drought

With local drought conditions showing no signs of waning, city and county fire officials are urging caution heading into Memorial Day weekend. Current weather conditions are posing what the Wilmington Fire Department calls an “extreme fire risk.”

As the Cape Fear region continues to see moderate drought conditions, county officials have issued burn bans and water conservation alerts. In addition, the North Carolina Forest Service has issued a ban on all open burning and has canceled all burning permits for 26 counties, including New Hanover, Pender, and Brunswick.

The southern and central coast continues to miss out on regular rainfall, and is now at a deficit of 4 to 6 inches since the beginning of March. Sites including Lumberton, Wilmington, and New Bern are all on pace for one of their top ten driest springs on record.

Threats of forest fires are on the rise. That’s due to a flash drought -- or a drought that strikes suddenly -- that’s sweeping across North Carolina and…

As National Flood Safety Week draws to a close, the predictions for spring are here. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is offering…