Wildfire threat increases this week in Central Texas amid dry September

Earlier this month, we recorded Austin’s hottest temperatures of the year: 104 degrees on Sept. 4, followed by 102 degrees on Sept. 5. While that was a scorcher, we haven’t logged another day of triple-digit heat, so we’re still at a total of 20 days of 100-degree weather for the year. So far in September, our only measurable rainfall is a combined 0.08 inch that fell on Sept. 6-7. That month-to-date total is almost 2 inches below the normal of 1.91 inches for the first half of September. The two...