Rains came, but drought not over 

By LORI COPE | East Texas Edition

Jan. 26, 2006 - Thankfully, North and East Texas received rain over the Jan. 21-22 weekend, but fire officials are cautioning residents to respect any burn bans that are still in place.

�We're not out of the drought,� said Pam Gardner, a Texas Forest Service (TFS) public information officer based in Lufkin, at 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 23. �The rain certainly helped the immediate wildfire danger, but things could dry out in a few days if we don�t get patterns of precipitation and high humidity.�

Because most of the state is suffering from drought, outdoor activities such as burning, welding, etc., have been banned in an effort to protect the land, structures, and citizens from wildfire’s ability to rapidly spread.

But with the weekend’s rains, each county will likely assess their specific situation as to whether or not they can allow burning, Gardner added.

Gardner, at 8 a.m. Monday (Jan. 23), said the office in Lufkin showed over 2.44 inches of rain.

Rainfall totals from weekend’s rain varied. In Longview, rainfall totaled 2.17 inches, Texarkana received 2.89 inches, and Sherman received 2.37 inches.

In Linden, a total of 3.16 inches was recorded at the TFS office. Cody Shew, a TFS resource development specialist and wildland firefighter, said at 7:45 a.m. Monday (Jan. 23) that any decisions to lift burn bans would likely be made soon. 

�This rain knocked back fire activity because of the long duration of the rainfall. It really soaked in. ... It�s better to have a three-inch rain in 12 hours than a four-inch rain in one hour,� Shew said.

As of 8 a.m. Monday morning (Jan. 23), many county commissioners had not met to evaluate the effect of the weekend’s rain on the drought, but hopes were some of the bans would be temporarily lifted.

The rainfall “was pretty widespread, so they may give at least a 24-hour release” from a burn ban, Shew added.

The main idea is that citizens respect any burn bans that are in place, or when they are re-placed.  Citizens can contact their county commissioners office to check the decision of the county’s burn ban.

Hopes, too, are for the weather patterns to change and bring the regions more “wet winter” type weather. “This (weekend) rain was much welcomed, ... but this was not what we call a ‘season-ending event.’”

North and East Texas regions are in such a rainfall deficit, it would take several major rainfall events to alleviate the drought. Last year was the fifth driest year ever experienced in North Texas, and both regions’ rainfall deficit is near 20 inches.

Gardner pointed out weather forecasts are calling for a chance of rain at mid- to late-week. “If we start to get these patterns, it will help the situation considerably.”