Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

975 
WWUS82 KGSP 131631
RFWGSP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
1231 PM EDT Mon Apr 13 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS, DRY FUELS, AND LOW HUMIDITY
TODAY...

GAZ010-017-140000-
/O.CON.KGSP.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-260414T0000Z/
Rabun-Habersham-
1231 PM EDT Mon Apr 13 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING
FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR RABUN AND HABERSHAM
COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA...

* AFFECTED AREA...Rabun and Habersham.

* TIMING...Until 8 PM EDT this evening.

* WINDS...Southwest 5 to 16 mph with gusts up to 21 mph.

* HUMIDITY...As low as 25 percent.

* FUEL MOISTURE...5 to 9 percent.

* IMPACTS...Any fire that develops will catch and spread 
  quickly. Outdoor burning is not recommended.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of gusty
winds, low relative humidity, warm temperatures, and dry fuels
can contribute to extreme fire behavior.

&&

$$

MPR

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
256 AM EDT Mon Apr 13 2026

.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
A Red Flag Warning has been issued for Rabun and Habersham
counties from noon until 8 PM today. An SPS for Increased
Fire Danger has been issued for the rest of NE Georgia and
is in effect from noon until 8 PM today.

The aviation discussion was updated for the 06z TAFs.

&&

.KEY MESSAGES...
1. 1. Well-above normal temperatures continue with marginally
higher humidity and gusty winds expected today.
2. Dry and hot into early next weekend with no drought relief in
sight. Daily record highs could be in jeopardy Tuesday through
Saturday, which may be dangerous for vulnerable populations. A
cold front may finally bring some drought relief Sunday, but that
is more uncertain.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Key message 1: 1. Well-above normal temperatures continue with
marginally higher humidity and gusty winds expected today.

Broad upper ridging will flatten over the Southeast today as
embedded upper shortwave energy moves up and over the ridge.
At the sfc, broad high pressure will get pushed further off
the Atlantic Coast by a large sfc low over SE Canada. The weak
frontal boundary associated with this low will lay across our
northern periphery this aftn/evening and eventually dissipate
within the warm SLY low-level flow. There is a low-end chance
for some sct showers just to our north this afternoon, but it's
doubtful that any precip will reach our CWA. RH should rebound
marginally today in response to slowly-increasing moisture from
the south, but it's still expected to fall into 30 to 35 percent
range during peak heating this aftn. In addition, winds will be
a bit stronger today with low-end gusts of 15 to 20 kts likely
across our area. Georgia forestry officials continue to be con-
cerned over the very dry fuels across the state, and have re-
quested that Red Flag Warnings and/or Fire Danger Statements be
issued for most of the state today. As such, a RFW will be in
effect for Rabun and Habersham counties from noon until 8 pm
today, and a FDS will be in effect for the rest of our NE GA
counties. NC/SC officials have not requested any Fire Danger
Statements at this time.

Key message 2: Dry and hot into early next weekend with no
drought relief in sight. Daily record highs could be in jeopardy
Tuesday through Saturday, which may be dangerous for vulnerable
populations. A cold front may finally bring some drought relief
Sunday, but that is more uncertain.

Southeast upper ridging and surface Bermuda high will set the stage
for an early season Spring heat wave across the CWFA starting
Tuesday through Saturday. This synoptic setup will deflect any
shortwaves and boundaries across the region through at least
Thursday. Temperatures on Tuesday will likely rise into the
upper 80s to near 90, mainly outside of the mountains and remain
relatively the same for Wednesday and Thursday with some locations
possible reaching into the low 90s. A shortwave trough is shown
traversing from the west and over the northern two-thirds of the
East Coast late Thursday into early Friday as the upper ridge
gradually breaks down in response. With dry antecedent conditions,
there isn't much rainfall associated with the shortwave outside of
the mountains, mainly along the immediate NC/TN border, so there are
token PoPs for this area Thursday night. Otherwise, sharper ridging
behind the shortwave quickly builds back into the CWFA Friday and
Saturday, which will only boost the ongoing heat as temperatures
rise into the low 90s, with some guidance suggesting mid 90s,
putting daily record highs in jeopardy Tuesday through Saturday
in the overall setup. The combination of high heat stress, lack
of rainfall, and subsequent days of temperatures at 15-25 degrees
above normal, ongoing drought conditions will worsen and the heat
may become dangerous for the vulnerable populations. A cold front
will approach the region Sunday and help cool temperatures off
slightly and bring in an uptick in rain chances. However, guidance
struggles on timing and the overall QPF response this far out,
so confidence is low at this time, especially with the delayed
nature of cold fronts moving into the CWFA on Day 7.

&&

.AVIATION /06Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
At KCLT and elsewhere: Expect dry, VFR conditions to continue
thru the 06z TAF period. A very broad area of high clouds will
persist overnight and into the morning, with some amount of
dissipation expected by the afternoon. Winds will remain out
of the S/SW thru the taf period with another round of low-end
gusts expected during the afternoon/early evening. At KAVL the
gusts will likely be more intermittent, thus I have limited them
to a TEMPO group from 17 to 21z.

Outlook: Expect dry, VFR conditions to persist thru at least the
middle of this week.

&&

.CLIMATE...
RECORDS FOR 04-14

               MAX TEMPERATURE         MIN TEMPERATURE
  STATION      HIGH        LOW         HIGH        LOW
  -------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
   KAVL      86 2006     36 1907     62 1922     24 1950
   KCLT      89 1941     46 1907     69 1922     27 1950
   KGSP      92 1916     48 1901     67 1922     22 1907

RECORDS FOR 04-15

               MAX TEMPERATURE         MIN TEMPERATURE
  STATION      HIGH        LOW         HIGH        LOW
  -------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
   KAVL      89 1972     42 1943     64 1887     23 1907
   KCLT      89 1936     46 1889     66 2006     28 1907
   KGSP      91 2006     45 1913     69 1922     22 1907

RECORDS FOR 04-16

               MAX TEMPERATURE         MIN TEMPERATURE
  STATION      HIGH        LOW         HIGH        LOW
  -------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
   KAVL      87 2006     42 1905     62 1945     26 1943
   KCLT      89 2006     49 1890     64 1998     29 2008
                1896                    1991        1962
                                        1945
   KGSP      88 1888     54 1903     64 1945     24 1907

RECORDS FOR 04-17

               MAX TEMPERATURE         MIN TEMPERATURE
  STATION      HIGH        LOW         HIGH        LOW
  -------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
   KAVL      89 1896     45 1890     63 1927     26 1904
   KCLT      94 1896     47 1890     66 1896     30 2018
                                                    1949
   KGSP      92 2006     51 1904     63 1927     25 1905

RECORDS FOR 04-18

               MAX TEMPERATURE         MIN TEMPERATURE
  STATION      HIGH        LOW         HIGH        LOW
  -------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
   KAVL      90 1896     44 1921     60 1927     28 1905
                                        1891
   KCLT      93 1896     45 1983     66 1896     32 2001
   KGSP      89 2002     51 1983     66 1927     28 1905
                1967

&&

.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...None.
NC...None.
SC...None.

&&

CAC/JPT

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
308 AM EDT Mon Apr 13 2026

GAZ018-026-028-029-131700-
Stephens-Franklin-Hart-Elbert-
308 AM EDT Mon Apr 13 2026

....INCREASED FIRE DANGER ACROSS NORTHEAST GEORGIA AGAIN THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

Relative humidity values of 30 percent or less and winds up to
15 mph are expected this afternoon. Given the dry vegetation and
ongoing drought conditions, fires will be able to spread quickly
once started.

Please refer to your local burn permitting authorities regarding
whether you can burn today. If you do burn, use extreme caution as
fires can quickly get out of hand under these conditions.

JPT