(UPDATED Aug. 11, 10:15 a.m., with details from fire marshal.)
Henderson County Commissioner’s Court set a burn ban this morning. The burn ban is set to last 28 days.
Fire Marshal Shane Renberg told commissioners the county’s average Keetch-Byram Drought Index score was 690, with a high of 712 on the west end. The KBDI is a measure of moisture in the soil, and a burn ban is recommended when the KBDI score is above 575.
Renberg said the KBDI is forecast to go “well over 700 in the next couple of weeks.”
He also told the commissioners that although the driest areas were on the west end of the county, that the entire county is above 600.
Ignoring the burn ban is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $500.