Wildfire in Texas, December 7, 2007

Name: Wildfire in Texas, December 7, 2007
Start: 2007-12-07T16:00
End: 2007-12-07T18:30
Location: Texas

December 7, 2007 · NWS AMA · 1 event in 1 county or zone

or seven miles east of Bushland. The wildfire traveled northeast to just south of W Ninth Avenue and just west of N Soncy Road (Loop 335).

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $12,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS AMA wrote it up.

A large wildfire started on the west side of Amarillo just north of Amarillo Boulevard W between Helium Road and N Soncy Road...Loop 335...or seven miles east of Bushland. The wildfire traveled northeast to just south of W Ninth Avenue and just west of N Soncy Road (Loop 335). The fire consumed approximately five hundred acres of undeveloped land and destroyed an eight thousand square foot barn. No injuries were reported...however two people had to be evacuated from the barn. The wildfire was brought under control at 1830 CST.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 7, 2:48 PM CST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 7, 2:48 PM CST, 1 hour 12 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
248 PM CST FRI DEC 7 2007

.DISCUSSION...
BIGGEST FORECAST CONCERNS ARE TIMING AND LOCATION OF WINTER WEATHER
PRECIP. MSAS SHOWING SURFACE LOW OVER EASTERN/NORTHEASTERN NM WITH
BOUNDARY OF SHALLOW COLD MODIFIED CANADIAN AIRMASS LOCATED FROM THE
SURFACE LOW SOUTHEASTWARD INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN TX PANHANDLE.
BOUNDARY HAD BEEN SLOWLY DRIFTING NORTHEAST ALLOWING THE SOUTHWEST
SECTIONS OF THE TX PANHANDLE TO CLIMB INTO THE LOWER 70S THIS
AFTERNOON WITH GUSTY DOWNSLOPING SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS. BEHIND THE
FRONTAL BOUNDARY...TEMPS HAVE REMAINED IN THE 30S WITH LOW OVERCAST
AND AREAS OF FOG...LOCALLY DENSE IN SPOTS. DECIDED TO HOIST A DENSE
FOG ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY MORNING FOR THE EASTERN
TWO-THIRDS OF THE OK PANHANDLE AND THE EASTERN THIRD OF THE TX
PANHANDLE...ALONG AND OFF THE CAPROCK. CANNOT RULE OUT DENSE FOG
FURTHER WEST AND ALSO THE POSSIBILITY OF DRIZZLE OR FREEZING DRIZZLE
IN THE LOW CLOUDS AND FOG.

COLD AIRMASS SHOULD CONTINUE TO ADVECT INTO THE REMAINDER OF THE
PANHANDLES SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. MODELS NOT FORECASTING MUCH
IN THE WAY OF ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE UNTIL LATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...AND
THE DEEP MOISTURE DOES NOT ARRIVE UNTIL LATE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO
MONDAY WITH THE SECOND WAVE. INITIAL SHORTWAVE TRACKS FURTHER TO THE
NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA LATE IN THE WEEKEND KEEPING THE BULK OF
THE UPPER LEVEL ENERGY AND PRECIP WEST AND NORTH OF THE PANHANDLES.
WILL MAINTAIN GENERALLY SLIGHT CHANCE TO LOW END CHANCE POPS THROUGH
SUNDAY NIGHT. SECOND UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM LIFTS NORTHEAST OUT OF BAJA
CA AND NORTHWEST OLD MEXICO BY EARLY NEXT WEEK INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN
STATES BY MONDAY. EXPECT INCREASING CHANCES FOR MAINLY FREEZING
PRECIP AS WARM MOIST AIR OVERRIDES THE SHALLOW COLD AIR AT THE
SURFACE. FEEL THAT A MAINLY FREEZING RAIN AND/OR SLEET EPISODE
EXPECTED SUNDAY NIGHT/MONDAY INTO TUESDAY/TUESDAY NIGHT. PRECIP MAY
CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW BY THE END OF THE EVENT TUESDAY AND TUESDAY
NIGHT. DUE TO THE LOW CONFIDENCE IN THE TIMING AND EXTENT OF THE
PRECIP...WILL HOLD OFF ISSUING ANY WINTER WEATHER PRODUCTS THIS EARLY
AND LET LATER SHIFTS EVALUATE THE SITUATION FURTHER.

REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PACKAGE LOOKS RIGHT ON TRACK WEDNESDAY
THROUGH FRIDAY AND WILL ONLY MAKE SOME MINOR CHANGES. DRY WITH A
WARNING TREND MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK TO THE END OF NEXT WEEK.

THANKS WFO/S OUN...DDC AND LUB FOR COORDINATION.

SCHNEIDER

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
AMARILLO TX                36  59  26  31  19 /   5   5  20  20  20
BEAVER OK                  31  40  18  29  18 /  10   5  30  30  20
BOISE CITY OK              33  48  16  28  16 /  10  10  30  30  20
BORGER TX                  37  59  26  31  17 /   5   0  30  20  20
BOYS RANCH TX              39  59  28  31  21 /   5   5  20  20  20
CANYON TX                  37  61  26  32  22 /   5   5  20  20  20
CLARENDON TX               37  60  30  34  23 /  10   0  20  20  20
DALHART TX                 33  52  22  29  17 /   5   5  20  30  20
GUYMON OK                  28  42  17  27  16 /  10  10  30  30  20
HEREFORD TX                39  61  29  32  22 /   5   5  20  20  20
LIPSCOMB TX                33  47  21  30  21 /  10   5  30  30  20
PAMPA TX                   38  55  24  31  18 /   5   0  30  20  20
SHAMROCK TX                36  55  26  36  25 /  10   5  20  30  20
WELLINGTON TX              36  58  29  39  26 /  10   5  20  30  20

&&

.AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...DENSE FOG ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM CST SATURDAY
     FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: COLLINGSWORTH...DONLEY...GRAY...
     HEMPHILL...LIPSCOMB...OCHILTREE...ROBERTS...WHEELER.

OK...DENSE FOG ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM CST SATURDAY
     FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BEAVER...TEXAS.

&&

11/05

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 7, 2:49 PM CST, 1 hour 11 minutes before

TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
249 PM CST FRI DEC 7 2007

OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-081200-
ARMSTRONG-BEAVER-CARSON-CIMARRON-COLLINGSWORTH-DALLAM-DEAF SMITH-
DONLEY-GRAY-HANSFORD-HARTLEY-HEMPHILL-HUTCHINSON-LIPSCOMB-MOORE-
OCHILTREE-OLDHAM-POTTER-RANDALL-ROBERTS-SHERMAN-TEXAS-WHEELER-
249 PM CST FRI DEC 7 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLES.

.DAY ONE...

CAUTION IS ADVISED ON AREA LAKES THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST
TEXAS PANHANDLE DUE TO 20 TO 30 MPH SOUTHWEST WINDS.

A DENSE FOG ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE EASTERN TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLES TONIGHT. THE FOG WILL REDUCE VISIBILITY TO LESS THAN ONE
QUARTER MILE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

FREEZING RAIN...SLEET AND SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH
TUESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.

SP

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Potter

When: December 7, 4:00 PM CST to 6:30 PM CST
Where: Potter forecast zone
Property damage: $12,000
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 35.401, -101.894 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, December 2007

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 63741.