Fires rage, spread across Carolinas as central US braces for severe weekend weather

As wildfires continued to dispersed crossed the Carolinas connected Friday, storms dropped dense rainfall implicit parts of Texas and Louisiana arsenic forecasters warned of a play outbreak of terrible weather.

Red emblem warnings and upwind advisories were progressive Friday passim the cardinal and eastbound U.S., including successful North and South Carolina, wherever a breakout of wildfires has triggered evacuations and destroyed homes. Flood advisories stretched from South Texas and Louisiana arsenic a potent tempest dropped 5 to 12 inches of rain.

Through the weekend, forecasters accidental implicit 100 cardinal radical are astatine hazard of terrible weather, from torrential rainfall and imaginable tornadoes successful the Plains portion to hail and precocious winds successful the Mississippi Valley, according to AccuWeather.

More: Monster tempest heading eastbound this play to spew tornadoes, hail and snow

On Saturday, beardown storms volition interaction a portion from Texas to Nebraska, Arkansas and Iowa. The adjacent day, the volatile upwind volition broaden, bringing a menace of hail, flash floods and imaginable tornadoes to a ample swath of the country, from Michigan to the Gulf Coast.

As the storms determination eastward, they could snarl postulation and disrupt flights Monday successful respective large cities, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.

Wildfires rage successful the Carolinas

In North Carolina, wildfires continued to dispersed successful parts of the authorities ravaged by Hurricane Helene astir six months ago. The largest of the blazes, the Black Cove Complex Fire, is the "the highest precedence occurrence successful the U.S.," starring surrounding states to deploy resources to assistance successful containing it.

The Black Cove Complex Fire, burning extracurricular the metropolis of Saluda, is 3,288 acres successful size and 17% contained arsenic of Thursday night, according to the North Carolina Forest Service. Officials person determined it was caused by a downed powerline. Meanwhile, northwest of Columbus, the Deep Woods Fire grew to 3,373 acres and was 30% contained.

In South Carolina, 2 ample wildfires person torched 16 quadrate miles of onshore and person continued to turn successful caller days. On Friday, forecasters warned of continued precocious winds and adust conditions successful the region.

"Weather conditions time are a interest for accrued occurrence activity, arsenic comparative humidity is expected to autumn to 23%, and upwind gusts could scope astir 30 mph," said the South Carolina Forestry Commission.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: Fires dispersed crossed Carolinas arsenic cardinal US braces for terrible storms