The cloudy smoke and smell of fire returned to the metro Atlanta air Sunday morning.
The wind is pulling the smoke back into the area and likely won’t clear out until Monday or Tuesday, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said.
U.S. Forest Service officials fighting the fire in Fannin County Cohutta Wilderness area are now contending with a 13,000-acre area, officials said. The Rough Ridge fire has now consumed more than a third of the wilderness area where it’s burning, Channel 2 reported.
Due to extreme fire danger and the current drought situation, a total fire ban is in place on the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests.
Man-made fires in Rabun County led officials to evacuate between 25 to 40 residents from Coleman River Road and Nichols Branch Road Saturday, and the U.S. Forest Service set up a command post to battle to blaze.
Smoke from the Rock Mountain Fire that is burning about 10 miles north of Clayton has grown to about 900 acres. This and other fires throughout northern Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina have the potential to negatively affect air quality. Sensitive groups including individuals with asthma, lung or heart disease, children, older adults and pregnant women should take precautions to avoid exposure to smoke. If you feel like you are having health effects from smoke, see your doctor or health professional as needed.
While a 20 percent chance of rain exists Sunday, most of the rain will stay east of Atlanta and dry air will bring more sunshine later in the day, Monahan said.
“Unfortunately in town and to the west we are going to stay mostly dry,” Monahan said.
Temperatures are expected to stay in the 50s, with a high of 58 degrees.
Temperatures were 53 degrees in Atlanta, 60 degrees in Blairsville and 53 degrees in Griffin shortly after 4 p.m.
About the Author
