Beware of open fires – cook-outs, fire pits,
camp fires, etc. and cigarette butts
By Will Collette
 |
| Obviously we have conditions nothing like California, but our Rhode Island-sized hazard bears attention nonetheless |
Even though we had a delightful rain yesterday,
it wasn’t nearly enough to end our local drought or to relieve the dryness in
our woods where there are lots of caterpillar-stressed trees and dry brush that
could catch fire.
So, despite the rain, South County is under an
elevated fire hazard, according to the National Weather Service to last through
the day.
We have sunny skies, a nice breeze and very low
humidity, all conditions that could allow a small fire to get out of hand.
So watch the stray cigarette butts (which you
should do on general principle), camp fires, barbeques and yes, even fireworks.
Here is the notice
from the NWS:
ELEVATED
FIRE WEATHER POTENTIAL THROUGH EVENING WITH GUSTY WINDS DEVELOPING
WESTERLY WINDS BETWEEN 20 AND 30 MPH WILL
CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES DROPPING TO AROUND
30 PERCENT. DESPITE YESTERDAY/S RAINFALL...MUCH OF THE REGION RECEIVED LESS
THAN ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH. INPUT FROM OUR FIRE WEATHER STATE CONTACTS
INDICATES THAT THE RECENT ABNORMALLY DRY WEATHER HAS RESULTED IN ELEVATED FIRE
WEATHER CONCERNS...ESPECIALLY WITH THE GUSTY WINDS.