Indiana Meteorologist Warns Dozens of Counties of Mid-Week Field Fires
This is a very odd time of the year with the weather always up in the air, and you can start to see some very seriously dry days. That can happen when you have a summer that is particularly dry with very little rain, leading to very dry conditions in the fall and possibly drought in some areas.
It’s not uncommon during normal weather to see cities or towns doing controlled burns in areas to clear some of the debris and thus clear potential fire hazards that could grow out of control. Fall is usually the time when people gather up all their leaves and burn them anyways, but, many counties in Indiana are suggesting that people hold off on their burns, as even local Meteorologist Matt Rudkin believes that fires in the field will spread quickly because of the dry conditions.
He recently took to Facebook to warn people to hold off on their burnings:
Something we don't see often in our area... but when you're in a severe drought (especially those of you south of US-20), have record high temperatures with dry air in the forecast, plus winds that may gust over 45mph, field fires can spread VERY quickly.
Even though it's rare, this is something he said feels could be a potential disaster if not followed:
I'm trying to get out a PSA for those doing yard/fieldwork to hold off burning mid-week. It can be a huge hassle to wait this time of the year, but I'd highly recommend not burning Tuesday or Wednesday.
Burning mid-week he feels could be dangerous for nearby buildings & houses:
The air is super dry, and given how dry the upper layer of soil is, field fires will spread remarkably fast with the wind. By the time you notice it, it'll be too late. The last thing we want are structure fires.
It may come as an inconvenience, but the last thing you want is a massive fire to deal with when there hasn't been much water falling to begin with.
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Gallery Credit: Lauren Gordon