The National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch in effect from Monday morning through Tuesday morning for gusty winds and low humidity for the East Tennessee Mountains and extreme Southwest North Carolina. This includes Blount County and Monroe County in the 3B Media News coverage area.

South to southeast winds gusting between 25 and 40 mph on Monday, then gusts increasing to between 40 and 60 mph Monday night. Up to 70 mph gusts possible in some locations.

Any fire that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended.