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REGIONAL—Weeks of high temperatures and little rainfall has left much of the North Country experiencing fire danger bordering on extreme. That includes roughly the northern half of St. Louis …
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REGIONAL—Weeks of high temperatures and little rainfall has left much of the North Country experiencing fire danger bordering on extreme. That includes roughly the northern half of St. Louis and northern Lake counties, particularly in areas with shallow soils, which are prone to rapid drying.
While the region saw somewhat more seasonable temperatures this week, appreciable rainfall has continued to elude the area, further exacerbating the conditions. Even without precipitation, fire risks can vary from day-to-day depending on winds and relative humidity, according to Brian Feldt, area forester with the Tower area DNR. Feldt said with the forecast next week calling for continued warm conditions and no rain, fire danger is likely to range from very high to extreme throughout the period.
High winds and low humidity on Monday prompted the issuance of a red flag warning across portions of north-central Minnesota and notice of near-critical fire danger across the rest of the Arrowhead early this week.
Much of the region saw barely half an inch of rain in September, or barely 15 percent of average for the month.
The conditions have prompted the Department of Natural Resources to impose a ban on open burning, with the exception of campfires, across most of the state. As of Tuesday, the U.S. Forest Service had issued an emergency order prohibiting the use of campfires, including charcoal grills or barbecues within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The use of gas or propane cookstoves will still be allowed.
At the same time, the forest service has reinstated the closures put in place during the Wood Lake fire. That includes Wood, Good, Hula, and Indiana lakes and connecting portages as concerns about the remnants of that fire, and its potential for rekindling, are growing with the continued dry weather.
No appreciable precipitation is currently in the ten-day forecast.