Fierce storms ignite devastating wildfires in the Carolinas, fueled by extreme weather conditions and prolonged drought.
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. ‘A Year of Whiplash Weather: How It Led to Devastating Wildfires’.
The fires followed a year of extreme weather whiplash in the Carolinas, from a flash drought over the summer to hurricane-fueled floods in September, and then back to drought again.
Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that occur in wildland areas, causing widespread destruction and loss of life.
According to the National Interagency Coordination Center, there were over 58,000 wildfires in the United States in 2020, burning over 10 million acres of land.
Wildfires can be caused by lightning, human activity, or climate change.
They release massive amounts of carbon emissions, contributing to global warming.
The economic impact of wildfires is significant, with losses estimated at billions of dollars annually.
Weather whiplash refers to extreme temperature fluctuations within a short period, often causing disruptions and health issues.
This phenomenon is attributed to climate change and can lead to heatwaves, cold snaps, or other severe weather events.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2020 saw record-breaking temperature swings in many regions worldwide.
Weather whiplash can have significant economic and social impacts, making it essential for communities to develop strategies for coping with these rapid changes.
Why Did the Carolinas See so Many Wildfires?
Most of North Carolina 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 are this dry, all it takes is a lightning strike or a man-made fire and wind gusts to start a wildfire.
Hurricanes did flood the region in late summer 2024, but before that, the Carolinas were experiencing a flash drought. Flash droughts are extreme droughts that develop rapidly due to lack of precipitation and dry conditions in the atmosphere. When the atmosphere is dry, it pulls water from the vegetation and soils, causing the surface to dry out.
A flash drought is a rapid onset and short duration drought event that can have significant impacts on agriculture, water resources, and ecosystems.
These events are typically characterized by a sudden drop in precipitation, leading to rapid soil moisture depletion.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), flash droughts account for 20-30% of all drought events in the United States.
They can occur anywhere, but are most common in regions with high evapotranspiration rates, such as the 'Great Plains.'
How Unusual Are Fires Like This in the Region?
Fires are historically fairly common in the Carolinas. They’re a natural part of the landscape, and many ecosystems have evolved to depend on them. Carnivorous plants such as Venus flytraps and pitcher plants rely on frequent fire activity to remove shrubs and other plants that would grow over them and block the light. Even some wildlife depend on fire for their habitats and for food from the mix of native plants that regrow after a fire.
However, many unplanned fires today are put out, which means underbrush that would normally burn every decade or so can build up over time, fueling more intense fires when it does burn. To avoid this overgrowth, land managers conduct annual prescribed fires to try to mimic that natural fire activity in a controlled way. These controlled burns are critical for removing vegetation that otherwise could provide additional fuel for more intense and damaging wildfires.
Is Dryness Like This Becoming More Common?
Extreme weather events are becoming more common across the US, including in the Southeast and the Carolinas. Increasing temperatures mean the atmosphere can hold more moisture, amplifying how much water it can draw from the land surface and eventually drop in heavier storms. That can lead to more extreme storms and longer dry periods.
In humid regions like the Southeast, where there is an abundance of dense vegetation, periods of warm, dry conditions that dry out that vegetation will increase the risk of wildfire. According to the US Drought Monitor, the southeastern US experienced more droughts than other regions in the country in the first two decades of the 21st century.
The weather variability also makes it harder to clear out forest undergrowth. Prescribed burns require that vegetation be dry enough to burn but also that winds are calm enough to allow firefighters to manage the flames. Studies show those conditions are likely to become less common in the Southeast in a warming world. Without that tool to reduce fuel, the risk of intense wildfires rises.
- wired.com | The Extreme Weather Conditions That Drove the Carolina Wildfires
- wired.com | Lauren Lowman WIRED
- horrycountysc.gov | International Drive reopens amid wildfire operations, severe weather ...
