Arkansas Is Very Dry! Numerous Counties Under Burn Bans

Since a two-inch downpour August 20th, Arkansas has endured one of its driest periods ever. The state Forestry Commission says with the dry weather, the risk of forest fires is increasing. State forester John T. Shannon says low humidity levels will keep the fire risk high. For that reason, numerous counties in the state are under burn bans. Even while hurricanes raged in the Gulf of Mexico, only three-hundredths of an inch of rain has fallen since September First. That makes this the third-driest three-week period in Arkansas history. Forecasters say a change in the weather pattern has cut off moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. The figure is Two-point-three-two inches below normal. Only 1955 and 1919 were drier. In 1955, there was no rain in the period. In the month since the August downpour, only 11-hundredths of an inch of rain has fallen, making it likely that September 2004 could end up the driest on record. Twenty-seven-hundredths of an inch of rain fell in September 1917. Counties currently under a burn ban are Ashley, Calhoun, Cleburne, Cleveland, Conway, Crawford, Drew, Faulkner, Hempstead, Jefferson, Johnson, Lincoln, Logan, Nevada, Pope, Polk, Pulaski, Scott, Sebastian, Van Buren and Yell.