The state is experiencing drought conditions that have affected everything from camping to crop yields and construction projects. The United States Drought Monitor reports that the drought conditions in the northern and southernmost regions of the state were moderate as of November 3. The report states that much of eastern Mississippi and central Mississippi are in an extreme drought. The transition from summer into fall will bring warm and dry weather to Mississippi. This is a marked difference from 2015 when only a small part of the state’s central was in moderate drought. The state is now under a burn ban, with the exception of some counties near the coast. The Mississippi Forestry Commission states that 76 of the 82 counties are still under burn bans as the dry, cold front could increase wildfires’ severity and frequency. Brighton Forester, spokeswoman for this commission, stated that the drought in Mississippi this year is more severe than previous years. This affects residents who want to make bonfires or light-burn barrels to welcome cooler weather or burn wood debris or leaves. Forester stated that anything that creates an ember or has an open flame is prohibited under the burn ban. Forester said that wind can carry embers up to half a mile from an original fire and ignite another spot fire. This could then lead to wildfires and potentially dangerous to people’s lives. During that time, 1,324 structures–including homes, commercial structures or outbuildings–were saved. According to Forester, last year it began raining towards the end of October. This year, she expects a longer drought. Protecting power lines. Drier weather can also increase the impact of any ice or snow storms in Mississippi. These storms are less common than tornadoes and thunderstorms but can cause significant damage to power lines if drought-weakened limbs become detached. Utilities have prepared for any eventuality. Julie Boles spokeswoman for East Mississippi Electric Power Association. She stated that the utility maintains its rights-of-way on a regular basis to protect its lines from falling limbs and trees. This allows power to flow to its members in even the most difficult conditions. Boles stated in an email that right-of-way maintenance was an essential part of the service provided to our members. “Right-of–way maintenance is an important component of the service we provide for our members for two main reasons: safety and reliability.” It helps to reduce the risk of coming into contact with energized cables and increases service reliability by reducing the chance of a tree falling on an outage or fallen limb.” Jim Hopson, a spokesperson for Tennessee Valley Authority said that TVA has a detailed vegetation policy for its right of-ways which protects its transmission lines. Hopson stated that the issue of trees and limbs falling into powerlines creates safety and reliability problems, which he said was something he worked hard to avoid. These policies have proven to be very effective. The reliability of TVA’s electric transmission system is 99.999% over the past 15 year.” Jeff Shepard, a Mississippi Power spokesperson, said that the utility is ready for whatever the future holds, even though Mississippi trees are suffering from drought, which has caused some to die. Shepard stated that the system was built and maintained to provide reliable electricity service, even in extreme weather conditions. Mara Hartmann, Entergy Mississippi spokesperson, said that the utility trims trees and plants and removes decaying or dead trees from its service territory in order to reduce service disruptions caused by storms. Crop Drop Drought conditions also have affected some parts of Mississippi’s agriculture sector. Max Draughn of the Mississippi Pecan Growers Association said that drought conditions had impacted Mississippi pecans. Draughn stated in an email that pecan trees started the year with a May crop. Draughn said in an email that the drought conditions had caused many nuts to drop from the tree and abort. The worst outcome of the drought was the poor quality of any nuts that were left on the tree. Pecans didn’t fully fill out, which resulted in poor quality kernels. Draughn said that some nuts have completely dried out kernels and are not edible. Draughn also stated that the drought this year has caused problems in the pecan harvest. Because of the lack of rain, harvest has been delayed by more than three weeks. The lack of quality pecans has also led to their prices rising because of a lack of them. Albert White, Mississippi Department of Transportation’s engineer in the southwestern region said that dry and warm conditions have helped to minimize delays for road construction crews. White stated that dry and warm weather provides an opportunity for contractors and crews to be more productive. The workers were busy laying asphalt and fixing culverts. In some cases, they got ahead, while others caught up with setbacks earlier this year. “We’re making up lost time in our area. In March and August, we had flooding. Although it’s helping us catch up, there are always things to fix or repair when you manage large infrastructures.” A dry spell could also be beneficial in winter. Roadways are built with the climate of the region in mind. However, water can seep through cracks and crevices when infrastructure is damaged. White stated that less moisture can help to mitigate some of the damage to older infrastructure. The dry conditions have been a blessing for construction at The District of Eastover in Jackson. This mixed-use development, which plans to include restaurants, boutiques and residential lofts as well as office buildings, offices, and a hotel, is a mixed-use development. Breck Hines is a principal at District Land Development Company. He said that the lack of rain has allowed workers make up for the slowdowns in the rainy spring.