Extreme wildfire danger is present across the western third of Texas today, and this risk will move eastward on Tuesday, affecting the western two-thirds of the state. Tomorrow is likely to be one of the highest wildfire threat days we’ve seen since the significant outbreaks in 2011, including the Bastrop Complex and other major wildland-urban interface events in the Hill Country, Central Texas, and South-Central Texas.
Prepare for very strong and potentially damaging winds, which will increase the likelihood of tree and infrastructure damage, elevating the risk of fire ignitions. This is a serious, particularly dangerous situation, particularly for those residing in wildland-urban interface areas (WUI), as the threat of wind-driven, uncontrollable wildfires is heightened.
Residents in the western two-thirds of Texas must take this seriously: review your escape routes and be ready to evacuate immediately if emergency officials issue an order or if a fire approaches your location. Severe fire weather is a real and present danger, and tomorrow serves as a clear reminder of the urgent need for preparedness against wildfires in Texas.
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Here’s a new statement for tomorrow in the fire weather outlook: “Widespread sustained west/northwesterly winds of 30-40 mph are expected, with gusts of 50-60 mph possible across much of south-central TX. The potentially historic wind/relative humidity overlap will support widespread critical and extremely critical fire-weather conditions over very dry and heavy fuels loads. Energy Release Components (ERC) and 10 hr fuel moisture values above the 90th and below the 10th percentiles respectively will undergo further drying to near record levels through the day as winds increase. The combination of extreme weather and very receptive fuels will likely support very high-volume initial attack, extreme rates of spread, and uncontrollable fire behavior.”
