City and County leaders in the listening area are becoming increasingly concerned about the dry conditions due to the continued lack of sizable rainfall.
Winchester Mayor Rex McIntire along with the Scott County Board are asking residents to take precautions in regard to open burning and/or the use of fireworks during the dry conditions.
McIntire says they are not issuing a full burning ban at this time, however, that may change if the current drought conditions worsen.
The Chief of Police for the Village of Pleasant Plains has issued a request for residents to refrain from using fireworks or burning on their property. Pleasant Plains officials say that the planned 4th of July fireworks will still move forward as scheduled.
The City of Waverly has also issued a burn ban according to an announcement by the Waverly Fire and Rescue Squad.
Approximately two-hundredths of an inch of precipitation fell here at the WLDSD/WEAI studios in Jacksonville Wednesday afternoon. So far during the month of June, approximately one-half of an inch in total precipitation has been recorded, well below the normal for what is generally one of the wettest months in the area.
Luck could change for West Central Illinois in the coming days however, as the National Weather Service is predicting increasing chances of rainfall tomorrow through Monday with the heaviest predicted for Friday and Saturday.
As of late Tuesday, the City of Jacksonville announced plans to continue to have the city fireworks display on the 4th of July as per usual.
The National Weather Service’s weekly drought condition update is released every Thursday. We will bring you continued updates as they become available.
WLDS/WEAI is an official reporting station for the National Weather Service.