Natural State

From the NWS:

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
400 AM CST SAT DEC 31 2005

Counties included in this bulletin:

ARKANSAS-BAXTER-BOONE-BRADLEY-CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND-
CONWAY-DALLAS-DESHA-DREW-FAULKNER-FULTON-GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING-
INDEPENDENCE-IZARD-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LINCOLN-LOGAN-LONOKE-
MARION-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-NEWTON-OUACHITA-PERRY-PIKE-POLK-POPE-
PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE-VAN BUREN-WHITE-
WOODRUFF-YELL-


FIRE DANGER REMAINS HIGH ACROSS THE NATURAL STATE...
RAINFALL ACROSS THE MAJORITY OF THE STATE HAS BEEN SCARCE OVER THE
PAST SEVERAL MONTHS WITH MANY AREAS OF THE STATE IN A MODERATE TO
SEVERE DROUGHT. THE PROBLEM IS EVEN MORE PRONOUNCED IN THE
SOUTHWEST...WHERE PARTS OF THE STATE ARE IN AN EXTREME TO
EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT. WITH VERY LITTLE RAIN EXPECTED IN THE IMMEDIATE
FUTURE...THE RISK OF WILD FIRES IS VERY HIGH ACROSS MOST OF THE
NATURAL STATE.
THE LACK OF RAINFALL HAS ALLOWED THE FINER SURFACE FUELS...WHICH
NORMALLY CARRY THE FIRE...TO COMPLETELY DRY OUT. THESE SURFACE
FUELS....USUALLY MADE UP OF SUCH OBJECTS AS PINE NEEDLES...DRIED
LEAVES AND GRASS CURRENTLY CONTAIN ONLY 8 TO 12 PERCENT OF THEIR
NORMAL MOISTURE WHICH WOULD EASILY SUPPLY AMPLE FUEL TO AN EXISTING
OR DEVELOPING WILDFIRE. EVEN LARGER FUELS...SUCH AS TREE BRANCHES
AND LOGGING SLASH ONLY CONTAIN ROUGHLY 10 TO 18 PERCENT OF THEIR
NORMAL MOISTURE.
THE FORECAST FOR THE NEXT FIVE TO SEVEN DAYS IS NOT FAVORABLE FOR
RAIN. LITTLE IF ANY PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT WEEK TO
HELP EASE THE LARGE RAINFALL DEFICITS. SEVERAL UPPER LEVEL LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEMS WILL ZIP THROUGH THE STATE OVER THE NEXT WEEK BUT
MOISTURE IS LACKING AND ONLY GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED FROM THESE
SYSTEMS. HIGH PRESSURE WITH VERY DRY AIR WILL PREVAIL IN BETWEEN
THESE LOWS.
CONDITIONS FOR FIRE DEVELOPMENT WILL EXIST TODAY AS AFTERNOON
HUMIDITIES DROP INTO THE 20 TO 30 PERCENTILE. EVEN THOUGH WINDS ARE
FORECAST TO BE LIGHT TODAY...THESE LOW HUMIDITIES WILL STILL SUPPORT
WILD FIRE. MONDAY APPEARS TO BE THE CRITICAL WEATHER DAY AS THE
COMBINATION OF DRY FUELS...LOW HUMIDITY AND GUSTY WINDS SHOULD ALL
COME TOGETHER. RED FLAG WATCHES OR FIRE WEATHER WARNINGS WILL LIKELY
BE HOISTED EARLY NEXT WEEK. RED FLAG CRITERIA MAY ALSO BE MET ON
TUESDAY. EVEN IF RED FLAG CRITERIA IS NOT BEING MET...WILD FIRES
WILL BE POSSIBLE AT ANYTIME.
ROUGHLY TWO THIRDS OF THE COUNTIES IN ARKANSAS ARE UNDER A BURN BAN
AND THIS NUMBER IS LIKELY TO INCREASE. THE MAJORITY OF CENTRAL AND
WESTERN ARKANSAS ARE UNDER HIGH TO EXTREME DANGER FOR WILD FIRES
WHILE ALL OF EASTERN ARKANSAS IS IS IN THE MODERATE DANGER CATEGORY.
PERSONS ACROSS ARKANSAS ARE STRONGLY URGED NOT TO SET OFF FIREWORKS
THIS NEW YEARS HOLIDAY WEEKEND OR BURN TRASH DUE TO THE EXTREME
DROUGHT CONDITIONS. ANY FIRES THAT START WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
SPREAD QUICKLY OUT OF CONTROL. FIRES MAY ALSO BE STARTED BY
CARELESSLY DISCARDING LIT CIGARETTES AND FROM SPARKS COMING OFF
MACHINERY OR AUTOMOBILES. EVEN DRIVING AUTOMOBILES OVER DRY GRASS
CAN HELP SET OFF A WILDFIRE IN THESE CONDITIONS.