The Mitchell County Fire Marshal’s Office rescinded a burn ban last week.
Mitchell County Fire Marshal and Emergency Management Director Andrew Brewer had originally issued the burn ban on Nov. 18, because of dry weather conditions.
However, the Nov. 18 ban was followed by a few days of rain, allowing Brewer to rescind the ban before Thanksgiving.
“Keeping the citizens of Mitchell County safe is the main focus of the Mitchell County Fire Marshal’s Office,” Brewer said in his statement rescinding the ban. “As atmospheric conditions continue to improve, the risk of wildfires at the current time is declining.”
However, Brewer still recommends caution when it comes to burning fires outdoors.
“If you can wait to burn, please do so,” he said. “If you decide to legally burn on your property, the Mitchell County Fire Marshal’s Office encourages you to use safe burning practices, to burn only natural vegetation, and to always obtain a burning permit though the NCFS.”
The North Carolina Forestry Service provides
information on burn permits online here: https://apps.ncagr.gov/burnpermits/
Although the Mitchell burn ban has been rescinded, climatologists at East Tennessee State University have predicted a dry winter for the Southern Appalachian region.
“The Southeast is favored to see warmer-than-normal temperatures this winter,” said Dr. Andrew Joyner, Tennessee’s official state climatologist and associate professor at East Tennessee State University. “However, it’s important to remember that ‘warmer than normal’ does not mean an absence of cold snaps or winter weather. It means the overall average for the season is expected to trend above our historical norms.”
According to ETSU scientists, the familiar oceanic weather pattern known as “La Niña” is to blame for this winter’s dry conditions.
“La Niña” is a weather pattern in which the Pacific Ocean experiences cooler sea surface temperatures than usual. Typically, when the Pacific Ocean goes through a La Niña shift in water temperatures, the southern United States experiences warmer and drier conditions during the winter.
“If dry air masses to the south and east encroach into East Tennessee that could have implications for drought conditions,” Joyner said. “Particularly if we continue to see dry patterns persist in the winter months. Some areas in the Southeast are already experiencing drought stress, and a dry winter could exacerbate those conditions.”
However, Joyner said that cold snaps and more typical extreme winter weather, such as snow, freezing rain or ice, may still occur on occasion.