Guadalupe County rescinded its burn ban today and Comal County may soon follow thanks to a rainy forecast.
Comal County Emergency Management Coordinator Jeff Kelley today asked the Commissioners Court to cancel the Disaster Declaration issued on Aug. 11 when the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) was above 700 points on a scale of 800.
The declaration allowed the county to require contractors to obtain permits for outdoor “hot work” that could spark wildfires.
Kelley said the measure resulted in a reduction of fire starts during the height of the drought.
Thursday, the KBDI dropped 13 points to 632 and could be around 600 by Friday.
With high confidence in a weather forecast that calls for more rain through next Tuesday, Kelley said the KBDI will drop even closer to the 500-level mark used to enact or rescind burn bans.
KBDI measures the amount of rain needed to return soil to its full moisture capacity, according to KSAT 12 meteorologist Justin Horne.
