JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Despite a wetter winter and the fact that there’s not a drought situation here in our area, this month we set a record after hitting 96 degrees the first couple of weeks of May.
Firefighters are always on guard for wildfires during the hot summer days, especially before the daily rainy pattern sets in, and we can all take precautions to keep fires at bay.
“So going back for the whole year, we’re actually seeing a surplus (of rain),” said meteorologist Mark Collins. “April was very wet for us and, you know, when we look at our winter, we had a lot of cold fronts coming through that kept us a little wetter than normal. So in Jacksonville, we’re almost like 2 inches above normal. And now we’re going to be going into the rainy season during the summer months. So you can just count on the afternoon downpours. And actually, September is the wettest month here in Jacksonville.”
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue looks at the forestry report every day and right now they’re not seeing much activity -- and they’re hoping it stays that way.
You can help by being aware of the weather and drought conditions, putting out campfires until they are cold and keeping vehicles off dry grass and sparks away from dry vegetation.
It is also illegal to burn your trash. You have to get a permit to do so, and you’re only allowed to have a fire to warm your body -- which right now the sun is doing a good job of handling for us.
To report a wildfire in Duval, Clay & Nassau counties, call 904-266-8351. To report a wildfire in St. Johns County, call 386-585-6151.