First Alert Weather In-Depth: Burn ban for New York State

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — We love the dry, sunny weather here In Western New York. But did you know it has been six days with no substantial rainfall?

We are not in the drought phase yet here in Rochester, but the western half of the United States is a different story. It is there that one-third of the U.S. is now listed in a severe drought. That is really a long-term problem.

But what does that mean for us in the short term? Maybe you did not know that there is a statement put out by the National Weather Service that there is a statewide burn ban until May 14. So we now have the ingredients to be concerned about the spread of a wildfire. This includes some very dry vegetation including grass and dry leaves. In addition, the humidity is very low. Wednesday the humidity level is running at just 15 or 20%. And we continue to watch the wind speeds. Winds were light today, but it is expected to turn breezy again by the end of the week.

Certainly, there is no widespread burning allowed. But the thing to watch out for is certainly campfires. We know, given the current conditions, the danger is quite high. You may want to check with local officials for any restrictions on campfires and consider the safest possible way to build a campfire.

The question is do we have any substantial rainfall in the forecast.