Burning discouraged across 29 counties on Wednesday due to ‘near-critical’ fire conditions
Residents of more than two dozen counties across Minnesota are under a Fire Weather Watch on Wednesday, meaning outdoor burning is discouraged due to the low humidity and windy conditions creating near-critical fire weather conditions.
According to the alert from the National Weather Service, winds will gust as high as 35 mph. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Chief Meteorologist Ken Barlow says afternoon temperatures will be around 80 degrees. Make sure to check with your county for burning restrictions and fire danger before burning anything.
The watch begins at 11 a.m. and lasts through 7 p.m. for the following counties:
- Big Stone
- Blue EArth
- Brown
- Chippewa
- Cottonwood
- Faribault
- Jackson
- Kandiyohi
- Lac qui Parle
- Lincoln
- Lyon
- Martin
- McLeod
- Meeker
- Murray
- Nicollet
- Nobles
- Pipestone
- Pope
- Redwood
- Renville
- Rock
- Sibley
- Stearns
- Stevens
- Swift
- Traverse
- Watonwan
- Yellow Medicine
Anyone who does have a campfire is asked to keep it less than three feet in diameter, and to have a bucket of water and shovel nearby.
In addition, make sure to not park any ATVs, tractors and lawnmowers over long grass since a hot exhaust system could cause the grass to start on fire.
The fire weather watch comes as campfires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness are banned until further notice in part due to drought conditions worsen in the state.
The ban also includes charcoal grills and wood-burning stoves. However, gas and propane cook stoves are still allowed.
September marked the driest one on record in Minnesota, and information has been reported since 1871. It also tied for the third driest month overall in the Twin Cities since that same year.
A weekly report showing current drought conditions across the state will be released early Thursday morning. CLICK HERE to find the latest forecast from Minnesota’s Weather Authority, which currently shows no rain for the next seven days.