Unseasonable Lack of Humidity Leads to Unseasonable Fire Danger

Most of Mississippi has a high fire danger.

Drought-like conditions in parts of Mississippi have forestry officials worried about fires. MPB’s Cari Gervin reports.

Summer in Mississippi is usually a hot, muggy affair. But not this year, Joel Gardener says.

“Odd, this time of year. Usually our humidities would be in the 40 to 50 percent range, and this is predicted to be in the 20 to 30 percent range.”

Gardener is the district ranger for Holly Springs National Forest. He says higher than normal temperatures and low humidity have put almost all of Mississippi at a unseasonably high risk for forest fires. The state’s normal fire season is early spring and mid-fall.

Bill Kitchings of the Mississippi Forestry Commission says there were 58 fires in the first eight days of July, compared to 173 during the entire month last year.

In June the number of fires was up by a third from last year. But what’s a bigger concern to Kitchings is the acreage that burned increased by two-thirds to 1400 acres.

“Vegetation might still be green. but there’s not a lot of moisture content in it. So, you know, a match or a spark could cause you grass to burn, and, you know, right conditions could burn actively and spread very fast.”

Kitchings says that the air is so dry in parts of the state, there isn’t even any dew overnight to help keeps things green.

There are burn bans in six southern Mississippi counties, as well as Hinds County. But Kitchings says people should avoid burning brush right now, wherever they live.

Although scattered showers are expected across the state this week, Kitchings warns that a small amount of rain won’t eliminate the risk of fire.

For MPB News, I’m Cari Gervin.