BATON ROUGE — As dry conditions continue across the Capital Region, fire danger levels are ‘high’ this weekend.
“March is looking like it’s going to end on the drier side,” said State Climatologist Jay Grymes. “And right now temperatures are more like April than March. With that dry out and with these unusually warm temperatures, that creates the unexpected dryness.”
“With temperatures still on the warm side for the next couple of days, and the humidity low and getting a little bit breezy, there is an enhanced fire threat,” Grymes explained.
On Friday morning, the National Weather Service (NWS) put out a warning about critical fire weather conditions on Saturday. The warning is in effect from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 28. Affected areas include Pointe Coupe, West Feliciana, East Feliciana, Iberville, West Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge, Northern Tangipahoa, Southeast St. Tammany, Central Tangipahoa, Lower Tangipahoa, Northern Livingston, Southern Livingston, Western Ascension, and Easter Ascension.
NWS warns that winds are expected to be 15 to 20 miles per hour, with gusts up to 30 miles per hour, and relative humidity could be as low as 20%. It says any fire that develops will catch and spread quickly, and outdoor burning is not recommended.
Monitor fires
This isn’t the first time Louisiana has seen an increased risk of fire dangers.
“We’ve been seeing these pop up fires all across the state for a good bit of the winter and early spring already,” Grymes said. “The problem with this setup is that, especially with the winds kicking up a little bit, any little fire has the opportunity to become a bigger wildfire in relatively short order, the winds just help spread it.”
Grymes said the biggest threat comes from open flames.
“You shouldn’t have any open fires,” he said. “In rural Louisiana, that’s how a lot of people get rid of their trash. So for people that have those backyard pit fires, just be careful. And for people who use fires as a way to take care of some of their refuse, don’t leave the fires abandoned and burning.”
“If you do feel an obligation or a commitment to burning, don’t leave the fires unattended, for the fear that a drifting ember could create a nuisance fire elsewhere,” Grymes continued. “I won’t be surprised if today, and into Saturday we see some of the local fire departments responding to grass fires.”
Dry conditions
While nearly 80% of Louisiana is dealing with drought conditions, the Capital region, while dry, has been spared of the drought.
“The Baton Rouge area has just gotten lucky over the last few months. And it really is just pure dumb luck,” Grymes explained. “We’ve had some pretty big rains along a swath of parishes that includes Baton Rouge, but it’s a narrow band. But on either side of that swath, there’s some significant drought. I mean, it’s not just dry, it’s getting critically dry.”
“Drought is never typical, so that is unusual. We’ve been sitting flirting with significant drought for months now,” he continued. Grymes said rainfall has been below normal statewide for more than six months.
“As we get into next week, there will be some scattered rains that will reduce the fire threat, but not end it,” he said. “Scattered rains are not going to end the drought conditions where they exist anytime soon.”
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