The National Weather Service issued a high fire danger alert for Cobb County and other counties in the region until 7 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, February 27, 2024, due to dry conditions and gusty winds.
This is the fourth day in a row of high fire danger in Georgia, but there is a possibility of showers on Wednesday, which might alleviate the dry conditions in the week ahead.
What is in the statement?
The statement gives the following details:
This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of North and Central Georgia.
.DAY ONE…Today and Tonight…
A Fire Danger Statement is in effect through 7PM tonight due to
low fuel moistures and elevated wind gusts for all of north and
central Georgia. Please check with local authorities before
attempting any burns.
Why does low relative humidity increase the danger of fire?
The National Park Service published the following explanation of why low relative humidity increases the danger of fires:
“Relative humidity is important because dead forest fuels and the air are always exchanging moisture. Low humidity takes moisture from the fuels, and fuels in turn, take moisture from the air when the humidity is high.
“Light fuels, such as grass and pine needles, gain and lose moisture quickly with changes in relative humidity. When the RH drops, fire behavior increases because these fine fuels become drier.
“Heavy fuels, on the other hand, respond to humidity changes more slowly. To see significant changes in heavy fuel moisture, there must be significant moisture, usually from more than a single storm.”
What counties are affected?
The following counties are included in the hazardous weather outlook:
Baldwin, Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Bleckley, Butts, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattahoochee, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Crawford, Crisp, Dade, Dawson, DeKalb, Dodge, Dooly, Douglas, Emanuel, Fannin, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Glascock,…
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