Alcorn County Drought Turns Severe as Burn Bans Ring Area
Dry weather has pushed the Alcorn County drought into the severe category for the first time this season. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor now places about 86 percent of the county in severe drought, while neighboring counties across Northeast Mississippi have already banned outdoor burning.
The change came quickly. A month ago, the Drought Monitor showed no drought at all in Alcorn, Prentiss, or Tishomingo counties. Now all three are in drought, and conditions are getting worse each week.
How Bad Is the Alcorn County Drought?
Here is how the three counties stand on the Drought Monitor map valid Sept. 22 through Sept. 28, according to county data from the National Drought Mitigation Center:
- Alcorn County: 100 percent in at least moderate drought (D1), with 85.7 percent in severe drought (D2). One week earlier, none of the county was in severe drought.
- Prentiss County: 100 percent in at least moderate drought, with 12.8 percent in severe drought. The week before, about 53 percent of the county was in moderate drought.
- Tishomingo County: 100 percent in moderate drought, up from about 7 percent one week earlier.
As recently as the Aug. 18 map, all three counties were drought-free. Abnormally dry conditions first showed up on the Aug. 25 map and spread through September.
Burn Bans in Neighboring Counties
As of the Mississippi Forestry Commission’s latest list, 16 Mississippi counties are under burn bans, most of them in the northern half of the state. Several border or sit near the Crossroads area:
- Tippah County: Sept. 18 through Oct. 18
- Itawamba County: Sept. 23 through Oct. 21
- Lee County: Sept. 8 through Oct. 8
- Benton County: Sept. 8 through Oct. 8
- Monroe County: Sept. 17 through Oct. 5
Alcorn, Prentiss, and Tishomingo counties were not on the Forestry Commission’s burn ban list as of this writing. That could change. The Forestry Commission says burn bans are normally requested by a county’s board of supervisors and then approved by the commission.
Where a ban is in place, the Forestry Commission says anything with an open flame that produces an ember is not allowed, and wind can carry embers up to half a mile and start new fires. Burn bans are enforced by the local sheriff’s department. Anyone who knowingly and willfully violates one can be charged with a misdemeanor and fined $100 to $500.
No Rain in the Near-Term Forecast
Relief does not look close. The National Weather Service forecast for Corinth calls for mostly sunny to sunny skies through Tuesday, with highs in the mid-80s this weekend and near 89 on Tuesday. Overnight lows should drop into the mid-50s to low 60s. No rain is mentioned in the forecast through Tuesday.
Even without a local ban, residents should use extra caution with any outdoor fire while conditions stay this dry:
- Hold off on burning leaves, brush, or trash until the area gets meaningful rain.
- Never leave a fire unattended, and keep water and a shovel close by.
- Avoid outdoor burning on windy days.
- Do not toss cigarettes from vehicles, and be careful with equipment that can throw sparks in dry grass.
- Check the Forestry Commission’s burn ban page before any outdoor burning, since new counties are being added each week.
Alcorn News MS will keep watching for any burn ban action by the Alcorn, Prentiss, or Tishomingo County boards of supervisors. For the latest local forecast, see our recent report, Corinth forecast stays warm and mostly dry into next week.
Source: Mississippi Forestry Commission; U.S. Drought Monitor; National Weather Service Memphis
