Asheboro man dies after diving into shallow water in Florida Keys
EXCEPT FOR SURRY, WILKES, ALLEGHANY AND YADKIN COUNTIES. AND, BRIAN, I KNOW A LOT OF THIS IS ON ACCOUNT OF THERE NOT BEING ANY RAINFALL HERE, NOT SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL. IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY CHANCE WE GET IT JUST GOES RIGHT AROUND US. I KNOW, AND IT’S IT’S BEEN BUILDING STEADILY FOR A WHILE. WE’VE BEEN REALLY DRIER THAN WE SHOULD BE GOING BACK TO THE SUMMER. AND OVER TIME, THIS HAS REALLY BUILT INTO A PROBLEM. THE BURN BAN. JUST, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE WE OFTEN SEE ELEVATED FIRE DANGERS IN THE SPRING ANYWAY, JUST BECAUSE THE AIR TENDS TO BE DRIER THAN IT IS IN THE SUMMER AND LOW HUMIDITY MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE AND REALLY INCREASES THE FIRE DANGER. AS KELLY JUST MENTIONED, THESE ARE THE COUNTIES THAT ARE STILL IN THE BURN BAN. A LOT OF OUR WESTERN COUNTIES HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THAT. THIS IS A STATEWIDE BURN BAN. THERE’S ALSO A BURN BAN CONTROLLED BY YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY, WHETHER IT BE YOUR COUNTY OR THE MUNICIPALITY THAT YOU LIVE IN. BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE THIS IS YOU WALK OUTSIDE YOUR HOUSE 100FT AND DRAW A CIRCLE ALL THE WAY AROUND YOUR HOUSE. OUTSIDE OF THIS CIRCLE. THAT’S THE STATE’S JURISDICTION WITH REGARDS TO BURN BAN. INSIDE THE CIRCLE IS YOUR LOCALIZED COMMUNITY. AND FOR A LOT OF THE AREA, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE TRIAD, THAT STATEWIDE BURN BAN OUTSIDE OF THE CIRCLE HAS BEEN LIFTED, BUT MIGHT STILL BE IN PLAY INSIDE THE CIRCLE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER YOU CAN BURN OR NOT, JUST CALL YOUR LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT OR YOUR CITY OFFICIALS AND THEY CAN GIVE YOU SOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT MAIN REASON WHY. AND KELLY AND I JUST TALKED ABOUT THIS RAINFALL SINCE OCTOBER 1ST HAS BEEN ABOUT A FOOT OF RAIN. IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT, BUT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT A PERIOD OF OVER SIX MONTHS. THAT’S ABOUT HALF OF WHAT WE SHOULD SEE DURING THAT PERIOD. WE’RE UP MORE THAN 11IN DOWN SINCE OCTOBER 1ST. IT’S THE SECOND DRIEST, WHAT WE CALL A WATER YEAR, OCTOBER 1ST TO OCTOBER 1ST, SECOND, DRIEST START TO A WATER YEAR IN RECORDED HISTORY. AND BECAUSE TEMPERATURES ARE WARMER, THE DROUGHT HAS ACCELERATED OVER MUCH OF THE REGION. SEVERE EXTREME DROUGHT HAS TAKEN OVER THE ENTIRE AREA TRIAD, SEEING SOME EXTREME DROUGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS, BUILDING BACK IN. IT’S A LITTLE BIT BETTER SITUATION NORTH AND WEST. THE FIRE DANGER HAD BEEN REDUCED A BIT JUST FROM RECENT RAIN AND SOME COOLER TEMPERATURES. IT IS BACK UP A LITTLE BIT TODAY. THE TRIAD UNDER THE HIGH RANGE INCLUDES IREDELL COUNTY, DAVIE AND YADKIN COUNTY. VERY HIGH FIRE RISK TODAY IN THE DRYNESS ACROSS OUR WESTERN COUNTIES, INCLUDING THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. SO EVEN THOUGH YOUR BURN BAN MAY HAVE BEEN LIFTED, BURNING IS STILL NOT A GOOD IDEA. UNTIL WE CAN REVERSE THE SITUATION. I JUST CAN’T TELL YOU WHEN THAT’S GOING TO BE, BECAUSE IT’S GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF RAIN TO ERASE THE DROUGHT THAT’S ALREADY IN PLACE. FIRE DANGER WILL GO UP AND DOWN QUITE A BIT, BUT THE DROUGHT WON’T. LOOKING BACK TO YESTERDAY, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS LAST HOUR. LOOK HOW CLOSE THE RAIN WAS. I MEAN IT WAS CLOSE. WE HAD THAT GOOD BAND OF RAIN ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTH CAROLINA, THE I-95 CORRIDOR. IT DID JUST CLIP SOME OF OUR SOUTHERN COUNTIES, BUT RAINFALL TOTALS WERE REALLY LIGHT AND ONLY AMOUNTED TO AT MOST A FEW ONE HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH. TRACE AMOUNTS. RANDOLPH COUNTY MAY HAVE GOTTEN A FEW 100. SOUTHERN ALAMANCE COUNTY. THE REST OF US WERE JUST SHUT OUT. WE HAD CLOUD COVER AND SOME COOLER TEMPERATURES, BUT NO RAIN TO SPEAK OF THIS MORNING. OUR TEMPERATURES HAVE REALLY DROPPED. WE’RE IN THE 30S OVER MUCH OF THE REGION. FIRST THING TEMPERATURES HAVE DIPPED AS AS COOL AS THE MID 30S IN MOST AREAS HAVE GOTTEN COLDER THAN THAT NORTH OF THE VIRGINIA LINE. SEWARD MARTINSVILLE, TO SAY THE LEAST. MAYBE UPPER 30S OUT WEST, WHERE WE HAD SOME CONCERNS DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. CLEAR SKIES. OTHERWISE YOU GO A LITTLE WIDER ON THAT VIEW. NOT MANY WEATHER FEATURES COMING OUR WAY. THERE IS A LITTLE RAIN NORTH AND WEST OF US. I THINK WE’RE AT LEAST A COUPLE OF DAYS AWAY FROM SEEING ANY WET WEATHER ACROSS OUR AREA. AGAIN, WE STILL HAVE A FROST ADVISORY IN PLACE FOR THE FOOTHILLS AND SOME OF OUR VIRGINIA COUNTIES, AND FOR THE NORTH CAROLINA VIRGINIA MOUNTAINS. A FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN PLACE, AND THIS IS IN EFFECT FOR ANOTHER ONE HOUR AND 40 MINUTES. EXPIRES AT 9:00 THIS MORNING. COLDER TEMPERATURES, OF COURSE, IN PLACE. YOU TAKE A LOOK AT HOW THINGS ARE EXPECTED TO PLAY OUT. WE GOT FROST AND FREEZE CONCERNS A LITTLE EARLY TODAY. DRY WEATHER FOR THE MASSES FOR A WHILE. LONGER THAN THAT. WE’LL HAVE WARMER TEMPERATURES AS EARLY AS TOMORROW, MAINLY SUNNY CONDITIONS, A LITTLE BREEZY FROM TIME TO TIME THIS WEEK. TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY ESPECIALLY. THOSE ARE THE WARMEST DAYS THIS WEEK. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL BRING A BETTER RAIN CHANCE SOMETIME WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. WE’RE WORKING OUT THE DETAILS ON THAT. WE HAVE MILDER TEMPERATURES BACK INTO PLAY FOR FRIDAY AND PERHAPS ANOTHE
Asheboro man dies after diving into shallow water in Florida Keys
Updated: 1:12 PM EDT May 3, 2026
A local man is dead after he was found unresponsive in the water while in Florida, authorities said.Officials said Edward Stills, 50, of Asheboro, was swimming at Marvin Key off the Lower Keys at about 3:20 p.m. Saturday when he was discovered unresponsive in the water. Initial reports indicate he had dived into shallow water.The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission brought Stills ashore. He was then taken to Lower Keys Medical Center on Stock Island, where he was pronounced dead.Authorities said foul play does not appear to be a factor in the incident. Autopsy results are pending.
MONROE COUNTY, Fla. —
A local man is dead after he was found unresponsive in the water while in Florida, authorities said.
Officials said Edward Stills, 50, of Asheboro, was swimming at Marvin Key off the Lower Keys at about 3:20 p.m. Saturday when he was discovered unresponsive in the water. Initial reports indicate he had dived into shallow water.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission brought Stills ashore. He was then taken to Lower Keys Medical Center on Stock Island, where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities said foul play does not appear to be a factor in the incident. Autopsy results are pending.