Lack of rain results in county burn ban
By BARRY HALVORSON bhalvorson@journal-spectator.com

The early arrival of high atmospheric pressures and a lack of rain has resulted in Wharton County being placed under an automatic burn ban that will go into effect the first minute of Thursday morning.

Wharton County Emergency Management Coordinator Andy Kirkland announced the burn ban starts at 12:01 a.m. Thursday in a news release. The county automatically institutes a ban when the Keetch-Byram Drought Index value exceeds 500. As of Monday, the index had reached 513.

"Actually, we've needed a ban in place for awhile," Kirkland said Monday. "We've got a lot of fuel on the ground right now. There were the rains early in the year and all of last year and now everything's dried out. It might be my imagination, but we even seem to be seeing more drying winds than we have in recent years."

While the 513 mark represents the overall average of the county, Kirkland said the index was "for the most part uniform for the county" with a few exceptions.

The wettest area of the county is in the Egypt community and heading East.

"But then it dries up before it can get all the way to the East Bernard area," he said. "The highest number was in Lissie, where the index is at 630."

He said the Memorial Day weekend emphasized the danger the county faces as three departments were called out to address a grass fire near FM 3012.

"When you start having to call out multiple departments to respond then it ups the danger level," he said. "Most of the time, you need the extra tankers to get water to the scene."

And while Wharton County is dry, Kirkland pointed out it is in better shape than the surrounding counties. According to the Texas Forestry Web site, the next closest index number is that for Matagorda County, which is at 531; followed by Fort Bend, 537; Colorado, 566; Jackson, 577; and Brazoria, 611.

While commenting on the drying winds, Kirkland said the biggest contributing factor is a lack of rainfall in the area.

"The official rainfall total for Wharton County for the month was 0.22 inches of rain," he said. "Usually May is our second wettest month of the year at 4.66 inches so we really took it on the chin."

He added that through February and March the county was still running at a surplus of rainfall, but by the end of May that had turned into a 2-inch deficit compared to normal. The average county rainfall through May 29 is 14.76 inches while the current 2008 total is 12.72 inches.

"This is the kind of weather we actually see in late June-early July when the high pressure systems drop down and settle over the area," Kirkland said. "And usually it takes something coming in from the Gulf to knock it out of place. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Web site is stating that something might be developing, but we don't expect to see something from it until the earliest late in the week."

Rural residents will be prohibited from burning trash, brush or field waste as of midnight tonight. Burning is always prohibited within the city limits of El Campo and Wharton.

Those violating the burn ban can face fines as well as be held responsible for damage to other people's property or injuries to a firefighter should a blaze spread.