Thunderstorms could bring rain to parts of Utah this weekend, but a state fire official said it’s likely not enough water to reduce drought conditions that fed wildfires — and prompted a statewide fireworks ban over the Independence Day weekend that could extend to Pioneer Day.
“We’re looking at the overall [picture] across the landscapes,” said Brett Ostler, the state’s Fire Management Officer. “That monsoonal moisture that comes in [this month] is real spotty, and it’s hitting some places and not others. It’s really hard to say generally we’ve received enough moisture to help.”
Gov. Spencer Cox issued an executive order ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, empowering the state forester and local governments to ban fireworks in certain areas.
Officials in Cox’s office did not return requests for comment Thursday or Friday about whether the ban would be extended through the Pioneer Day holiday on July 24.
Moab’s city council voted June 30 to ban personal fireworks through the entire month of July, The Times-Independent reported. And Utah State University announced in early July that it would ban fireworks on the Logan campus during the Pioneer Day weekend.
The reasons for Cox’s order — an intense drought and a record wildfire season — remain. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, more than 50% of Utah is under “severe drought,” while about 40% of Utah is under “extreme drought.” No part of the state is not under drought conditions.
Major monsoons have begun arriving in Utah, stalling the growth of ongoing wildfires like the Cottonwood Fire in Beaver County and Babylon Fire in San Juan County. However, Ostler, who works for the state forester, warned that Utahns should not expect the storms to reverse the drought anytime soon.
“[It’s] not likely to be enough to really change conditions other than when we’re getting the rain,” Ostler said. “It’s going to dry out really quick just because of how dry it already is.”
A number of Utah towns placed official bans on personal fireworks over the Fourth of July, after Cox’s executive order empowered them to designate areas within their limits where fireworks may or may not be set off.
Cox’s order also granted the state forester the power to prohibit personal fireworks over the Pioneer Day weekend, if the forester “determines that the extremely hazardous conditions to exist.” The ban did not affect professional fireworks shows.