Chattooga County and the rest of northwest Georgia are facing several more days of warm, dry weather, with fire danger concerns expected to continue through the end of the workweek.

Forecasters say dry conditions and very low humidity will combine with already dry vegetation to create an elevated risk for fires each afternoon and early evening. While winds are expected to remain fairly light, officials warn that outdoor burning could still become dangerous quickly.

Afternoon temperatures are expected to climb into the mid to upper 80s through Friday and into early next week, running well above normal for late April. Morning lows will generally fall into the 50s before another round of unseasonably warm afternoons.

Rain and thunderstorm chances are expected to return to far northwest Georgia late Friday night and spread across the region on Saturday as a cold front approaches. A few storms could become strong, with gusty winds and frequent lightning possible, though widespread severe weather is not expected at this time.

A wetter and more unsettled pattern is expected to continue from Sunday into early next week, with additional rounds of showers and thunderstorms possible. Forecasters say another stronger system could bring more widespread rain and storms by late Monday into Tuesday, and that system will need to be watched for possible severe weather potential.

Rainfall totals through early next week could be highest in far northwest Georgia, where some areas may pick up around 2 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts possible in stronger storms.