On Friday at 1:30 p.m. a fire weather watch was issued by the NWS Newport/Morehead City NC valid for Saturday between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. The watch is for Martin, Pitt, Greene, Duplin and Lenoir counties.

Low humidity and high winds will create what weather experts call “ideal conditions” for wildfires across North Carolina on Saturday. The National Weather Service declared a “red flag warning” for an area stretching from coastal Virginia down to central Alabama.

Increased Fire DangerAfter spring warmth and an influx of dry air, the fire weather forecast for the Piedmont Triad will jump to the highest level, the Extreme Fire Danger rating for the weekend. The North Carolina Fire Danger Forecast is an adjective rating-based forecast that describes contributing environmental conditions that may cause fires to ignite and spread rapidly.