As the dry weather continues so do the concerns over whether or not to implement a burn ban in Kosciusko County.
Kosciusko County Emergency Management Director Ed Rock has kept an eye on the situation in Kosciusko County.
“There is intent to get a burn ban in place today,” Rock said. “We have been talking about the idea of a ban.”
As of press time, Rock said that County Commissioner Bob Conley has signed the ban, but they are waiting on the county auditor to sign it.
County Councilman Bob Conley said, “This is a situation where we depend on our Emergency Management department to monitor. Our county and the counties surrounding us are deteriorating daily and it’s time for a burn ban.”
The burn ban will last for seven days and anyone found to be burning during that period can be charged with a Class B misdemeanor and a fine.
Conley said at next week’s commissioner meeting the County Commissioner will look at whether or not to extend the burn ban.
On Thursday there was one county with a burn ban in northern Indiana and that was Noble County. As of press time today, there were seven counties with burn bans. Counties with burn bans include St. Joseph, Marshall, Fulton, Wabash, Noble, LaGrange and Steuben.
Warsaw Wayne Township Fire Department Chief Mike Brubaker has seen a countywide increase in field fires due to the abnormally dry weather.
“If you are going to start a fire or use fireworks make sure to have a garden hose handy or a shovel,” Brubaker said. “It is not going to take much of a spark to get a fire during this weather. One thing they can do if they must use fireworks or a fire is wet the ground before they start.”
The abnormally warm year has had a significant toll on the Midwest and a majority of the nation. The heat is supposed to continue, without a chance of rain in the forecast. The National Weather Service of Northern Indiana forecasts that four of the next five days, including today, will be in the 90s, with Sunday hitting 87.
“We expect it to be the same, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets worse,” said Lonnie Fisher, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Syracuse.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor graph on the National Weather Service website, 60.3 percent of the Midwest is abnormally dry and 18.54 percent are under a moderate drought. In Indiana 88.4 percent of the state is abnormally dry and 39.44 percent of the state is under a moderate drought. Kosciusko County has been classified as being in a moderate drought.
All of the drought numbers are up at this point. Last week, 49.95 percent of Indiana was under abnormally dry weather and three months ago zero percent of Indiana was under abnormally dry weather.
Warsaw and Kosciusko County climate has been more similar to Allen County and Fort Wayne than South Bend and St. Joseph County. According to the National Weather Service, Fort Wayne has registered 10.4 inches of rain this year and normal rain fall during this period would be 16.62.
“Warsaw is down 6.22 inches of rain this year,” Fisher said. “May and June is when we get most of the rain. We will probably be on the dryer side the rest of the summer.”
