Warren County residents should think twice before starting any fires, as supervisors issued a burn ban this week.

The board issued a burn ban Wednesday, Warren County Emergency Manager John Elfer said. County officials said the ban would be ratified Tuesday when supervisors meet.

“It’s windy, dry conditions with low humidity where we have been put under a fire warning by the National Weather Service,” Elfer said.

At Vicksburg Water Treatment Plant, 4.32 inches of rain have been reported for this year. Normal rainfall by mid-February is 7.54 inches. Despite the below average rainfall, Warren County has escaped being labeled as in drought, according to the National Drought Monitoring Center at University of Nebraska – Lincoln.

Mild drought conditions have been reported as nearby as Bolivar and northern Washington Counties.

Sustained northerly winds of 10 to 15 miles per hour are expected through the rest of the week, according to the weather service. Gusts could be as high as 25 mph, causing much of eastern Louisiana and western Mississippi to be placed under a limited fire threat by the National Weather Service.

No significant rainfall is expected until Monday, when the weather service is calling for a 60 percent chance of rain.

Claiborne County had not issued a burn ban as of Thursday, Sheriff Marvin Lucas said. No burn bans were in place Thursday in Sharkey or Issaquena counties or Madison Parish, county and parish officials said.

Anyone with questions about the Warren County burn ban can call Elfer’s office at 601-636-1544 or fire coordinator Jerry Briggs at 601-634-8073.