Recent rains wash away Manatee burn ban

Heavy rains across Manatee and Sarasota have prompted emergency managers in at least one county to rescind bans on public burning.

Manatee County this week allowed its burning ban to expire at midnight Tuesday. The restrictions had been in place since mid-April, when conditions were much drier.

“We’ve seen a positive shift in weather patterns, and conditions are trending in the right direction,” said Manatee County Commission Chair George Kruse.

In keeping with recent gray-sky trends, there is no less than a 50% chance of rain through the coming weekend, according to the National Weather Service. Early June is often the transition time between historically dry season and Florida’s rainy season.

Sarasota County’s burn ban was set in late March, with a stipulation that it would expire on its own after seven consecutive days of the county’s drought index number falling below 500. Sarasota’s overall index over the last seven days has been above 500 until June 1, when it fell 91 points to 465, according to the Florida Forest Service.

Portions of Manatee County have seen more than 3 inches of rain thus far in June. At Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, about 3.5 inches have fallen since April 1, most in the last three days. 

In the past 31 days:

• 7.8 inches of rain fell in Gulf Gate
• 6.1 inches in Red Bug Slough, off Beneva Road
• 5.8 inches at Bobby Jones golf course
• 5.7 inches in St. Armands Circle
• 4.75 inches in Pinecraft

Sarasota and Manatee’s most recent drought index, measured on June 3, stood at 344 in Manatee and 357 in Sarasota. The scale ranges from 0 (swampy) to 750 and above (desert) and is used to estimate wildfire risk, the Forest Service said.

During a burn ban, these activities are prohibited: Use of any items containing any "explosive compound," sparklers, any item or product using or containing any amount of pyrotechnic composition, flares, open burning and campfires.