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No rain, high winds increase drought conditions

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During the April 5 McKinley County Commissioners meeting, McKinley County Fire Chief Brian Archuleta told commissioners that the county’s drought conditions have been improving since last year when a firework ban had to be put in place due to the drought conditions.

But now, three weeks later, drought conditions have worsened. In an interview with the Sun on April 26, Archuleta said that the leading cause of the conditions has been the fact that McKinley County hasn’t had any rain and has had a lot of wind.

According to Weather Underground, a website that provides long-range weather reports, McKinley County hasn’t seen any rain since April 13, and that day it only rained .03 inches. It also rained on April 5, but that was only .04 inches.

Wind has also been a factor in the drought conditions.  According to Weather Underground, on April 22, wind gusts got up to 52 mph.

Archuleta said these conditions dried everything up.

McKinley County’s Deputy Fire Chief Tim Berry presented the updated drought conditions to the county commissioners on April 26 and suggested a resolution to place a burn ban on the county.

“We presented that our drought conditions are getting worse, our fields are drying out, and then we presented the burn ban that goes into effect May 1 for open fires, campfires, [and] fireworks over vegetation,” Berry said in an interview with the Sun.

The New Mexico State Land Office announced a statewide burn ban on April 22. The commissioners approved the resolution for the county burn ban.

Archuleta said that no burn permits would be used from May 1 to Dec. 31 unless conditions improve.

Berry said fireworks will still be sold for Cinco de Mayo, despite the dry conditions.

“You can still sell [fireworks] and still use them, you just can’t use them over something that’s  gonna burn,” Berry said.

Archuleta said the plan is still the same for Cinco de Mayo, and he still intends on coming to the commissioners in early June to talk about the Fourth of July conditions.

By Molly Ann Howell
Sun Correspondent

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