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Insights > Weather conditions lead to increased fire risk in our service area
Weather conditions lead to increased fire risk in our service area
03/20/2025
Threat continues across our area, your safety is most important
Current weather conditions, including high winds combined with changing temperatures and declining relative humidity, are contributing to a rise in fire hazard risk and red flag warnings across our service area in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The primary driver for these conditions is the presence of dry vegetation, which is expected to persist for the next few weeks.
We are monitoring the increased risk and ask customers to join us in remaining vigilant by monitoring local conditions for isolated areas with more severe drought impacts and following all local or state orders, such as full or partial burn bans and evacuation orders. Residents and businesses should take all recommended steps to help reduce potential issues from fire hazards.
We proactively look for, and mitigate, vegetation growth year-round and are taking additional steps to prevent our work and equipment from causing a fire.
All year long, we monitor the potential for wildfire danger. One way we do this is by performing "sky to ground" vegetation trimming on targeted sections of line, which removes tree limbs that would normally have been above or near the power lines. We also use a combination of computer modeling and site inspections to help predict when trimming may be needed and to assess the landscape from many angles – from the ground, overhead and by using satellites to help monitor growth rate, for example.
Your safety is most important.
Make sure your emergency plan is in place ahead of time and prepare for any disaster in advance. Keep these things in mind as you get ready:
- A wildfire can spread very quickly, leaving you little time to get to safety.
- With wildfires, you should have plans in place in case you have to evacuate and plans for handling power outages caused by wildfires.
- If you are in an area determined to be at increased risk of wildfires, have an evacuation plan in place ahead of time.
- The American Red Cross has a comprehensive guide on preparing for the threat of wildfires in your community, including the tips listed here.
You can find additional wildfire safety tips on our Storm Center website.
