A recent dry spell convinced the Hot Springs Fire Department to issue a citywide burn ban Thursday, as only 1.04 inches of rain have been recorded at Hot Springs Memorial Field in the last month.
All open burning is prohibited, and any burn permits the fire department issued prior to Thursday's ban are no longer valid. Fire Chief Ed Davis said dry conditions are most prevalent on the west side of the city, noting that several grass fires were reported Thursday.
"The western part of Hot Springs is very dry," he said. "In the eastern part, a little less moisture has been taken out of the ground. Those areas have had some recent rains. With low humidity and still having some hot weather, we thought it would be prudent to put on a burn ban.
"If someone wants to cook outside, they can still do that. It's just open, unattended fires that are no longer allowed until we get some rain."
County Judge Darryl Mahoney said Thursday that he's holding off on issuing a ban for unincorporated areas of the county. He said only one of the volunteer fire departments surveyed by the county's office of emergency management Thursday was in favor of one.
"We polled all of them, and they were overwhelmingly not in favor of doing it," he said. "That could change (today) if we get some windy conditions."
The drought index for District 5 of the Arkansas Forestry Commission was 600 Thursday, the AFC said. The zero-to-800 scale is an index of ground moisture, with zero signifying no moisture depletion and 800 extreme drought conditions. The reading for the six-county area that includes Garland County is taken in Grant County.
Entergy Arkansas Inc.'s rain gauge at Little Mazarn Creek west of the city has recorded no rain in the last month. Its gauge on Big Mazarn Creek near Highway 227 recorded 2.45 inches over that time. East of the city at Entergy's gauge at East Gulpha Creek 0.56 and 0.02 inches were recorded Monday and Tuesday.
The 0.01 inch Monday was the first measurable rainfall recorded at the airport in west Hot Springs since the 0.39 inch on Aug. 27. Last month's 2.14 inches were almost an inch less than the normal rainfall for August. The National Weather Service is predicting a 20 percent chance for rain Monday.
Local on 09/13/2019