The Hall County Fire Marshal's Office has stopped issuing outdoor burn permits until further notice.
Fire Services spokesman Zachary Brackett said the moratorium is effective today "due to an increased fire danger."
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service in Peachtree City has issued an alert, warning of "increased fire danger conditions" through the weekend - and Thursday afternoon issued a Red Flag Warning for Friday from 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m..
"An increase in wildfires across much of the (state's) higher elevations has been noted due to ongoing drought conditions," the statement says. "A (weather) front will pose an increase to the fire danger threat through the weekend."
In addition to parts of north Georgia, the danger is greatest in west Georgia and across a part of south Georgia.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the drought in Georgia continues to expand in both severity and geographically, It now covers all of the northern part of the state and much of western and central Georgia. Nearly half of the state, including northeast Georgia, is now classified as being in an "extreme" or "exceptional" drought - the two most severe categories used by the Drought Monitor.
August was the last month when north Georgia had rainfall of any substance. Both September and October were extremely dry. In October, for instance, Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville recorded only .35 of an inch and that was associated with Hurricane Matthew as it moved up the Georgia and South Carolina coasts. For the year, rainfall in Gainesville is now about 17 inches below normal.
And, the level of Lake Lanier continues to drop and is now more than 8.6 feet below full pool
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/11/465090/hall-county-suspends-outdoor-burn-permits