Galveston County has issued a Burn Ban for all unincorporated areas of Galveston County. Texas A&M Forest Service Drought Index has Galveston County’s drought value over 600. Out of an abundance of caution, the burn ban is only for 7 days. There is a chance of rain within the next 10 days that could improve drought conditions. The burn ban will be reevaluated at next Monday’s Commissioners Court on October 17th. Burn Ban 10112022

A burn ban may become necessary when drought impacts an area. The KBDI (Keetch-Byram Drought Index) is a tool used to measure the soil moisture and precipitation to calculate a scale from 0 to 800. Zero KBDI represents a fully saturated soil condition and 800 is absolutely dry soil. The current KBDI for Galveston county has reached 610. To find out more on KBDI and check the interactive map, visit Texas Weather Connection.

KBDI Table:

0 – 200: Soil moisture and large class fuel moistures are high and do not contribute
much to fire intensity. Typical of early spring following winter precipitation.

200 – 400: Fuels are beginning to dry and contribute to wildfire intensity. Heavier
fuels will still not readily ignite and burn. This is often seen in late spring or early
summer.

400 – 600: Lower litter and duff layers contribute to fire intensity and will burn
actively. Wildfire intensity begins to increase significantly. Larger fuels could burn
or smolder for several days. This is often seen in late summer and early fall.

600 – 800: Often associated with more severe drought with increased wildfire
occurrence. Intense, deep-burning fires with extreme intensities can be expected. Live
fuels can also be expected to burn actively at these levels.