Burn bans remain in effect across the Treasure Coast in response to extremely dry conditions and lack of rain.
Officials in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties confirmed burn bans are in effect as of March 5. They were issued Feb. 7 in Indian River and St. Lucie counties and Feb. 10 in Martin County.
Indian River County officials decided March 4 to extend its burn ban, said Fire Rescue Deputy Chief David Rattray.
Meanwhile, St. Lucie County officials plan to decide March 6 whether to extend its burn ban, said county spokesperson Erick Gill. He said recent rain really hasn’t helped much.
While fronts led to some increases in rainfall this winter, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne, it was infrequent and often on the lighter side, leading to well below normal precipitation totals.
In Vero Beach, the total rainfall for winter so far was 4.3 inches, which is 3.18 inches less than normal. In Fort Pierce, the total rainfall for winter so far was 3.38 inches, which is 3.94 inches less than normal. No records for Stuart were available.
The majority of rain this winter fell during two main time periods: Feb. 15-16 and Feb. 27-28. In February alone, the total rainfall in Vero Beach was 2.88 inches, or 0.68 inches above normal, and in Fort Pierce was 2.25 inches, or 0.08 inches above normal.
The Florida Forest Service uses the Keetch-Byram drought index to estimate the dryness of the soil and duff layers. The index increases each day without rain and decreases when it rains. The scale ranges from 0 to 800, with 800 being the driest.
As of March 5, the drought index in Indian River and St. Lucie counties had improved to 500 but in Martin County remained high at 650.
Florida Forest Service wildfire mitigation specialist David Grubich has said anything above 400 is bad.
This story has been updated with new information.
Laurie K. Blandford is a breaking news reporter with TCPalm. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida burn bans remain in effect during drought and lack of rainfall
Reporting by Laurie K. Blandford, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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