Parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee are experiencing severe drought and wildfires. This has led to the closure of certain sections of the Appalachian Trail due to hazardous conditions.
The latest weekly data from the US Drought Monitor shows large swaths of the Southeast are in “exceptional” to “severe” drought.”
The EPA’s AirNow fire detection map shows dozens of wildfires stretching from Oklahoma to Mississippi and all the way up to the Mid-Alantic region.
Multiple wildfires in Virginia and North Carolina forced the US Forest Service to close parts of the Appalachian Trail.
The Hill explains which parts of the trail are closed:
A Friday release by the Forest Service in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest and the National Interagency Fire Center’s Southern Area Incident Management Red Team announced a closure of the Blue Ridge Parkway from “from milepost 66.3, near US Highway 501, to milepost 85.9, at VA Route 43 until further notice” in relation to the Matts Creek Fire
The release on the Matts Creek Fire also said a section of the Appalachian Trail from “from James River Foot Bridge to Petites Gap Road” was closed in relation to the…
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