It’s Dangerously Hot And Dry In Northwest Louisiana
Got in my truck to head home yesterday afternoon and at 7pm it was still in the 90's. It's only June...what is August going to be like? And the drought we're having has all of Louisiana, including Caddo Parish now, under a burn ban. And that's not likely to end any time in the near future. I checked the Weather Channel's 10-Day forecast for our neck of the woods and it's dismal at best. Temperatures, at least through Monday, of 100 or more, and outside the little chance we have for "isolated" storms tonight, they really aren't looking for much rain before Wednesday of next week. My yard is just a memory now. I made sure I fertilized with the good stuff early this year...the stuff that will make it even more drough tolerant. I try to water it whenever the bank will loan me money for my water and electric bills...but it's been so dry, my "drought tolerant" lawn looks like a rodeo arena. But actually in the Haughton area where I live, we still have it pretty good. Some areas including Stonewall and Frierson are already asking citizens to stop washing cars, watering the lawns or filling up swimming pools. How long before some of these places have to make it law to cease these things? How long before we're limited to 2 showers a week and only 10 toilet flushes a month? And what about the people who sell fireworks each year on the 4th? Do they order now and pray even harder for rain or just let it go for the year?
One of the things I'm certain of is the danger when it's this dry. You might remember all the grass fires on I-20, I-49 and near the Cross Lake Bridge last year on I-220. We can't be too careful. Don't want to park your car on dry grass. The catalytic converter or muffler could set off a huge fire. No trash burning. No camp fires. We've just got to pay attention to everything. A tossed cigarette butt could cost us thousands of acres of beautiful trees and potentially the loss of lives.