More Than Half Of Texas Is Under A Burn Ban Right Now

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After what seems like a pretty wet spring in East Texas the skies appeared to have dried up quite a bit lately. It has been quite some time now since parts of East Texas have seen any measurable rain and there doesn't appear to be any rain on the way anytime soon. The only thing that is on the way are more triple-digit highs.

While it may seem like we've had a hot and extremely brutal summer, it's not as bad as last year. KLTV 7 Chief Meteorologist Mark Scirto showed a graphic during his weather forecast this week comparing the number of 100-degree days from last year to this year. By this time last year, both Tyler and Longview saw more 100-degree days as compared to this year.

Temperatures are continuing to climb up to over 100 degrees this coming weekend further drying out vegetation and the ground and causing an increase in fire danger. Just yesterday two large grassfires were quickly contained by Bullard Fire, Troup Fire, Flint-Gresham Fire, Whitehouse Fire, and four other local fire crews descended upon the fire to quickly suppress it.

KLTV 7

If you don't need to do any outdoor burning, please don't. If you do, please make sure you have a source readily available to extinguish the fire. Fires during these hot and dry days can quickly get out of control.

Yesterday the U.S. Drought Monitor survey was released for the state of Texas and it appears as if more East Texas counties are being considered at least abnormally dry. East Texas county commissioners and judges have looked at this updated map and have enacted burn bans within their counties.

U.S. Drought Monitor

It is now illegal to do any kind of outdoor burning in any of these Texas counties: (Texas A&M Forestry Service)

Rusk County
Panola County
Anderson County
Cherokee County
Nacogdoches County
Shelby County
Angelina County
Houston County
Polk County
Newton County
San Augustine County
Sabine County
Tyler County
Jasper County
Newton County
Trinity County

If significant rainfall is not received during the next few weeks, more East Texas counties will most likely be added to the list.

Texas A&M Forestry Service

Texas has a total of 254 counties with more than half of them, 150 total, under some kind of burn ban. While the northern and central counties of East Texas are not under burn bans, it is still advised to hold off on any outdoor burning, unless you have a reliable to extinguish the fire.

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Here are their 10 tips, along with some simplified explanations from me.

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