Latest news with #KeetchByramDroughtIndex
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Flagler County enacts burn ban as dry conditions, low rainfall totals persist
One week after Volusia County enacted a burn ban due to continued dry weather and lack of rain, Flagler County officials decided April 23 to do the same. The ban went into effect at 5 p.m. along with a state of local emergency declaration. The measure will be in effect for the next seven days, according to county spokeswoman Julie Murphy. The lack of rainfall and dry weather that prompted the county to adopt the burn ban Wednesday serves as an opportunity for officials to remind residents of what they can do to prevent recent weather conditions from leading to accidental fires that can break out on their property and potentially spread to surrounding areas. 'The conditions are becoming favorable for rapid fire growth so this action will help,' said Flagler County Fire Rescue Chief Michael Tucker in a press release. 'In addition to the ban on burning, remember that a good offense is the best defense. Clear the area around your house of anything that will go up in flames easily — including stacks of firewood, portable propane tanks, and dead, dry vegetation.' City of Palm Coast Fire Chief Kyle Berryhill spoke about the situation during a City Council workshop Tuesday night, April 22. "In the state of Florida, we've experienced some pretty extreme wildfire conditions this year so far, and in Flagler County we have been on the northern-most edge of that," Berryhill said. During a burn ban period, the county prohibits the following: "Discharge/use of fireworks, sparklers, flares or other items containing any 'explosive compound.' Open burning, including the use of fire pits and containers. Outdoor cookers and grills unless continuously attended by an adult. Throwing matches, cigarettes or other burning materials from vehicles. Parking vehicles with catalytic converters in high grassy areas." A "rule of thumb" for how residents can best approach those preventative measures, as the county's press release highlighted, "is that all flammable items within 30 feet of a structure should be removed." "Additionally, do not store things under decks or porches, and consider using rocks or gravel in those areas instead grass or mulch,' Tucker said. 'Wood-driven fires, like brushfires, create embers that can be carried quite far, and tend to find their way to the same nooks and crannies where leaves accumulate.' Homeowners should "clear roofs, eaves, gutters, wood decks and patios of leaves," according to the county. "Please take this burn ban seriously,' Tucker added. 'It's been about a year since we've had one in Flagler County, so please heed our warnings.' One of the factors that also contributed to the county's decision was the Keetch Byram Drought Index (KBDI) mean level for Flagler County, which was expected to exceed 500 by Wednesday night. The KBDI is "a continuous reference scale for estimating the dryness of the soil and duff layers," according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. It is measured in a range from zero to 800 in which zero is the wettest condition and 800 is the driest, or drought. "We are at 489 today," Berryhill said at Tuesday's meeting. The fire chief emphasized the important role residents can play in preventing accidental fires. The department, he said, is in touch with the city's utility department "to ensure that we have an adequate water supply to protect our citizens." "We're not in the mode to where we need to be alarmed today, but we are in a great time for us to ensure that our plan is prepared," Berryhill said. Rainfall amounts have been 4.36 inches below normal for this time of year in Flagler County, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. The total amount this year so far is around 5.9 inches, according to Bob Pickering, county emergency management specialist. The National Weather Service forecast calls for sunny and partly cloudy skies through the rest of the week in Flagler County, though slight 20-30% rain chances are expected between Sunday and Monday. According to Danny Dubois, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jacksonville, a change of rain patterns as Florida transitions between spring and summer seasons usually happens by the end of May. "In the Climate Prediction Center's 8-14-day outlook, beyond what we forecast for, there is a slightly leaning above chance for higher precipitation than normal," Dubois said. "So end of the month into early May we might see a little bit of a shift." Even though that might apply more to northeast Florida, the change of pattern means rain season is coming soon next month, he added. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Burn ban enacted in Flagler to protect against dry conditions
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Lee becomes latest SW Florida county to enact burn ban. What that means for locals
Lee County has joined rest of Southwest Florida by enacting a burn ban. Conditions here are drought-like, and the rainy season is at least a month away. Collier, Charlotte, Glades and Hendry Counties have had burn bans in places for up to several weeks. Lee became the first county this year to reach the 600-mark on the Florida Forestry Service's Keetch Bryam Drought Index, which ranges from 0 for saturated conditions to 800 for especially dry times. "The county's ordinance bans 'outdoor burning ignition sources, including campfires, bonfires and trash burning," a press release from the county reads. "Grills for food are not included. Officials ask all county residents to be mindful of dry conditions and to use good judgment to mitigate potential for significant wildfires." Wildfire season here runs from April to June, and all of south Florida is at 500 or above on the Keetch Byram Drought Index. The eastern halves of Collier and Hendry counties are under a severe drought, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. Lee, Charlotte and Glades are experiencing moderate drought, NOAA says. More: Sharp claws, teeth and whip-like tails: Iguanas fight back when necessary. What to know NOAA is also forecasting equal chances of above-average or below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures over the next three months. There is no significant chance of rain over the next for the Fort Myers-Naples area, according to the National Weather Service. This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: With drought index raging, Lee County issues local burn ban
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Dry, warm conditions expected through mid-May, start of next summer rainy season
Record rains fell Monday in the Fort Myers area, which helped because the city was about an inch-and-a-half low on rain for the month. Southwest Florida has reached the midway point in the dry season, which runs from October through May. And like its namesake, this season has been dry, with Fort Myers being almost 2 inches behind on rain for the calendar year. "The 1.56 inches that fell Monday in Fort Myers broke the record of 1.33 inches of rain that fell on that same date in 1992," said Rodney Wynn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Ruskin. "That was not the highest for a single day in February but the highest for that date." Otherwise, the Fort Myers area saw 0.14 inches of rain this month, Wynn said. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows Southwest Florida as being abnormally dry in some areas and in a moderate drought in others. Collier County is among the driest counties in the state, according to the Florida Forestry Service's Keetch Byram Drought Index. The county scored between 500 and 549 on a scale that ranges from 0 for super wet conditions to 800 for crispy times. Lee is a little wetter, with a drought value of 450 to 499. March, April and May tend to the be some of the more dangerous months when it comes to wildfires, although the right conditions can allow land managers to conduct much-needed prescribed burns. Florida's ecology evolved with fire as a constant threat, with much of the state burning for months at a time, historic records show. This spring is expected to be a continuation of the warm, dry conditions that been near-constant this dry season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is calling for below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures between now and the start of the rainy season on May 15. May 15 is the historical average day for the start of the summer rainy patterns. More: How will Florida's panther thrive in the face of chronic wasting disease? "For the next three months we're looking at above-average temperatures," Wynn said. "We may see one or two more rounds of cooler weather, but most of the weather with lows in the 40s is probably over with." Wynn said rain will be scarce the next few weeks, with the next strong possibility of precipitation coming Wednesday. "The next rain will be Wednesday next week so we're looking good, and we're getting into that transition season," Wynn said. "We'll have a couple of weak fronts move through this week and then again Sunday, but we won't see much in the way of rain or temperature deviation." This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Record rains Monday account for nearly all rain that fell in February
