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Scores of wildfires broke out across , and in early March 2025 as strong winds, abnormally dry conditions and low humidity combined to kindle and spread the flames.

The fires followed a year of in the Carolinas, from a flash drought over the summer to extreme hurricane flooding in September, and then back to drought again. A storm system on March 5, 2025, was likely to douse many of the fires still burning, but the Southeast fire season is only beginning. Wake Forest University wildfire experts and put the fires and the region's dry winter into context.

Why did the Carolinas see so many wildfires?

Most of North and South Carolina have been since at least November 2024. Consistently dry conditions through the winter dried out vegetation, leaving fuel for wildfires.

When the land and vegetation is 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.

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, .

In August and September, Tropical Storm Debby and caused extensive flooding in the two states, but the Carolinas received little rainfall in the months that followed, leaving winter 2025 abnormally dry again.

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 to depend on them.

Carnivorous plants such as Venus flytraps and pitcher plants to remove shrubs and other plants that would grow over them and block the light. Even some for their habitats and for food from the mix of native plants that regrow after a fire.

The —how often fires have historically burned in a region—range from one to 10 years for the Piedmont and Coastal Plains in the east and 10 to 40 years in the Appalachian Mountains. However, many unplanned fires today are put out. That 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 that overgrowth, land managers conduct annual prescribed fires to 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 , including .

Increasing temperatures mean the atmosphere , 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 U.S. Drought Monitor, the 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 in the Southeast in a warming world. Without that tool to reduce fuel, the risk of intense wildfires rises.

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