Not sure if you caught the story on our website the other day regarding the severe drought we are experiencing right now in Louisiana, but it is dry.  Really dry!

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That story pointed out that it was nearly thirty days ago, on September 10 when we received any rain at all.  That was less than three quarters of an inch.  You have to go back even further to September 2 to find a day when we got over an inch of rain, and that day it was only 1.07 inches.

As we have just entered October, which is traditionally one of our drier months, and the status quo as we go into the month, things are sketchy at best.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Just How Dry Is It Going To Get And When Are The Burn Bans Coming?

The Lincoln Parish Police Jury's website gives us all a pretty good idea of the considerations taken when a governing body institutes a burn ban.

Occasionally, during extremely dry weather, the Police Jury and/or the Lincoln Parish Fire District No. 1 may issue a temporary burn ban to prohibit any open burning in the parish. This is usually done when conditions are optimal for grass or woods fires that can pose increased hazards for people and property. During a burn ban period, all open burning is illegal.

So, it's pretty much the result of an educated guess as to when conditions are "optimal" for grass or woods fires, but these people really know their stuff, so most of us would never question them.

Looking at the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry's website, we see that at the present time, only Red River Parish here in Northwest Louisiana is under a burn ban.  However, you don't have to venture very far south or to the east before you see a number of parishes that have already deemed these conditions as "optimal" and instituted burn bans.

Louisiana Dept. of Agriculture and Forestry
Louisiana Dept. of Agriculture and Forestry
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It's very likely that soon we'll see additional burn bans, but don't wait for the ban to pay close attention to any outdoor burning you might do. Avoid those windy days, avoid burning in areas with dense vegetation and always have a means of extinguishing the fire readily available.

https://www.ldaf.state.la.us/programs/parish-burn-bans/

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