Dry conditions lead Monroe County (Indiana) to enact burn ban until Sept. 24
On Tuesday afternoon, Monroe County commissioners enacted a burn ban that is effective for a week, until next Tuesday, Sept. 24.
Prompting the burn ban are dry conditions that have persisted long enough that the U.S. Drought Monitor has analyzed almost the whole state of Indiana as either “abnormally dry” or in “moderate drought.”
According to the National Weather Service forecast for Bloomington, the earliest chance for rain comes on Sunday, which is five days away.
The burn ban means that the following activities are prohibited:
1. Campfires and other recreational fires, unless enclosed in a fire ring with dimensions of less than 23 inches in diameter and a height of 10 inches or higher;
2. Open burning of any kind using conventional fuel such as wood, or other combustible matter, with the exception of grills fueled by charcoal briquettes or propane;
3. The burning of debris, such as timber or vegetation, including such debris that results from building construction activities and other open-air fires.
4. The use of burn barrels for any open burning at residential structures.
According to the burn ban issued by Monroe County, burning is allowed in burn barrels with a one-quarter-inch mesh top—from dawn to dusk only.
Charcoal from permitted grills is not supposed to be removed from the grills until it has been thoroughly extinguished.
The Monroe County burn ban also admonishes residents against using fireworks: “We strongly discourage our residents from attending public displays of fireworks. We strongly encourage our residents to limit their personal use of fireworks to those that do not leave the ground, and refrain from using aerial firework devices.”
County commissioners have the authority under state law [IC 10-14-3-29] to enact such emergency burn bans.
So far, 34 of Indiana’s 92 counties have enacted a burn ban during the current dry conditions.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Regional Climate Center data, Bloomington has seen only one day since Aug. 19—so almost a whole month—with more than a trace amount of rainfall.
That one day was Sept. 13, with a measured rainfall amount of just 0.04 inches. During that period, the average daily high temperature was around 85 F degrees.
