Tippah County burn ban requested; residents asked to stop all burning today

File photo. The image above shows a wildfire burning in timber and is used for illustration only. It does not depict a fire in Tippah County.

RIPLEY, Miss. — Tippah County residents are being asked to stop all outdoor burning immediately as county officials seek a 30-day burn ban, citing extremely dry conditions that have taken hold across north Mississippi over the past month.

The Tippah County Board of Supervisors and all volunteer firemen in the county have requested that the Mississippi Forestry Commission issue a burn ban for the next 30 days, according to a notice released Friday.

“All citizens are asked NOT TO BURN anything for the next 30 days starting this afternoon due to the extreme dry conditions,” the notice said.

A 30-day ban beginning Friday, Sept. 18, would run through roughly Oct. 18.

How Mississippi burn bans are issued

Under state procedure, a county board of supervisors requests a burn ban and the Mississippi Forestry Commission approves it, according to the commission’s burn ban page. Bans expire at midnight on the stated expiration date, and local sheriff’s departments handle enforcement.

As of the last update to the commission’s statewide burn ban list Friday morning, Tippah County had not yet been added. Residents are being asked to comply voluntarily in the meantime while the request is processed.

Fourteen Mississippi counties were on the commission’s list Friday: Calhoun, Monroe, Humphreys, Lee, Tate, Benton, Sunflower, Marshall, Lafayette, Jefferson, Covington, Grenada, Franklin and Jefferson Davis. Neighboring Benton County has been under a ban since Sept. 8 that runs through Oct. 8.

The list has grown steadily this month. Thirteen counties were under bans on Sept. 9, and Calhoun, Monroe and Humphreys counties have been added since.

Drought conditions in Tippah County and Mississippi

The dryness arrived quickly. Tippah County was entirely free of drought and abnormal dryness as recently as mid-August, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. By Sept. 1, the entire county was rated abnormally dry, with about half in moderate drought.

In the most recent reading, released Sept. 15, all of Tippah County was abnormally dry and 65% of the county was in moderate drought — the first of the monitor’s four drought categories. The county has not reached the severe, extreme or exceptional categories.

Statewide, the picture is worse. Every part of Mississippi was at least abnormally dry as of Sept. 15. About 68% of the state was in moderate drought or worse, up from 64% a week earlier, and the share in extreme drought grew from 4% to roughly 6.5%. Just under 1% of the state was in exceptional drought, the monitor’s most severe category.

Roughly 1.9 million Mississippi residents live in drought-affected areas, according to Drought.gov. August was the state’s 25th driest on record, with 2.79 inches of rain — about 1.13 inches below normal.

Forecasters have been tracking the trend for weeks. The National Weather Service office in Memphis, which covers Tippah County, reported 30 straight days of heat and dryness earlier this month after warning of rising drought risk in August.

What is not allowed during a burn ban

A burn ban means no outdoor burning of any kind. According to the Mississippi Forestry Commission, anything with an open flame that produces an ember is prohibited, including:

• Campfires and bonfires
• Fire pits and fire rings
• Burn barrels
• Debris and leaf burning
• Field burning

The commission warns that wind can carry embers up to a half-mile from the original fire and start a spot fire there.

Penalties for violating a burn ban

Anyone who knowingly and willfully violates a burn ban in Mississippi is guilty of a misdemeanor and may be fined between $100 and $500, according to the commission. The local sheriff’s department enforces the ban.

Forecast offers no quick relief

The National Weather Service forecast for the Ripley area calls for sunny skies and highs near 100 degrees Friday through Sunday, with rain chances at 2% or less. The first meaningful chance of showers and thunderstorms does not arrive until Monday night and Tuesday, and even then the odds sit below 20%.

What residents should do

Officials are asking residents to hold off on burning leaves, limbs, brush and household debris until conditions improve. Residents with questions about burning should contact the Tippah County Board of Supervisors or their local volunteer fire department.

The Mississippi Forestry Commission updates its county burn ban list as conditions change. The current list is available at mfc.ms.gov/burning-info/burn-bans.

Sources: Tippah County Board of Supervisors notice; Mississippi Forestry Commission; U.S. Drought Monitor; NIDIS Drought.gov; National Weather Service, Memphis.