Did you know that one in two U.S. citizens have yet to create a plan for their estate? Just about everyone knows they need to get their affairs in order, but most people procrastinate when it comes to estate planning. It's an uncomfortable subject to think about. After all, nobody wants to ponder their death and what happens to their assets when they pass. However, working with an estate planning lawyer in North Charleston, SC, protects you, your loved ones, and your assets, both while you're alive and after you have died. There isn't a perfect time to plan your estate, but there is a right time and that time is now.
We understand that there is no "one-size-fits-all" solution to your estate planning needs. That's why, at Cobb Hammett Law Firm, we make a concerted effort to speak with our clients personally so that we can create an estate plan that is as unique as they are. Our estate plans are comprehensive, cost-effective, and catered to you. That way, your family is provided if you are incapacitated or pass away.
At the end of the day, our goal is to make sure that every one of our clients leaves our office feeling less stressed and more informed. Peace of mind is valuable currency these days. Why worry about the future of your loved ones when you can use South Carolina law to ensure their stability?
Many of the clients in North Charleston that walk through our doors have significant questions that require serious answers. They're filled with doubt, stress, and worry. They're worried about their children, their spouse, their relatives, or all the above. They ask questions like:
If these questions sound familiar, know that you are not alone. At Cobb Hammett Law Firm, we have worked with hundreds of clients just like you. Sometimes, these clients are unsatisfied with their current estate planning attorney in North Charleston. Other times, they have been served with confusing papers or documents that leave them feeling overwhelmed. In either case, clients come to our office knowing they need to manage what is often a sudden, foreign situation.
The good news? We sit down with all new clients for an hour at no extra cost. We do so to get a basic sense of their situation and help steer them in the right direction. That way, they can leave our office feeling a little wiser and a lot better about the future.
Our firm specializes in several areas of estate planning and family law, including:
At Cobb Hammett, LLC, estate planning is like second nature to us. Having worked hundreds upon hundreds of cases, we have the knowledge and experience to assist with all the estate planning needs that you or your family have.
As our client, you will always work directly with your attorney. We do not pass cases off to paralegals or junior associates. Because your concerns and questions don't end when our office closes, we encourage our clients to contact us at any time.
Because we limit the number of cases we accept, we have the time and resources to truly dedicate ourselves to each of our clients. Unlike some competitors, we care about the outcome of every case because we know that our clients' future depends on it.
The word "estate" might make you think of a sprawling mansion in the French countryside. The truth is, you don't have to be rich to have an estate. In fact, most people already have an estate. An estate comprises the assets that a person owns like cars, bank accounts, real estate, businesses, and other possessions. Everyone's estate is different, but we all have one thing in common: none of us can take our estates with us when we die. When that does eventually happen, you will need legal instructions that state who gets what from your estate in plain terms.That, in a nutshell, is estate planning building a framework in advance that names the organizations or people that should receive your assets after you die. Planning your estate now helps make life much easier for your family down the line.
Contrary to popular belief, estate planning isn't just for adults who are approaching retirement age. Estate planning is for everyone. After all, we're all getting older, and none of us know exactly when it will be our time to go.
Although estate planning can be complicated, a well-rounded plan makes a huge difference in what is left to your beneficiaries. Before you start planning your estate, it's important to know a few common topics that may arise as you detail your needs.
Working with a veteran estate planning lawyer is a no-brainer, but you should consider working with a tax advisor too. Your attorney's role is to help guide you through the creation of your estate planning documents. Common documents include your will, health care directives, and power of attorney. Your tax advisor will help guide you through tax issues associated with your estate planning needs.
In this relationship, you make the decisions while your attorney and tax advisor help you understand and think through the options you're considering. As a team, they will help you state your wishes clearly while minimizing mistakes and adjusting your plans as they change. Because significant savings can result from thorough, informed planning, you should seriously consider working with a tax advisor in addition to your estate planning attorney.
If there were one overriding theme of estate planning, it would be maximizing what you plan to leave behind. Thinking through how each of your assets will be distributed is crucial to your estate. Your decisions may change depending on the type of asset, its size, how old you are, and several other factors. With an attorney on your side, you will gain a thorough understanding of what actions you should take to care for your family while minimizing expenses like taxes and court fees.
One of the biggest parts of maximizing what you're leaving behind is to minimize taxes. Federal taxes on estates and gifts are incredibly high. Both forms of taxes usually have exemption limits, which means you can give up to a specific amount without being taxed. Your lawyer can achieve that by using the gift tax exemption to move assets while you are still alive. This strategy maximizes how much your beneficiaries will receive.
Inheritance taxes are often based on the value of your estate and paid prior to asset distribution to your beneficiaries.
The executor of your estate plays a key role in your affairs. Their responsibilities include carrying out the terms of your will and seeing the estate settlement process through until the end. Obviously, such a role demands a qualified person. Choosing your executor isn't an easy decision. The person you select should be great at managing money, be savvy financially, and show an ability to be patient. That's because the executor is tasked with:
If the person that you choose as executor is inexperienced with the estate settlement process, it is recommended that they lean on an estate planning attorney in North Charleston, SC for guidance. It should be noted that you may appoint more than a single executor to your estate. This is common when two individuals have complementary personalities or skill sets.
One of the biggest benefits of planning your estate is the peace of mind it brings to you and your family. With the help of our expert estate planning attorneys, you have the power to protect your assets, privacy, and children's welfare. You can also potentially save money on taxes or even avoid probate. By having your wishes legally documented before death or incapacity, you can minimize any impact on your beneficiaries and take control of your legacy. Without a comprehensive estate plan, you're leaving the future of your loved ones in the hands of the South Carolina court system.
With an estate plan in place, you can plan for incapacity by using a power of attorney or advanced medical directives. Doing so relieves your loved ones of the burden of asking the court for the authority to fulfill your wishes.
At Cobb Hammett Law Firm, we are committed to helping you prepare for both the expected and unexpected through years of experience and a fierce dedication to our clients. From establishing trusts to designing business succession plans, we are here to fight for you.
If a husband and wife each purchase reciprocating will packages we give a discount. Reciprocating just means the husband names the wife and the wife names the husband. Those four documents are:
As mentioned above, everyone's estate planning needs will be different. However, most plans include one or more of the following documents:
Your will is an essential piece of documentation and is often considered the cornerstone of a proper estate plan. Generally speaking, your will is a document that dictates the distribution of your assets after your death. Having an iron-clad will is one of the best ways to make sure that your wishes are communicated clearly. As is the case with most estate planning, it is highly recommended that you work with an estate planning attorney in North Charleston, SC, to create and update your will.
The contents of a will typically include:
Without a will in place, the State of South Carolina will decide how to distribute assets to your beneficiaries. Allowing the state to distribute your assets is often an unfavorable route to take, since the settlement process may not include what you had in mind for your survivors. Having a will drafted that reflects your wishes will prevent such a situation from happening.
Despite its name, a living will does not instruct your survivors on what assets go where. Also called an advanced directive, your living will allows you to state your end-of-life medical wishes if you have become unable to communicate. This important document provides guidance to family members and doctors and solidifies certain issues like whether you should be resuscitated after an accident.
For example, it's common to direct that palliative care (care to decrease pain and suffering) always be administered if needed. Conversely, you may state that certain measures are not allowed, like CPR.
Traditionally, a trust is used to minimize estate taxes and maximize other benefits as part of a well-rounded estate plan. This fiduciary agreement lets a trustee hold your assets on behalf of your beneficiaries. There are many ways to arrange a trust to specify when and how your assets are distributed.
With a trust in place, your beneficiaries can avoid going to probate. That means they may be able to gain access to your assets quicker than when they are transferred with a standard will. Assets placed in a trust can pass outside of probate, which will save you and your family time, money, and stress.
There are two distinct trust categories that you should be aware of: revocable and irrevocable.
Also called a living trust, a revocable trust helps assets circumvent probate. With this trust, you can control your assets while you are still alive. These trusts are flexible and may be dissolved at any point in time. This type of trust becomes irrevocable upon your death. Revocable trusts can help you avoid the pitfalls of probate but be aware that they are usually still taxable.
This kind of trust transfers assets out of your estate so that they are not taxed and do not have to go through probate. However, once an irrevocable trust has been executed, it may not be altered. That means that once you establish this kind of trust, you lose control of its assets and cannot dissolve the trust. If your primary goal is to avoid taxes on your estate, setting up an irrevocable could be a wise choice.
When drafted with the help of an estate planning lawyer in North Charleston, SC, your trust can also:
When constructed properly, a trust can protect your estate from your heirs' creditors. This can be a huge relief for beneficiaries who might need to brush up on money management skills.
Probate records are made available for public consumption. With a trust, you may have the choice of having your assets pass outside of probate court so that they remain private. In the process, you may also save money that you would lose to taxes and court fees.
Because you can specify the exact terms of a trust, you have more control over who receives your assets and when they receive them. As an example, you can set up a revocable trust so that your assets are attainable while you're alive. When you pass, remaining assets are distributed, even in complex situations involving children from multiple marriages.
If you know that you need to provide for your family and loved ones after your death, it's time to develop your estate plan. With Cobb Hammett Law Firm by your side, planning your estate doesn't have to be difficult. However, it does need to be accurate and executed exactly to your wishes something that we have been helping clients achieve for years. Don't leave your legacy up to chance contact our office today and secure your future generations.
CONTACT USA North Charleston shopping center along one of the region's busiest retail corridors has come under local ownership.Mount Pleasant-based Ziff Real Estate Partners added to its holdings in the region by acquiring the Promenade at Northwoods for $30.75 million.The sale of 7800 Rivers Ave. closed on Feb. 11, according to Charleston County land records.The seller was an affiliate of Big V Property Group. The Charlotte-based firm paid $35.8 million for the 322,400-square-foot shopping center in 2019. It then sold one of the ...
A North Charleston shopping center along one of the region's busiest retail corridors has come under local ownership.
Mount Pleasant-based Ziff Real Estate Partners added to its holdings in the region by acquiring the Promenade at Northwoods for $30.75 million.
The sale of 7800 Rivers Ave. closed on Feb. 11, according to Charleston County land records.
The seller was an affiliate of Big V Property Group. The Charlotte-based firm paid $35.8 million for the 322,400-square-foot shopping center in 2019. It then sold one of the buildings for $7.6 million two years later.
The property was developed across from Northwoods Mall in the 1980s and formerly was called North Rivers Market. Its current anchor retail tenants include Hobby Lobby, Ollie's Bargain Outlet and Boot Barn.
Last year, Gaffney-based Hamrick's took over a vacant space that had been occupied for decades by Toys R Us. Another new addition is Urban Air, an indoor trampoline park.
"We have significant dollars allocated for both physical and aesthetic updates to the center," said Ziff partner Christian Chamblee, who directs the firm's acquisitions and sales activities. "Expect facade enhancements, improved landscaping and upgraded management. We owe it to the community and to our investors and tenants, many of whom are local, to make the property attractive to visitors."
He estimated that Promenade at Northwoods draws about 2.4 million shoppers and other visitors each year, "which we forecast to increase with the recent successful openings of Hamrick's and Urban Air."
He added that Ziff's research shows that by 2029 "the market spending power for the three-mile radius around Promenade at Northwoods is expected to grow by 25 percent, which is faster than all but one of our portfolio markets."
While locally based, Ziff has invested $1.2 billion in commercial real estate deals across 16 states since 1991. It now owns about 50 income-producing properties, from retail centers to office buildings.
The Wingo Way firm marked its last major retail acquisition in its own back yard in late 2023, when it paid almost $47 million for the Walmart-anchored Wando Crossing in Mount Pleasant.
Ziff also owns Ashley Oaks and Crossroads Centre, both in West Ashley, and Ladson Oakbrook Shopping Center in Summerville.
Published: Feb. 6, 2025 at 2:00 PM PST|CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A Lowcountry family’s experience inside a North Charleston skilled nursing facility is sparking renewed concerns about the facility’s troubling history of complaints and investigations and is raising the question of how state and federal agencies regulate and inspect nursing homes.Gerald McFadden’s family says the months he spent at Riverside Health and Rehab were marked by a series of disturbing issues after he was admitted in May 2022 following...
Published: Feb. 6, 2025 at 2:00 PM PST|
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A Lowcountry family’s experience inside a North Charleston skilled nursing facility is sparking renewed concerns about the facility’s troubling history of complaints and investigations and is raising the question of how state and federal agencies regulate and inspect nursing homes.
Gerald McFadden’s family says the months he spent at Riverside Health and Rehab were marked by a series of disturbing issues after he was admitted in May 2022 following a traumatic brain injury from a car accident.
His mother, Terry McFadden-Brown, and his aunt, Lavone Richardson, shared their complaints with the State Department of Public Health during his stay and are now describing what they say was a horrifying situation in which their loved one was left to suffer in unsanitary and concerning conditions.
“I know that my child wasn’t being taken care of,” McFadden-Brown says.
The family says they saw problem after problem during their visits to Riverside, including nasty smells, unchanged diapers and gruesome bedsores.
“My nephew actually laid in that bed all night without being changed,” Richardson says. “One night they called us, and we rushed to Riverside. Gerald’s diaper was saturated with blood.”
McFadden’s mother and aunt spoke up, contacting Riverside management and complaining to the State Department of Public Health but nothing changed, they say.
In a statement, Riverside’s management says they cannot comment directly on McFadden’s care, but they acknowledge the family’s complaints. They reported Richardson’s allegations to the state, and after an internal investigation and a meeting with the resident and the ombudsman, they found no issues with his care, management says.
McFadden’s family’s complaints are not the first ones Riverside has faced, however. The facility received dozens of complaints, lawsuits and state and federal investigations over neglect, insufficient staffing, missing money and deaths. McFadden’s experience is just another example of accusations about what goes on behind closed doors.
Live 5 Investigates wanted to know how after years of well-documented issues, and even legal challenges, Riverside still sees the same complaints and still remains open.
After more than a month of requests for an interview to break down complaints, inspections and punishments for facilities like Riverside, the DPH, the agency tasked with regulating facilities, officials finally agreed to do an interview days after a deadline they were given.
They did, however, answer some questions in an email:
What processes/protocols are in place to ensure nursing homes and long-term care facilities are following state and federal guidelines?
DPH conducts inspections or surveys of facilities to determine compliance with applicable statutes and regulations. Additionally, the Department investigates complaints alleging statutory or regulatory violations.
If someone files a complaint, what are the next steps taken by DPH?
Upon receipt of a complaint, we review it to determine whether it alleges violations of the statutes or regulations that we administer and enforce. If there are alleged violations, then the complaint is assigned to DPH staff who investigate the complaint. The investigation may consist of an unannounced visit to the facility or provider, review of applicable documentation, and/or interview of relevant staff and residents/patients. After concluding the investigation, we will issue the facility or provider a report, which will include a description of alleged violations, if any.
If a complaint is substantiated, how is a facility held accountable/what consequences could they face?
If we determine the facility or provider committed statutory or regulatory violations, then we issue a report describing the alleged violations. Additionally, the facility or provider is required to submit to DPH a plan of correction regarding the violations.
Regarding our licensed facilities and providers, we generally have authority to deny, suspend, or revoke licenses or assess a monetary penalty, or both, against a person or facility for, among other things, violating a provision of the licensing statute or departmental regulations. If we determine that there are conditions/practices at the facility that pose an immediate threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the residents, we may immediately suspend a facility’s license and, in such circumstances, we contact the appropriate state agencies for placement of the residents.
How does a facility stay open after continued complaints, citations and fines? What does it take for a facility to lose its license?
Complaints are not grounds for the Department revoking or suspending a facility or provider’s license. As noted, we generally have authority to suspend or revoke a license if the facility or provider have committed statutory or regulatory violations.
Revoking or suspending the license of a facility can have significant impacts on residents. For example, relocating a vulnerable adult from one facility to another can be a difficult transition for the resident and his/her health as well as for the resident’s family or responsible parties. Additionally, availability of beds in nearby facilities may be lacking. DPH is mindful and cognizant of these impacts. We generally only suspend or revoke a license when there is a demonstrated history of noncompliance and/or violations that pose significant threats to the health, safety, and welfare of the facility’s residents."
Documents obtained from the DPH through an open records request, however, show citations and corrections plans don’t stop the issues. Riverside was cited several times in recent years after residents lay in beds wet with urine or feces, after a nurse cussed at resident and after thousands of dollars went missing from one resident’s account.
Riverside had three federal fines in the past three years totaling nearly $24,000 and had its Medicare funding cut off at one point, Medicare records show, but complaints continued coming in.
Advocates from national organizations believe regulatory bodies and government agencies tasked with inspecting facilities and handling complaints are not doing enough to protect residents.
“As an advocate, when you look at the regulations and the laws in place to protect nursing homes residents, they’re amazing, they’re significant, and they’re very detailed,” Sam Brooks, the Director of Public Policy at The Consumer Voice, says. “But what we see repeatedly are failures at the federal and state government to actually enforce them.”
Brooks, whose organization advocates for long-term care residents and their families and fights for better quality care, believes part of the issue with holding facilities around the country accountable is that state and federal regulatory bodies are drastically underfunded.
“When you don’t have that money, you’re not investing in survey staff and complaint investigations,” he says. “You do see this real degradation of the enforcement authority.”
Even if facilities do see enforcement and numerous complaints, citations and fines, they find a way to keep their doors open, he says.
“I think for a lot of facilities, fines are the cost of doing business,” Brooks says. “They know down to the dollar how much it costs and how much profit they’re getting from a facility. And oftentimes, paying a fine is much cheaper than investing in staff and providing high-quality care.”
McFadden’s family pulled him out of Riverside in late summer of 2023. His mom quit her job to care for him. His family, however, believes something at every level, from government enforcement to staffing, must change.
“[Riverside] needs to be closed down, and that’s just it,” Richardson says. “Close that nasty, terrible building down.”
Riverside maintains the family did not express any dissatisfaction with McFadden’s care when they removed him from the facility nor did they voice any additional concerns when the facility followed up after his discharge, according to management. Facility leaders tried to work with the family throughout the time of his stay to address his concerns, management says.
Riverside’s Administrator, Patty Castle, released this response to requests for information about this story:
Due to federal and state privacy laws, we are unable to disclose specific details about Mr. McFadden’s treatment but we can confidently say that our staff diligently worked with his family to address any concerns they had throughout his stay at our facility. We followed our established grievance procedures, which include reporting any allegations of neglect to the state authorities for investigation. In March 2023, when Mr. McFadden’s aunt voiced concerns about his care, we promptly reported her allegations to the state. Following an internal investigation and a meeting between the resident and the ombudsman, it was concluded that there were no care issues. The outcome of this investigation was communicated to Mr. McFadden’s family. We also have no record of complaints from the family at any time about bugs or the cleanliness of the facility.
When Mr. McFadden admitted to our facility in 2022, his family’s goal was for him to return home where they could care for him. Upon his discharge in 2023, the family did not express dissatisfaction with our care. In fact, after Mr. McFadden’s discharge, we followed up with his family to ensure his smooth transition home and to address any potential concerns. At no point during the follow-up conversation did the family share any concerns about Mr. McFadden’s care or treatment.
In light of the clip that was aired last night previewing Mr. McFadden’s aunt stating one night she was informed Mr. McFadden’s diaper was “saturated with blood”, I encourage you to make sure you have a comprehensive understanding of Mr. McFadden’s health condition, including the medications he was taking in 2022, almost three years ago when this occurred.
We remain committed to providing quality of care to all our residents and we continue to work closely with families to address any concerns they may have, always striving to improve our services. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to address these matters, and we appreciate your commitment to uphold your ethical obligations of impartiality, objectivity, and balance as you publish a second story about our facility.
Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of Charleston is looking to purchase property on the peninsula from Charleston County to build more affordable housing.The county-owned property sits at 993 and 995 Morrison Drive, located next to the Charleston Tech Center, and currently is a parking lot.On Thursday night, the county’s finance committee will meet to discuss potentially selling the property, with the city offering $30 million.This comes after the county council recommended on Jan. 28 entering negotiations with the...
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of Charleston is looking to purchase property on the peninsula from Charleston County to build more affordable housing.
The county-owned property sits at 993 and 995 Morrison Drive, located next to the Charleston Tech Center, and currently is a parking lot.
On Thursday night, the county’s finance committee will meet to discuss potentially selling the property, with the city offering $30 million.
This comes after the county council recommended on Jan. 28 entering negotiations with the city for an amount ranging between $30 and $35 million for the cost of the property.
This is a $10 million increase from Mayor William Cogswell’s initial offer of $20 million back in October. County councilmember Jenny Costa Honeycutt says that is because the county was looking for an offer closer to the appraisal value of the property which exceeded $30 million.
City officials say that their plan is to use funds they have set aside from their Cooper River Bridge Tax Increment Financing District to purchase the property if they receive final approval from the county.
If the county sells this property to the city, Honeycutt says the funds they would receive would go into the county’s capital projects program which consists of various different initiatives.
“We do have a lot of capital projects that are ongoing. Azalea, the bio lab, and other upfits that are being done, so that’s where those dollars would be spent. I’m sure there will be a discussion among council about the possibility of other areas and reinvestment into affordable housing initiatives, but at this point, the designated funds typically go back into our capital projects program,” Honeycutt says.
The county had initially considered seeking out developers for this property to create affordable housing, however, before moving too far along in the process, the city showed interest in purchasing it.
“To get potential developers to look at developing it in the way that would maximize its utility and provide the most affordable housing that they could put on this site,” Honeycutt says. “We didn’t expect the city to come in with a competitive offer and so before we got to that phase of the process, the city made its initial offer and so there have been discussions ongoing with the city.”
The city had said previously that their goal was to create 500 affordable housing units on this property, but the Chief Policy Officer for the city, Logan McVey, says it will depend on factors such as the final price tag, site conditions and the cost of building materials at the time of construction.
McVey says that affordable housing is essential for the peninsula, not only to alleviate traffic problems in the area but to ensure long-time Charleston residents have a place to live.
“When you have to live in Goose Creek or outer West Ashley or Johns Island, you have to drive all the way if you’re coming to downtown and when you do that, you put a strain on our roads,” McVey says. “We’ve even got a study that shows that people who are from here can’t afford to live here anymore and they’re being replaced by people that are moving here, so we’re kind of losing the culture that makes Charleston special and it’s really important to keep it affordable to live here to preserve that.”
Honeycutt says that Thursday’s discussion could result in approving or rejecting the city’s offer or coming up with a counteroffer. If the county decides to move forward with the city’s offer it will have to go to the county council for approval on Tuesday.
Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.
At least one large fire is still burning in the Carolinas following an outburst of wildfires this weekend, and fire weather is expected to persist across both states on Monday.Newsweek reached out to the South Carolina Forestry Commission (SCFC) by...
At least one large fire is still burning in the Carolinas following an outburst of wildfires this weekend, and fire weather is expected to persist across both states on Monday.
Newsweek reached out to the South Carolina Forestry Commission (SCFC) by email for comment.
More than 175 fires were burning in South Carolina on Sunday, prompting Governor Henry McMaster to declare a state of emergency.
Many of the fires have since been contained, according to a map from the South Carolina Forestry Commission (SCFC), but the fire burning in Horry County near Myrtle Beach remains active. It has grown to 1,600 acres and is only 30 percent contained.
In North Carolina, hundreds of acres have burned in the Blue Ridge mountains near the towns of Tryon and Saluda, forcing residents to evacuate.
As of Monday morning, fire weather persists across both states, though the red flag warnings issued over the weekend have expired.
According to animated weather footage maps from windy.com, the worst fire danger is located in southern South Carolina, including in Charleston. The risk of fire spread is classified as "moderate" across southern South Carolina and east-central Georgia. Much of the rest of South Carolina and all of North Carolina's fire spread risk is categorized as "low" or "very low."
Drought is contributing to the spread of wildfires by providing ample fuels for any fires that ignite in the area. In the Carolinas, the worst of the drought is concentrated in northwestern and northeastern South Carolina and southern and western North Carolina.
As of Monday morning, much of North Carolina and the northwestern half of South Carolina have "moderate" weather warnings in place. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) offices in the area, the warning in place across both states is a special weather statement warning of fire danger
Strong winds can contribute to the spread of fire. According to the windy.com footage, most wind gusts are lower than 20 mph in both states.
Dry weather will persist, contributing to the fire risk in both states. There is no chance of rain on the weather radar for the Carolinas.
NWS office in Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, in a special weather statement: "Another very dry day is expected again today with minimum relative humidity of 20 to 25 percent possible in the afternoon. While winds are expected to be light and temperatures still on the cool side of normal, dry vegetation due to lack of recent rainfall combined with the dry air will once again result in increased wildfire danger in northeast Georgia, Upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina."
NWS office in Raleigh, North Carolina, in a special weather statement: "The combination of very dry fine fuels like grasses and tree debris, limited rainfall in the last week, and very low relative humidity dropping to 15 to 20 percent will lead to an elevated risk of adverse fire behavior today."
The special weather statements warning of increased fire danger will remain in place through Monday evening across both states. Meteorologists and state officials warned people against outdoor burning during the conditions.