Seven Arkansas counties were added to a growing list of those with burn bans Wednesday, and officials expect more will join as low humidity and windy conditions prevail.
County judges in Benton, Clark, Jefferson, Logan, Pike, Searcy and Washington counties issued the bans because of the elevated potential for wildfires.
They joined Boone, Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Howard, Independence, Johnson, Lawrence, Lincoln, Perry, Pulaski, Saline, Sharp, Stone, Van Buren and White counties, which had already issued bans on Monday and Tuesday.
“You get people clearing their lots or getting their gardens ready, and they want to burn off the brush,” said Montgomery County Forester Eric Myers. “The next thing you know, the fire is running across the woods.”
He said firefighters battled a grass fire in nearby Howard County on Tuesday and two on Monday.
Although Montgomery County is not under a fire ban, Myers expects it will soon be.
“Give it a couple more days if it stays like it is and Montgomery County will need one,” he said.
County judges generally issue bans if winds are 10 to 20 mph and humidity levels are between 20 percent and40 percent.
A continuous series of arctic air masses entering the state has brought strong, gusty winds, and more are on the way, said National Weather Service meteorologist Julie Lesko of North Little Rock. Temperatures are forecast to dip into the lower 20s in the northern half of the state and the mid-30s in the south this afternoon.
Winds will pick up again Friday, reaching 15 to 20 mph, Lesko said.
The weather service issued a wind-chill advisory for the northern tier of Arkansas through noon today because the wind-chill is expected to dip below zero. Wind chill is a calculation that describes the combined effect of wind and cold temperatures on exposed skin.
Lesko said temperatures will rise again as the week ends, but rain is not in the forecast for at least a week.
Arkansas, Pages 8 on 01/23/2014