Appalachia is Burning

[Pogo]

:>> Now more than 25 wildfires are burning in the North Carolina mountains, mostly in remote areas, due to a severe drought (no rain in more than two months). A few light showers are expected today. Most of the fires are southwest of Asheville with 40,000+ acres burning in just the last couple of weeks. Southeast of Asheville, wildfires that have closed Chimney Rock Park, Lake Lure (pic above) and South Mountains State Park. There are no fires near the city of Asheville or Biltmore - just seeing and smelling a little smoke. All major highways are open. All state parks in the area are closed so their rangers can help with fires (includes Mt. Mitchell, Lake James and Gorges).

The Lake Lure and South Mountains fires continue to grow quickly (read more below). Currently in the Nantahala National Forest in Western North Carolina, more than 1,000 firefighters and support staff from more than 40 states and territories are working to suppress 23 forest fires. Many of these locations are 20 inches below normal for the year. With all the dry leaves on the ground and very low humidity, fires have plenty of fuel. Burning bans cover most of our mountains - including Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests. Heavy smoke is settling into some valleys and many of our small towns, including Franklin and Robbinsville areas. Crews have saved 100+ homes on the Tellico and Ferebee fires to date. No homes have been destroyed yet.

Evacuations include sections of Lake Lure, most of Chimney Rock Village and areas near the Nantahala Gorge (Swain, Macon and Graham Counties). Stay away from this area for the next week. Also stay away from the Nantahala Gorge (popular summer whitewater rafting area). The governor has issued a state of emergency to aid in fighting the fires. To make matters worse, many of these fires appear to be the result of arson. <<​

More details on each one at the link

There are no fires reported around here but it's impossible to ignore. You can't look across your own yard without looking through a smoky haze. You can literally taste it. So we're not in danger from something encroaching but at the same time we're surrounded by woods and in the same drought conditions so something could erupt at any time.

First saw this haze, coming from about 100 miles to the west, on (appropriately) Election Day. The air seemed to clear after that but it's now worse than ever. Anyone else seeing this?


Stay safe out there, keep alert and pray for rain.

 

[HenryBHough]

Not that many streets so those snowflakes have found something else to burn.

Clever little buggers, nu?

 

[Pogo]

Not that many streets so those snowflakes have found something else to burn.

Clever little buggers, nu?

Not even a hint of snowflakes 'round these parts. It's endless sumer icumen in around here.

I've still got tomatoes and peppers growing, even budding. I only fired up my heat in the last week and have yet to use it steadily. So the heat is another factor. Humidity has been way down -- this is normally the wettest part of Appalachia. I've seen it rain for literally ten straight days in the past. Not now though.

 

[blastoff]

I'll get Trump working on a wind shift in Pog's direction. Give him a legit reason to complain about him for the next eight years.

 

[Moonglow]

Not that many streets so those snowflakes have found something else to burn.

Clever little buggers, nu?

Not even a hint of snowflakes 'round these parts. It's endless sumer icumen in around here.

I've still got tomatoes and peppers growing, even budding. I only fired up my heat in the last week and have yet to use it steadily. So the heat is another factor. Humidity has been way down -- this is normally the wettest part of Appalachia. I've seen it rain for literally ten straight days in the past. Not now though.

I cut okra last week...and still picking beans....

 

[Pogo]

I'll get Trump working on a wind shift in Pog's direction. Give him a legit reason to complain about him for the next eight years.

This is not a political topic. This is real life.

And you don't want to go there anyway. In both senses.

 

[Missourian]

Never pictured you as an Appalachian Mountain Man Pogo. Hoping you get some rain soon.

 

[miketx]

:>> Now more than 25 wildfires are burning in the North Carolina mountains, mostly in remote areas, due to a severe drought (no rain in more than two months). A few light showers are expected today. Most of the fires are southwest of Asheville with 40,000+ acres burning in just the last couple of weeks. Southeast of Asheville, wildfires that have closed Chimney Rock Park, Lake Lure (pic above) and South Mountains State Park. There are no fires near the city of Asheville or Biltmore - just seeing and smelling a little smoke. All major highways are open. All state parks in the area are closed so their rangers can help with fires (includes Mt. Mitchell, Lake James and Gorges).

The Lake Lure and South Mountains fires continue to grow quickly (read more below). Currently in the Nantahala National Forest in Western North Carolina, more than 1,000 firefighters and support staff from more than 40 states and territories are working to suppress 23 forest fires. Many of these locations are 20 inches below normal for the year. With all the dry leaves on the ground and very low humidity, fires have plenty of fuel. Burning bans cover most of our mountains - including Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests. Heavy smoke is settling into some valleys and many of our small towns, including Franklin and Robbinsville areas. Crews have saved 100+ homes on the Tellico and Ferebee fires to date. No homes have been destroyed yet.

Evacuations include sections of Lake Lure, most of Chimney Rock Village and areas near the Nantahala Gorge (Swain, Macon and Graham Counties). Stay away from this area for the next week. Also stay away from the Nantahala Gorge (popular summer whitewater rafting area). The governor has issued a state of emergency to aid in fighting the fires. To make matters worse, many of these fires appear to be the result of arson. <<​

More details on each one at the link

There are no fires reported around here but it's impossible to ignore. You can't look across your own yard without looking through a smoky haze. You can literally taste it. So we're not in danger from something encroaching but at the same time we're surrounded by woods and in the same drought conditions so something could erupt at any time.

First saw this haze, coming from about 100 miles to the west, on (appropriately) Election Day. The air seemed to clear after that but it's now worse than ever. Anyone else seeing this?


Stay safe out there, keep alert and pray for rain.

Why haven't you blamed it on Trump yet?


EDIT:

This is not a political topic. This is real life.

A more telling statement statement no liberal has never made!

 

[Ringel05]

I'll get Trump working on a wind shift in Pog's direction. Give him a legit reason to complain about him for the next eight years.

This is not a political topic. This is real life.

And you don't want to go there anyway. In both senses.

For some people even the over, under toilet paper argument is political.

 

[Manonthestreet]

Isn't it raining right now across large portion of the state?

 

[Pogo]

Isn't it raining right now across large portion of the state?

It's a big state, I don't know. But certainly not around here in the west.

I was in the other end of the state a week ago and it rained there. We got nuttin'.

I kinda wondered this morning when the light was all diffused like you see when rain is coming --- but apparently it was smoke. Just hadn't smelled it yet. Same thing last Tuesday --- looked like rain, smelled like smoke.

 

[miketx]

Isn't it raining right now across large portion of the state?

Maybe this will help them. Hope so.

 

[pismoe]

Not that many streets so those snowflakes have found something else to burn.

Clever little buggers, nu?

----------------------------------------------------- or illegal aliens or muslim arsonists . Burn down the country eh ?? It was happening kalifornia a few years ago .

 

[Moonglow]

Isn't it raining right now across large portion of the state?

It's a big state, I don't know. But certainly not around here in the west.

I was in the other end of the state a week ago and it rained there. We got nuttin'.

Should have saved some of that flooding from the tropical storm last year...

 

[Manonthestreet]

I'm in Carolina Beach right now is how I knew about the rain.....

 

[Pogo]

Never pictured you as an Appalachian Mountain Man Pogo. Hoping you get some rain soon.

Oh yeah, I had to learn a whole new language here.

Thanks MoMan. Go seed some clouds willya.

 

[Pogo]

I'm in Carolina Beach right now is how I knew about the rain.....

Whelp -- that's about 500 miles away in the wrong direction.

 

[Lewdog]

I'm in Kentucky and fires are bad here too. There have even been smoke advisories where the government has told parents not to let their kids play outside for too long. I've been told it comes from a few things. Stupid smokers throwing out their butts while driving, hunters trying to get deer to move to a certain area, and hunters who are trying to drive snakes out of their hunting area. Not to mention just your normal people that don't know how to properly put out a camp fire.

 

[Pogo]

I'm in Kentucky and fires are bad here too. There have even been smoke advisories where the government has told parents not to let their kids play outside for too long. I've been told it comes from a few things. Stupid smokers throwing out their butts while driving, hunters trying to get deer to move to a certain area, and hunters who are trying to drive snakes out of their hunting area. Not to mention just your normal people that don't know how to properly put out a camp fire.

Yeah we're under air quality alerts here, not that it isn't obvious.

Recently I've had my cell phone start chiming emergency alert tests, which I've never heard on a phone before. No real alerts as yet but 'tests'.

 

[LuckyDuck]

:>> Now more than 25 wildfires are burning in the North Carolina mountains, mostly in remote areas, due to a severe drought (no rain in more than two months). A few light showers are expected today. Most of the fires are southwest of Asheville with 40,000+ acres burning in just the last couple of weeks. Southeast of Asheville, wildfires that have closed Chimney Rock Park, Lake Lure (pic above) and South Mountains State Park. There are no fires near the city of Asheville or Biltmore - just seeing and smelling a little smoke. All major highways are open. All state parks in the area are closed so their rangers can help with fires (includes Mt. Mitchell, Lake James and Gorges).

The Lake Lure and South Mountains fires continue to grow quickly (read more below). Currently in the Nantahala National Forest in Western North Carolina, more than 1,000 firefighters and support staff from more than 40 states and territories are working to suppress 23 forest fires. Many of these locations are 20 inches below normal for the year. With all the dry leaves on the ground and very low humidity, fires have plenty of fuel. Burning bans cover most of our mountains - including Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests. Heavy smoke is settling into some valleys and many of our small towns, including Franklin and Robbinsville areas. Crews have saved 100+ homes on the Tellico and Ferebee fires to date. No homes have been destroyed yet.

Evacuations include sections of Lake Lure, most of Chimney Rock Village and areas near the Nantahala Gorge (Swain, Macon and Graham Counties). Stay away from this area for the next week. Also stay away from the Nantahala Gorge (popular summer whitewater rafting area). The governor has issued a state of emergency to aid in fighting the fires. To make matters worse, many of these fires appear to be the result of arson. <<​

More details on each one at the link

There are no fires reported around here but it's impossible to ignore. You can't look across your own yard without looking through a smoky haze. You can literally taste it. So we're not in danger from something encroaching but at the same time we're surrounded by woods and in the same drought conditions so something could erupt at any time.

First saw this haze, coming from about 100 miles to the west, on (appropriately) Election Day. The air seemed to clear after that but it's now worse than ever. Anyone else seeing this?


Stay safe out there, keep alert and pray for rain.

At some point in the not so distant future, these recurring droughts in much of the world will affect food crops to the point where we will see less and less on the food shelves at the supermarkets. Once that happens, perhaps the global climate change deniers will finally wake up, too late though, I imagine.