A lack of rainfall, lower humidity and brisk breezes have increased the potential for wildfires across much of Arkansas, causing six counties to issue burn bans.
County judges in Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner, Lincoln, Van Buren and White counties have mandated that residents no longer burn debris, trash and brush during the ban. Searcy Mayor David Morris also issued a burn ban within the city limits Wednesday.
The Arkansas Forestry Commission classified 28 counties Wednesday as being "moderate" for wildfire danger. People in those counties are urged to do open burning in the early morning or late evening when it's less windy.
Those counties are Clark, Cleburne, Columbia, Conway, Dallas, Faulkner, Garland, Grant, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Montgomery, Nevada, Ouachita, Perry, Pike, Polk, Pulaski, Saline, Scott, Sevier, Union, Van Buren, White and Yell.
The state generally undergoes two "seasons" of higher-than-normal wildfire frequency between February and April and between August and October, said Adriane Barnes, a spokesman for the commission, in a news release.
"Heavy rain was received in August, which has delayed normal wildfire potential for this time of year until now," Barnes said in the release.
"Wildfire crews across Arkansas remain heavily trained and prepared to respond at any time."
Forest rangers in Sevier County battled four wildfires Tuesday evening, said David Krantz, a ranger stationed in De Queen.
About 210 acres of timberland burned, he said.
"It's very dry," Krantz said. "We haven't had any rain for a while. If we don't get rain soon, it'll get worse."
After August rains -- some from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey -- precipitation almost stopped. So far this month, only .45 inch of rain has fallen on Little Rock, making it the eighth-driest September on record.
Monticello also noted its eighth-driest September, and it's the 11th-driest September in Harrison, said meteorologist Brian Smith of the National Weather Service in North Little Rock.
"We've had extended dryness in September," said meteorologist Joe Goudsward of the weather service in North Little Rock. "Things drying out are the biggest issue. Grasses and shrubs are pretty crispy. Trees are brown and losing leaves.
"You've got low humidity and above normal temperatures," he said. "All that comes together and creates the danger."
Showers developed in Texas and Oklahoma earlier this week, but by the time they reached Arkansas most had died out, he said.
Forecasters are calling for relative humidity levels to dip to about 40 percent in central Arkansas by Saturday and to the mid-30s in the northern quarter of the state.
Winds are expected to pick up, gusting 15 to 20 mph at times this weekend.
The Forestry Commission issues wildfire warnings when humidity levels drop to below 40 percent and wind gusts reach above 10 mph.
"Up here, the humidity is up and down," said Cleburne County forest ranger Doug Bolser. "When the leaves start changing, the humidity goes down and the fire danger increases."
He said rangers have battled only two wildfires in the county since Sept. 6. Both were caused by winds that scattered burning debris. They were contained quickly, Bolser said.
"It can get pretty wild at times," he said of wildfires in the area. "It's slowly drying out now. We're prepared."
Barnes said 18,002 acres have burned in 898 wildfires in the state this year. She said the number of acres burned has been lower than average over the past four years. In 2016, 19,045 acres burned and in 2015, 14,653 acres burned.
The most recent high wildfire year in the state was in 2012 when 34,434 acres burned in 2,148 wildfires, she said.
Barnes advised people to consider weather conditions when burning along with reporting any burning to the Forestry Commission's dispatch center at (800) 830-8015, or to local fire departments to ensure water sources and a firebreak of mineral soil or other fire-resistant materials are nearby when burning.
State Desk on 09/28/2017