaWx

Posted
Posted

NC/SC looks to get the smoke from the NE GA fires starting on Friday if these wind directions verify.  Adding y'all own fires this situation has the potential to really get you guys. 

 

  
446 PM EST WED NOV 16 2016

...SMOKE FROM NORTH GEORGIA WILDFIRES WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT
MOST OF NORTH AND PARTS OF CENTRAL GEORGIA THURSDAY...

NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS WILL DEVELOP LATE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY
MORNING ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. THIS WILL BRING THE
SMOKE FROM THE NORTH GEORGIA WILDFIRES INTO MUCH OF NORTH AND
CENTRAL GEORGIA. THE GREATEST IMPACT WILL LIKELY BE ALONG AND EAST
OF A CARROLLTON TO MACON TO SWAINSBORO LINE.

HOWEVER DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS ON THURSDAY WINDS WILL BECOME
WEST TO SOUTHWEST. THIS WILL PUSH THE SMOKE NORTHEASTWARD...CLEARING
THE SMOKE FROM THE WEST. THE NORTH GEORGIA MOUNTAINS...
HOWEVER...WILL REMAIN SMOKY THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON.

ALTHOUGH THE OUTDOOR AIR QUALITY COULD BE UNHEALTHY FOR SOME
PEOPLE THURSDAY MORNING...AIR QUALITY WILL IMPROVE OVER MOST AREAS
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS ON THURSDAY. CHILDREN... PEOPLE WHO
ARE SENSITIVE TO SMOKE AND PEOPLE WITH HEART OR LUNG DISEASE
SHOULD LIMIT THEIR OUTDOOR EXPOSURE...MAINLY DURING THE MORNING
HOURS ON THURSDAY.

 

 

 

In the meantime jesus the smoke is bad all around.  Some areas really get it worse than others based on the concentration maps. 

IMG_1898.PNG

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LithiaWx

LithiaWx

Posted
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Rough Ridge fire in North GA has now burned more than 23,000 acres and only 30% contained.  This is still by far the largest active wildfire in the United States.

 

http://www.cbs46.com/story/33719304/rough-ridge-fire-burns-more-than-23000-acres

 

Tourisim in our mountains is getting absolutely decimated due to the fires and smoke. GA needs help badly as we are really hurting all around. 

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LithiaWx

LithiaWx

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, WxReese said:

I'm heading down to Auburn next Tuesday night/Wednesday morning for Thanksgiving. Here's hoping the smoke isn't too bad. We had to deal with it here back in April for the Rocky Mount Fire in the Shenandoah National Park. Hope y'all get some rain down there. 

You're probably going to see a lot of it on your way down if you're driving.  I'm not familiar with what's happening out west into bama but it does look like they have some fires and smoke like GA/TN/SC/NC.

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