The Extreme Weather Conditions That Drove the Carolina Wildfires

THIS ARTICLE IS republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Scores of wildfires broke out across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia in early March 2025 as strong winds, abnormally dry conditions, and low humidity combined to kindle and spread the flames. The fires followed a year of weather whiplash in the Carolinas, from a flash drought over the summer to extreme hurricane flooding in September, and then back to drought again. Storms on March 5, 2025, helped douse many of the fires still burning, but the Southeast fire season is only beginning. Wake Forest University wildfire experts Lauren Lowman and Nick Corak put the fires and the region’s dry winter into context. Why Did the Carolinas See so Many Wildfires? Most of North and South Carolina have been abnormally dry or in moderate drought since at least November 2024. Consistently dry conditions through the winter dried out vegetation, leaving fuel for wildfires. When the land and vegetation is ... Read full article.