Several communities in Westmoreland are enacting burn bans due to the dry conditions

At least three communities in Westmoreland have issued burn bans amid dry conditions in the area.

Derry Township issued a burn ban on Monday and Mt. Pleasant Township announced a burn ban on Tuesday that will remain in effect until further notice.

Hempfield issued a burn ban Tuesday that will remain in effect until Dec. 5 unless conditions improve, said Anthony Kovacic, the township’s fire chief.

Unity also announced a burn ban on Tuesday until further notice. Open burning, recreational fires and fireworks are prohibited.

The Pittsburgh region has not had significant rainfall since October, said Bill Modzelewski, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Moon office.

Unusually warm weather and low humidity also contribute to the dry weather. Temperatures reached 81 degrees in the Pittsburgh area on Tuesday, surpassing the previous record high of 80 degrees set on Nov. 5 in 1948.

This weekend, however, residents could see some relief from the dry conditions, with about a quarter of an inch of rain forecast.

“If that happens and we move through this low pressure system, that would be the most precipitation we’ve had in the Pittsburgh area since Oct. 6,” Modzelewski said.

The weather service issued a special weather advisory on Monday warning that dry weather and gusty winds had increased the risk of bushfires.

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has banned outdoor burning in state parks and forests until further notice. Last week, 100 wildfires were reported across the state, the department said in a statement Tuesday.

“It’s very fragile out there right now,” said Westmoreland County Public Safety Director Bud Mertz.

Mertz encouraged residents of communities where there are no official bans to practice safe burning practices.

“If there is a fire,” he said, “they have to take every possible safety precaution to make sure it stays safe and under control.”

Residents should keep an eye on the fire and have a water supply nearby to quickly extinguish the flames if necessary, he said.