The National Weather Service issued an alert that warns of high fire danger in Cobb County and other Georgia counties for the afternoon of Monday, April 10, 2023. 

What is in the statement?

The statement gives the following details:

…HIGH FIRE DANGER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING 

FOR PARTS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA DUE TO LOW RELATIVE 

HUMIDITIES AND STRONG WINDS… 

Relative Humidities as low as 25 percent can be expected for 4 or 

more hours this afternoon into the evening. Sustained winds of 10 

to 15 MPH can be expected along with gusts up to 25 MPH. 

With drying fuels, high fire danger conditions may be possible. 

Please refer to your local burn permitting authorities 

whether you may burn outdoors.  If you do burn outside, 

use extreme caution.

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

Butts

Carroll

Catoosa

Chattooga

Cherokee

Clarke

Clayton

Cobb

Coweta

Dade

Dawson

DeKalb

Douglas

Fannin

Fayette

Floyd

Forsyth

Gilmer

Gordon

Greene

Gwinnett

Hall

Hancock

Haralson

Heard

Henry

Jackson

Jasper

Jones

Lamar

Lumpkin

Madison

Meriwether

Monroe

Morgan

Murray

Newton

North Fulton

Oconee

Oglethorpe

Paulding

Pickens

Pike

Polk

Putnam

Rockdale

South Fulton

Spalding

Taliaferro

Towns

Troup

Union

Walker

Walton

Warren

White

Whitfield

Wilkes

What precautions should be taken?

The National Weather Service recommends extreme caution if you do outdoor burning during high fire danger conditions, and that you check your local fire ordinances.

>> To read a summary of Cobb County’s fire ordinances follow this link

About the National Weather Service

The National Weather Service (NWS) is a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The NWS describes its role as follows:

“The National Weather Service (NWS) provides weather, water, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy.

“These services include Forecasts and Observations, Warnings, Impact-based Decision Support Services, and Education in an effort to build a Weather-Ready Nation. The ultimate goal is to have a society that is prepared for and responds to weather, water and climate events.”

Read all the Cobb County Courier climate and weather coverage by following this link.