Comal County Fire Marshal Kory Klabunde today said the county will lift the burn ban starting at 6 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14.
The burn ban goes back into effect at 6 a.m. Monday, Dec. 16 unless the county receives enough rainfall to rescind it permanently.
“Please be cautious and aware that any fire you light, you are legally responsible for it if it gets out of control and damages someone’s property,” he said. “The burn ban signs will stay down at this time.”
By law, burn bans are issued when the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) reaches 500 points. They remain in effect for 90 days unless the county receives a significant amount of rainfall and the KBDI drops below the 500 threshold.
The drought index measures soil dryness based on rainfall, air temperature, and other meteorological factors and ranges from 0 to 800 points.
According to the Texas Weather Connection, the estimated KBDI for the county today will fall between 400 to 500 points. The county’s KBDI was 545 on Thursday.
The U.S. National Weather Service Austin-San Antonio predicts up to 0.6 inches of rain could fall in the San Antonio area over the next 72 hours.
