North Carolina wildfires update: rain will help contain the fires

Wildfires burning in east Tennessee and western North Carolina continued to spread on Monday, but the arrival of rain is expected to help.

Drought conditions, low humidity, and gusty winds worsened fire weather conditions on Monday in east Tennessee and western North Carolina, but rain is expected to help in the firefight on Tuesday. Wildfires in this region, including those near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Nantahala National Forest, prompted campground closures, school closures, and evacuations in the past week.

The Sauratown Moutain wildfire in Stokes County, N.C., spread from 150 acres on Monday morning to over 750 acres by Monday night. By Tuesday morning, firefighters had made significant progress in containing the fire, in part due to beneficial rainfall moving through the area.

The WeatherRadar shows this beneficial rainfall continuing through Tuesday. However, winds are still quite gusty with the WindRadar showing gusts up to 50 mph in the Appalachians through Tuesday afternoon. Weather & Radar's expert meteorologists will keep you up-to-date on the latest.