Grayson County Commissioners extended a burn ban Tuesday that was put in place Friday through a disaster declaration because of consecutive days of triple-digit heat scorching the region and the related dry conditions that elevated the risk of fires.
Much of Texoma remains in a state of moderate drought or abnormally dry, with conditions threatening to escalate into full-scale drought, the Texas Water Development Board said Monday in its weekly water update.
For Grayson County, the eastern portions of the county have been in a state of moderate drought for three weeks, while all other portions remain abnormally dry.
The burn ban prohibits the burning of any combustible material outside an enclosure designed to contain all flames and sparks.
The new ban will remain in effect through Tuesday, when the Grayson County Commissioners Court will review conditions again and decide whether to extend or end the order.
A report issued Friday by the Texas A&M Forest Service placed Grayson County among more than 140 counties across the state that had a burn ban in place.
For the month of July, one of the driest months of the year, a co-op weather station in Sherman has received just one inch of rainfall, National Weather Service Meteorologist Bianca Villanueva said Tuesday.
With the shift, Villanueva said there is a chance for rain over the weekend — albeit a small one.
This rain will also reduce temperatures even further, with Monday’s high expected to be just 91, Villanueva said.
The update saw only minor improvement in drought conditions across the state, with 46 percent of Texas affected by some form of drought.