Wildfire — Brown, Indiana

2022-11-20 to 2022-11-22 · Brown, Indiana

Event narrative

A 110-acre brush fire burned, within rough terrain on the east side of Brown County State Park and away from any structures, from the evening of the 20th through at least late on the 22nd when fire crews completed operations. Three volunteer fire crews worked with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and conservation officers to create a looping 2.97-mile fire line around the fire's perimeter by sundown on the 21st. Through the 25th, marginal fire weather conditions continued, with daily minimum relative humidity values around 25-30 percent, and daily wind gusts continuing to peak around 30 MPH. The Brown County EMA reported isolated smoldering hot spots likely continued through at least December 5th, 2022.

Wider weather episode

Strong high pressure crossing the region on the 20th promoted northwest winds gusting as high as 30 MPH. Despite unseasonably cold temperatures ranging from the teens to the low 30s, very low dewpoints near 0 degrees Fahrenheit led to minimum relative humidity values on the 20th around 20 percent. The combination of these factors lead to a large brush fire in Brown County.

Other small fires likely occurred across central Indiana amid the very low relative humidity values, although they were too small and/or short-lived to be noted via satellite or advised to the NWS.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1058535. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.