Wind gusts may lead to ‘red flag’ days ahead
Kendall County commissioners Tuesday lifted a burn ban after the weekend’s rainfall and ice storm dropped the area fire index well below the “extreme danger” level.
However, the ban may return sooner than later, so county officials are urging those needing to burn off vegetation to act quickly.
“I don’t think there was an area that was not touched by measurable precipitation in some form and fashion,” County Fire Marshal Brady Constantine told Commissioners Court during a meeting.
Most of the county received 2 inches or more of precipitation, either in the form of rainfall or melting ice from the weekend ice storm, he added.
“This offers a window of opportunity for people to mitigate what they have.”
— Brady Constantine, county fire marshal “The (National) Weather Service had predicted we were going to get somewhere about 3 inches. However, I cannot yet confirm we got that much anywhere,” Constantine said.
The county’s current burn index is 491 — down considerably from the 660-plus level prior to the ice storm’s arrival, and below the 600-level threshold that is typically used for enforcing a burn ban.
The fire marshal spoke Monday with the Texas Forest Service, which reported seeing burn bans being removed in areas surrounding Kendall County.
Constantine said dry lines and expected cold fronts are going to move in over the next couple of weeks.
“We could see ‘red flag’ days because of the wind gusts. However, this offers a window of opportunity for people to mitigate what they have, as well as the vegetation that was damaged from the hard freeze,” Constantine said.
He added, “I don’t know how long that is going to last, but I will keep the court apprised of the fire conditions as we move forward.”
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