State dry again; 20% in ‘severe’ drought

Five counties declare bans on burning

Friday, August 30, 2013

County judges in five Arkansas counties have issued burn bans, and the danger for wildfires is increasing in the southern and western portions of the state as dry, hot weather continues.

Drought conditions have worsened in the southern third of the state, the National Drought Mitigation Center said Thursday in its weekly report.

Nearly 20 percent of Arkansas is considered to be in “severe” drought, meaning it has a rain deficit of 3-4 inches over a 30-day period. Last week, only 4.4 percent of the state was considered to be in“severe” drought.

“It seems like [southern] Arkansas has had a drastic reaction to the heat it’s seen over the last several weeks,” said Brian Fuchs, a climatologist with the Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“This is the result of seeing summer hanging on,” he said.

Forecasters say there’s little chance for rain for the next several days in southern Arkansas. A storm system could enter the state by late next week from the northwest, said National Weather Service meteorologist Marty Trexler. However, it is expected to weaken as it dips into the southern half of the state, he said.

“We need more moisture from the Gulf, and that’s not showing up much,” Trexler said.

The dry conditions have prompted county judges in Jefferson, Lafayette, Lincoln, Miller and Union counties to issue burn bans, meaning residents cannot burn debris or grass.

Also, the Arkansas Forestry Commission has upgraded the danger of wildfire to “moderate” in 24 counties in the south and west.

“It’s very dry,” said Union County forestry commission ranger Chris Ludwig. “We’ve been pretty wet until last month. The [fire] incidents have been way down for the year, but it’s starting to pick up.”

Along with the potential for wildfires, south Arkansas is seeing an increase in gatherings of feral hogs, said Jaret Rushing, the Calhoun County cooperative extension agent for the University of Arkansas’ Division of Agriculture.

“They’re everywhere,” Rushing said of the 400- to 450-pound hogs. “There are more gatherings of them around stagnant water holes since it’s drying out here.”

He said deer hunters who plan to set up camps and feeders with deer corn during the Labor Day holiday, should watch out for the hogs.

“They’re not really dangerous,” he said. “But if they’re cornered, they could cause trouble. They’re like trapped squirrels, only a whole lot bigger.”

Rushing said the higher temperatures have also led to farmer delays in cutting hay in Calhoun County.

“We’ve had some rain,” he said. “But as dry as the conditions are, the ground just sucked it up.”

The temperatures have remained higher than normal for late August because of a stationary ridge of high pressure over the western United States, Fuchs said. The ridge forces weather patterns much farther north, keeping rain-producing systems from developing over Arkansas, he said.

“The eastern U.S. is getting a lot of rain this summer,” Fuchs said. “But the South and Midwest haven’t gotten much. They’ve seen issues with dryness over the summer, and now that the heat has kicked in, they’re having an immediate reaction.”

The drought monitor’s report also showed worsening conditions in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri.

Forecasters say the ridge of high pressure could break down by the second week of September and allow some rain into Arkansas.

Trexler said long-range forecasts call for more than average rainfall in the fall, and any remnants from tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico in September also could bring moisture into the state.

“There’s not a lot of moisture now,” Trexler said. “But if we get some rain later, as expected, we could come out of this fairly well.”

Arkansas, Pages 9 on 08/30/2013