Six Arkansas counties remain under burn bans because of dry conditions, but 12 county judges lifted their bans after heavy rains last weekend.
Ashley, Chicot, Clark, Grant, Hot Spring and Saline counties still prohibited burning of trash and debris Tuesday because of the potential for wildfires. At its peak, before rains soaked southwestern Arkansas, 26 counties had been placed under the bans.
The Arkansas Forestry Commission rated the southern half of the state to be in moderate danger for wildfires and urged people to burn trash, limbs and refuse early in the morning or late in the day when winds lessen.
Chicot County Judge Mack Ball said he considered lifting the burn ban in his county, but he wanted to be cautious.
"It's still dry," Ball said. "I'm going to leave it on for now until we get some significant rain. I didn't want to lift it and then have everyone burn everything they had all at once."
The National Weather Service said the state will see little rain this week.
Temperatures will remain a bit higher than normal for this time of year, said meteorologist Julie Lesko of North Little Rock, but evening temperatures are projected to dip into the lower 60s for most of the state tonight and Thursday.
She said she doesn't expect winds to increase during the day, making it less dangerous to burn.
State Desk on 08/26/2015