Wildfire in Texas, April 24 to 25, 2008

Name: Wildfire in Texas, April 24 to 25, 2008
Start: 2008-04-24T16:00
End: 2008-04-25T19:00
Location: Texas

April 24 to 25, 2008 · NWS AMA · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The North Channing Wildland Fire started nine miles southwest of Hartley at 1600 CST and burned one thousand two hundred and ninety-five acres. S.

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.

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Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
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Fire, smoke and dust
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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.

The North Channing Wildland Fire started nine miles southwest of Hartley at 1600 CST and burned one thousand two hundred and ninety-five acres. The wildfire was located west of U.S. Highway 385 to the northwest of Channing. Air tankers were requested by the Texas Forest Service however there was not enough daylight left to safely accomplish the mission. Fortunately no damage or injuries were reported from this fire as six residences and twelve outbuildings were saved. This fire was contained around 1900 CST on April 25.

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 Apr 24, 2:40 PM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 24, 2:40 PM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
340 PM CDT THU APR 24 2008

.DISCUSSION...
MAIN FORECAST CONCERN WILL BE ON THUNDERSTORM CHANCES SAT NIGHT.

MOST IMMEDIATE CONCERN IN THE SHORT TERM IS THE ONGOING RED FLAG
WARNING. A RATHER SHARP MOISTURE GRADIENT EXISTS FROM WEST TO EAST
ACROSS THE AREA AS EVIDENT IN SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AS DEWPOINTS IN
THE MID TO UPPER 50S WERE IN WESTERN OK WHILE DEWPOINTS IN THE TEENS
WERE IN NORTHEAST NM. SURFACE WINDS HAVE INCREASED DRAMATICALLY
DURING THE DAY...LIKELY AIDED BY STRONG DAYTIME MIXING. SINCE THE
WESTERN AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE TX AND OK PANHANDLES HAVE HAD NO
TROUBLE REACHING RED FLAG CRITERIA...WILL LET THE CURRENT RED FLAG
WARNING CONTINUE UNTIL THIS EVENING.

BROAD UPPER TROUGH OVER THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST MOVES INTO THE
CENTRAL ROCKIES BY TOMORROW EVENING WITH A SURFACE LOW OVER THE
PANHANDLES LIFTING NORTHEAST INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS TOMORROW MORNING.
A FEW LEAD SHORTWAVES WILL ALSO MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND
GIVEN THE DRY AIRMASS ACROSS THE AREA...EXPECT SKIES TO REMAIN CLEAR
TONIGHT. LOWS TONIGHT WILL BE SLIGHTLY COOLER AS CLEAR SKIES AND DRY
AIR ALLOW FOR GOOD RADIATIONAL COOLING.

A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE SURFACE LOW WILL SLIDE ACROSS THE
AREA TOMORROW MORNING. FORECAST SOUNDINGS AND TIME/HEIGHT CROSS
SECTIONS STILL SHOW A FAIRLY DRY AIRMASS ACROSS THE AREA...SO PRECIP
CHANCES LOOK UNLIKELY. IN ADDITION WEAK ANTICYCLONE WILL BUILD INTO
THE CENTRAL PLAINS WITH WEAK SUBSIDENCE KEEPING SKIES MOSTLY SUNNY.
TEMPS WILL BE COOLER HOWEVER AS STRONG CAA WILL OFFSET ANY DAYTIME
SOLAR INSOLATION...CAUSING HIGH TEMPS TO BE SOME 15 TO 20 DEGREES
COOLER.

A SECONDARY UPPER TROUGH WILL DROP SOUTH INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS SAT
AND DRAGS A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE AREA. THIS FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH
FAIRLY QUICKLY AND ALTHOUGH SOUTHERLY SURFACE WINDS WILL RESULT IN
STRONGER LLVL MOISTURE ADVECTION...SOME CONCERN ON THE DEGREE OF
MOISTURE TRANSPORT ANTICIPATED. BOTH THE GFS AND NAM SHOW THE DRYLINE
STAYING WEST OF THE CWA...HOWEVER MODELS INDICATE THE BEST MOISTURE
ALIGNING SOUTHEAST OF THE CWA. SINCE CANNOT RULE OUT TSRA...INCREASED
POPS ACROSS THE AREA SAT NIGHT WITH POPS INCREASING FROM WEST TO EAST.

DRY AND COOLER CONDITIONS RETURN SUN WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING
INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. FOR NEXT WEEK...DRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE
WITH AN UPPER TROUGH DEEPENING OUT EAST AND BROAD RIDGING TAKES PLACE
ACROSS MUCH OF THE CONUS. TEMPS ARE ALSO EXPECTING TO WARM THROUGH
THE PERIOD WITH HIGH TEMPS REBOUNDING BACK INTO THE 80S BY MIDWEEK.

CLK

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
AMARILLO TX                44  69  40  71  38 /   5   5   5  10  30
BEAVER OK                  46  66  38  73  36 /  10   5   5  10  30
BOISE CITY OK              42  66  36  65  35 /   5   0   5  10  20
BORGER TX                  50  68  47  72  41 /   5   5   5  10  30
BOYS RANCH TX              45  70  41  72  39 /   5   5   5  10  30
CANYON TX                  44  70  40  72  38 /   5   5   5  10  30
CLARENDON TX               52  73  43  71  43 /  10   5   5  10  30
DALHART TX                 45  69  35  69  36 /   5   5   5  10  20
GUYMON OK                  45  66  37  66  39 /  10   5   5  10  20
HEREFORD TX                45  71  41  75  38 /  10   5   5  10  30
LIPSCOMB TX                48  68  39  75  41 /  10   5   5  10  30
PAMPA TX                   48  68  45  72  41 /  10   5   5  10  30
SHAMROCK TX                55  73  43  73  44 /  10   5  10  10  40
WELLINGTON TX              55  75  45  73  45 /  10   5  10  10  40

&&

.AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: ARMSTRONG...CARSON...DALLAM...DEAF SMITH...
     HANSFORD...HARTLEY...HUTCHINSON...MOORE...OLDHAM...POTTER...
     RANDALL...SHERMAN.

OK...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: CIMARRON...TEXAS.

&&

11/05

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 24, 2:49 PM CST, 1 hour 11 minutes before

TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
349 PM CDT THU APR 24 2008

OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-251100-
ARMSTRONG-BEAVER-CARSON-CIMARRON-COLLINGSWORTH-DALLAM-DEAF SMITH-
DONLEY-GRAY-HANSFORD-HARTLEY-HEMPHILL-HUTCHINSON-LIPSCOMB-MOORE-
OCHILTREE-OLDHAM-POTTER-RANDALL-ROBERTS-SHERMAN-TEXAS-WHEELER-
349 PM CDT THU APR 24 2008

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

.DAY ONE...

DRY AIR AND STRONG WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE THE FIRE
DANGER TODAY. A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS
EVENING FOR THE CENTRAL TO WESTERN TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES.

ALSO...BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL REQUIRE BOATERS TO EXERCISE CAUTION
ON AREA LAKES THROUGH THIS EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN SATURDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE
CENTRAL TO SOUTHEAST PANHANDLES. AT THIS TIME...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE NOT ANTICIPATED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT.

SCHNEIDER

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 24, 11:45 AM CST, 4 hours 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
1245 PM CDT THU APR 24 2008

..TIME..    ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE..    ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1137 AM     HAIL             1 N CANADIAN            35.93N 100.38W
04/23/2008  E0.75 INCH       HEMPHILL           TX   BROADCAST MEDIA

            THREE QUARTER INCH HAIL AT THE CANADIAN RIVER BRIDGE ON
            HIGHWAY 83

1254 PM     HAIL             7 NW KELLERVILLE        35.44N 100.59W
04/23/2008  E0.88 INCH       GRAY               TX   PUBLIC

            COUNTY ROAD L

0155 PM     TSTM WND GST     1 E MCLEAN              35.23N 100.58W
04/23/2008  M73 MPH          GRAY               TX   MESONET

0155 PM     TSTM WND DMG     MCLEAN                  35.23N 100.60W
04/23/2008                   GRAY               TX   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            PART OF A TAR ROOF BLOWN OFF OF THE OLD PART OF THE
            FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. POWER LINES KNOCKED DOWN ON THE
            WEST SIDE OF MCLEAN.

0200 PM     HAIL             GRUVER                  36.26N 101.41W
04/23/2008  E0.75 INCH       HANSFORD           TX   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            PENNY SIZE HAIL

0200 PM     HAIL             8 NE CHANNING           35.77N 102.24W
04/23/2008  E0.88 INCH       HARTLEY            TX   PUBLIC

            SEVERAL BRANCHES ALSO BROKEN

0245 PM     HAIL             HARDESTY                36.61N 101.19W
04/23/2008  E0.75 INCH       TEXAS              OK   PUBLIC

0245 PM     HAIL             1 NW HARDESTY           36.62N 101.21W
04/23/2008  E1.00 INCH       TEXAS              OK   TRAINED SPOTTER

            QUARTER SIZE HAIL STRIPPED TREES OF THEIR LEAVES IN
            HARDESTY

0335 PM     TSTM WND GST     1 SSW BEAVER            36.80N 100.53W
04/23/2008  M58 MPH          BEAVER             OK   MESONET

0340 PM     TSTM WND GST     1 SSW BEAVER            36.80N 100.53W
04/23/2008  M60 MPH          BEAVER             OK   MESONET

&&

EVENT NUMBER 00172 00173 00174 00181 00175 00180 00176 00177 00178
00179

KJS

Local storm report, Apr 24, 1:12 PM CST, 2 hours 48 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
212 PM CDT THU APR 24 2008

..TIME..    ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE..    ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0204 PM     HAIL             2 NW HARTLEY            35.91N 102.42W
04/23/2008  E0.88 INCH       HARTLEY            TX   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            NICKLE SIZE HAIL

&&

EVENT NUMBER 00182

JKJ

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, Hartley

When: April 24, 4:00 PM CST to April 25, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Hartley forecast zone
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates: 35.840, -102.603 (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 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, April 2008

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: 96222.