Don’t let the upcoming weather fool you. Tennessee isn’t out of the woods just yet from the recent upheaval of forest fires.
After a busy strand of weeks with fires in the region, Carter County received a little bit of a break this weekend, according to Peter Frenzen with Cherokee National Forest.
“There was the campfire near Watauga Lake,” Frenzen said. “But there’s been a little bit of a lull thanks to the moisture coming into the region. We did have a report of a brush fire earlier this morning. Even with rain, we’re still experiencing very dry conditions, which cause wet leaves to dry out quicker and pose a threat for fires.”
According to the National Weather Service – Morristown, the eastern region of the state should expect “roughly one to three inches” of rain from Monday, Nov. 28, through Wednesday, Nov. 30.
“It’s a matter of when and where the rain hits, and how much,” Frenzen said. “I’ve heard we’re currently under 10-11 inches under the average of normal precipitation this time of the year. That’s been one of the key reasons for this type of activity. Even with the rains, it will take some time to get things back to normal from the current weather condition. The good news is with the rain, we’ll receive a bit of a lull of fires.”
While rain will alleviate pressure, the possibility of winds could cause some problems, once again, with smoke in the region. A high wind watch is currently in effect in the region until Tuesday night.
Frenzen, who is currently stationed in Unicoi County, mentioned that smoky conditions reared their head back into the county due to wind from the incoming stormfront.
“There’s always that possibility,” Frenzen said. “We always want to encourage people to drive safe when going through roadways with heavy amounts of smoke.”
According to the air quality condition provided by AirNow, the Tri-Cities were under a yellow alert for Monday, Nov. 28, and is expected to be green — recognized as good — on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
“I would advise people to stay up to date with the air quality alerts,” Frenzen said, adding that wind could bring in smoky conditions once again to Carter County from fires burning in Georgia and North Carolina.
But Frenzen encourages citizens to remain vigilant during this time.
“It’ll take awhile to get things back to normal,” he said. “That’s why the burn ban is in effect until December. We want people to continue adhering to the ban to make things smoother and assist with conditions locally.”
According to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry, there were 40 active fires across the state as of Monday, Nov. 28. The acres burned was over 15,500 and the current number of fires to this date is at 1,381 with over 43,000 acres burned.
The state’s arson reward fund is now at $2,500 for a tip that leads to an arson arrest and conviction. The Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation and Tennessee Forestry Association committed donations to increase the fund, according to the Division of Forestry.
To report arson activity, call 1-800-762-3017. Individuals can also report arson to the TDA AG Crime unit by calling 1-844-AGCRIME. Callers can remain anonymous.