COLUMBIA, S.C. — Rain has been very hard to come by this Fall as drought has rapidly increased in both of the Carolinas.
Over the past 10 years, South Carolina has experienced drought 80% of the time in the month of November. With Fall typically being our driest season, little relief in the form of rain is likely.
This lack of rain can really be seen in satellite data that measures soil moisture compared to normal. A large portion of the Southeast has seen very dry conditions which has led to expanding drought.
When it comes to Fall, this plays into what makes it our secondary wildfire season.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 22 active fires have been recorded between North and South Carolina.
The two largest fires are the Collett Ridge fire in Cherokee County and the Poplar Ridge fire in Henderson County both of which are located in North Carolina.
Fires in our mountain counties are often caused by the lack of rain, and low humidity, along with the recent leaf drop from the Fall season.
Even with no active wildfires in the Midlands, these nearby issues can impact our air quality as seen back in 2016 which was the last time there was a large outbreak of fires in the two states.
Thankfully this week a southerly wind will keep any smoke out of South Carolina but continued dry conditions will keep the fire threat present. Something that the South Carolina Forestry Commission says they will be watching very closely in the near term.