Fire danger will be elevated at times this week, and not just because of the deepening drought.
Dry and windy conditions will lead to fire conditions that could be very high to extreme Tuesday, with more high fire danger possible Wednesday and Thursday. Emporia Fire Battalion Chief Eron Steinlage is asking residents to take extra care with smoking materials with everything dry at this time.
The drought is starting to have impacts at the community level. Residents in Cottonwood Falls, Strong City and Chase County Rural Water District No. 1 are being asked to conserve water on a voluntary basis until further notice.
The entire KVOE listening area is in some level of drought, according to the US Drought Monitor, and some level of drought alert status from the Kansas Water Office. Moderate to extreme drought covers the area north to south, with exceptional drought — the worst on the Drought Monitor scale — just south of US Highway 400 in Greenwood County. Meanwhile, Greenwood County is in a drought emergency. Lyon, Chase, Coffey and Morris counties are in a drought warning, according to the Kansas Water Office, while Osage and Wabaunsee counties are in a drought watch.
