Sporadic Rain Not Enough In Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton, Lake Worth Beach, Wellington, Palm Beach County..
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2025 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — There is not an official burn ban yet in Palm Beach County, but we may be heading in that direction as the extreme drought plaguing the area continues. The light rain falling on some parts of the area Saturday — and over the past few days — is not enough to relieve the exceptionally dry conditions.
On Friday, Palm Beach County Fire Marshal David DeRita recommended “no burning or open flames” in the county. Here is the advisory issued by the agency:
>> The Fire Marshal’s NO-BURNING RECOMMENDATION is erring on the side of caution. At this point in time, this is not an official ban. However, it’s highly recommended. Current drought conditions are ripe for brush fires to start and spread, despite recent rain. Here’s why – the recent rain is just a band-aid for our dangerously dry conditions. The rain provides top-level ground saturation for a short period of time, but it does not address the lower levels of dry ground. Today’s rain will evaporate quickly, and it is not enough to saturate the lower ground levels. We would need several days of continuous rain to start to saturate the ground soil.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) measures how much water the soil loses versus how much rain it absorbs. It was 640 Thursday, and 645 on Friday. A KBDI over 650 usually correlates with extreme wildland fire danger and can signify a countywide impending burn ban. Other weather factors, such as wind, temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric stability, also play a major role in determining actual fire danger. We will be monitoring this situation daily, and will provide updates as necessary.”
