Why are Central Texas counties under burn bans right now?
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- If you're one of the many Central Texans eagerly awaiting a fall cool down, fire weather probably isn't playing front and center in your mind. But fire officials are hoping as Central Texas counties pass burns bans, you'll pay close attention to fire conditions.
"Fall, really if you think about it, the cold fronts that come through...we get a lot of dry fronts, the humidity drops and with dry conditions and the low humidity is just a recipe for a lot of fire activity," said Gary Howell the Travis County Fire Marshal. "It's not unusual to have burn bans leading up into the fall."
Travis County put a burn ban in place late last month for the first time since 2023, according to its website. Travis County Commissioners voted to extend that burn ban Tuesday.
"Any time we have dry conditions and then the humidity drops, it's a condition that allows for fire activity, fire behavior to be more pronounced and the fire crews tend to work more," Howell said.
Williamson County Commissioners also signed off on a ban Tuesday, citing a heat and drought index the county uses that ranges from 0-800 -- 800 being the most dangerous in terms of fire conditions.
"Anytime it goes over a number of 600 we start getting concerned with potential for fires because it's very dry conditions at that point. And Williamson County is currently averaging across the county a number of 642," Bill Zito, senior director of emergency services for Williamson County, said Tuesday.
Central Texas officials hope the bans remind folks that fire season makes no exception for fall -- and that this fall could be particularly dry.
"Looking at the long-term forecast it looks like that we're going to have some dry conditions for a while, this may be a dry winter and we're just ramping up right now," Howell said.
You can find details about the Travis County burn ban here. And the Williamson County burn ban here.