Friday, July 20, 2012

Fire danger

Many people do not realize that there are many factors to determine the severity of a drought.  Placement of the jet stream, heat, and lack of rainfall are just a few of the factors.  There is one factor, called the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI), which simply measures how severe the fire danger is with droughts.  In this figure, we are in the 401-500 range, which means we are in a "High" fire danger.  What does this mean for you?  Well, it means your town or city has most likely issued a fire ban, which means no burning is allowed at all.  This is because a stray spark in these extremely dry conditions can easily spark a raging fire.

Justin Pletsch
WTVO Weather Intern

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