For the second time in 2025, Polk County officials issued a burn ban on Nov. 25 because of unseasonably dry weather conditions that were created by a prolonged lack of rainfall throughout the summer and into the fall.
The ban marks at least the third year in a row that officials have issued a burn ban in Polk County, and it is the second one this year. Further, it is unusual because the ban comes during the fall months unlike most other recent bans, which were declared during the early summer months usually prior to the arrival of the first tropical weather.
A weak El Niño to blame for dry conditions
According to the National Weather Service in Ruskin, the outlook for rain is not so bright for the remainder of November.
NWS meteorologist Tyler Fleming said rainfall since Sept. 1 at the Winter Haven rain gauge has been more than 50% below the 30-year normal amount.
“We’re in a weak El Niño, which does tend to bring drier winter conditions,” Fleming said. “So the next week at least, we’re not seeing much difference. Beyond that for the winter, it does look like it’s going to be fairly dry.”
El Niño refers to a warm equatorial ocean current that appears around the Christmas season because of periodic warming of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. The current can cause significant shifts in global weather patterns.
Since Sept. 1, the Winter Haven rain gauge has recorded only 4.79 inches of rain for the autumn season, Fleming said. The normal 30-year average in Winter Haven is 8.98 for Sept. 1 to Nov. 30.
Since record keeping started in 1941, this fall ranks as the fifth driest season, he added. The lowest fall precipitation rate in Polk County was set in 1961 at 2.72 inches,
Area in Polk County under the burn ban
The ban includes unincorporated Polk County and the following municipalities: Auburndale, Bartow, Davenport, Dundee, Fort Meade, Frostproof, Haines City, Lake Alfred, Lake Wales Lakeland and Winter Haven, a county news release said.
The burn ban is determined using the Keetch-Byram Drought Index. The KBDI is a continuous reference scale, ranging from 0 to 800. It assesses the moisture content of the soil from no moisture deficiency (0) to maximum drought conditions (800). This helps predict the potential for wildfires.
Utilizing the KBDI, the process of a burn ban begins once more than 50% of the county reaches over 500 on the index. Polk County’s current daily reading is 53% over the 500 benchmark with a countywide average of 507.
The burn ban prohibits:
”After examining the latest KBDI data, we are issuing a burn ban. This ban is a preventative measure to make sure we can keep the community and our members as safe as possible,” Fire Chief Shawn Smith said.
“This is an unusual time of the year for a burn ban but due to the abnormal lack of rainfall this summer and fall, it is necessary. PCFR asks for your help in keeping Polk County safe by not burning until the end of the ban.”
Anyone who refuses to comply or violates this burn ban shall be in violation of Polk County Ordinance 08-015 and can be punished by a fine not to exceed $500 or up to 60 days in the county jail or both.
Polk County officials may repeal the burn ban when deemed safe.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Second Polk County burn ban issued this year This time in the fall
Reporting by Paul Nutcher, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
