Name: Wildfire in Texas, February 5, 2008
Start: 2008-02-05T14:00
End: 2008-02-05T20:00
Location: Texas

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 BRO wrote it up.

Strong and Gusty winds on February 4th into early on the 5th, followed by a hot and dry afternoon with temperatures near 100 and humidity below 20 percent, set the stage for high wildfire growth potential. One notable wildfire developed in the central Lower Rio Grande Valley that afternoon.

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 Brownsville, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 5, 1:50 PM CST, 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 5, 1:50 PM CST, 10 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
150 PM CST TUE FEB 5 2008

.DISCUSSION...COLD FRONT APPROACHING FROM NORTHWEST NOW LOCATED
ROUGHLY ALONG AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO/COTULLA/LAREDO LINE. COLD FRONT
EXPECTED TO PASS COMPLETELY THROUGH DEEP SOUTH TEXAS BY MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT...AND THROUGH ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS SHORTLY THEREAFTER.
UNTIL THEN...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS
AFTERNOON. SUSTAINED WIND AT BRO OF 180/42 AT 1850...170/36 AT
1814 AT HRL...AND 160/27 AT 1555 AT MFE OBSERVED THUS FAR TODAY.
IN THE WAKE OF THE COLD FRONT WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...DRY
WEATHER WITH CLEAR SKIES AND MILD TEMPERATURES WILL PREVAIL DUE
TO MID-LEVEL NORTHWEST-TO-SOUTHEAST FLOW AND QUICKLY REDEVELOPING
ONSHORE FLOW. WEAK COLD FRONT WASHES OUT JUST NORTH OF BRO CWFA
SATURDAY...WITH INCREASING CLOUD COVER THAT DAY THROUGH SUNDAY
...SERVING TO HOLD DOWN TEMPERATURES SLIGHTLY FOR THE WEEKEND.
MID-LEVEL FLOW TURNS TO OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST EARLY NEXT WEEK...
HOLDING IN CLOUDS... WITH WEAK DISTURBANCES RIDING OVERHEAD TO
SPARK ISOLATED SHOWERS AT THAT TIME.
&&

.MARINE...BUOY020 CURRENTLY SHOWS A SOUTH WIND OF 20G27KTS WITH
SWELLS AROUND 8.5 FT. MTRPIL REPORTS A SOUTH WIND OF 24G34KTS.
PRETTY HAZARDOUS BAY AND GULF CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE IN THE SHORT
TERM WITH THE SURFACE WINDS SHIFTING AROUND TO THE NW-N LATER
TONIGHT INTO WED MORNING. THE BAY AND GULF WATERS WILL LIKELY SEE
ONLY A BRIEF BREAK IN THE STRONG SURFACE WINDS WITH THE COLD FRONT
CLEARING THROUGH THE BRO MARINE AREAS FROM 02-06Z THIS EVENING.
DESPITE THE BRIEF LULL IN THE PGF AS THE FRONT GETS CLOSER TO THE TX
COASTLINE...WILL LEAVE THE SCA IN PLACE FOR ALL MARINE ZONES INTO
THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. THE PGF WILL REMAIN PRETTY STRONG INTO EARLY
WEDNESDAY WITH THE GRADIENT FLOW FINALLY WEAKENING OUT LATE WED INTO
THURS. A FAIRLY LIGHT PGF WILL PERSIST INTO FRI AS SURFACE RIDGING
TO OUR EAST MAINTAINS A LIGHT TO MODERATE S-SE FLOW ALONG THE
COASTLINE. ANOTHER SERIES OF MILD COLD FRONTS WILL PUSH INTO THE
LOWER TX COASTLINE THIS COMING WEEKEND WHICH WILL BUILD A STRONGER
EASTERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW.  THIS WILL PUSH WINDS AND WAVES BACK TO
NEAR SCA LEVELS LATE IN THE CWF PERIOD ESPECIALLY FOR THE OFFSHORE
MARINE ZONES.
&&

.AVIATION...THE MAIN CONCERN FOR AVIATION INTERESTS REMAINS THE
STRONG SOUTHERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW CURRENTLY BATTERING THE HRL AND BRO
AIRPORTS. THE STRONGEST SURFACE WINDS WILL LIKELY PERSIST ON FOR A
FEW MORE HOURS UNTIL THE PGF IS FINALLY WEAKENED WITH THE APPROACH
OF THE COLD FRONT THAT IS CURRENTLY CLEARING THROUGH CENTRAL TX.
THE SURFACE WINDS AT KCOT HAVE SHIFTED AROUND TO THE WNW AT 15 TO 20
KTS. VSBL SATL IMAGERY SHOWS SOME LOW LEVEL SC DECKS TO THE EAST AND
SOUTH OF THE LOWER RGV...BUT DO NOT EXPECT LONG TERM CEILING
PROBLEMS DUE TO THESE CLD DECKS. WILL SHIFT THE SURFACE WINDS AROUND
TO A MORE WEST TO NORTHERLY DIRECTION LATER THIS EVENING AND
TONIGHT.  VSBL SATL SHOWS LITTLE POST FRONTAL CLD COVER AND WILL
REFLECT THIS IN THE CURRENT TAF SET WITH VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO
PREVAIL.
&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL  54  73  51  78 /   0   0   0   0
BROWNSVILLE          57  77  50  79 /   0   0   0   0
HARLINGEN            54  74  48  80 /   0   0   0   0
MCALLEN              58  77  50  78 /   0   0   0   0
RIO GRANDE CITY      56  77  51  77 /   0   0   0   0
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND   56  74  53  77 /   0   0   0   0
&&

.BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR TXZ250-251-
     253>257.

GM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 12 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR GMZ130-132-
     135-150-155-170-175.
&&

THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT:
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BROWNSVILLE

SYNOPTIC/GRIDS...TOMASELLI/66
MARINE/AVIATION...SPEECE/60
HMT/MESO...MARTINEZ

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 5, 5:37 AM CST, 8 hours 23 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
537 AM CST TUE FEB 5 2008

TXZ250-251-253>257-061145-
BROOKS-KENEDY-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY-INLAND CAMERON-
COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON-
537 AM CST TUE FEB 5 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE LOWER TEXAS COAST IN COMBINATION
WITH A STRONG LOW LEVEL JET WILL PRODUCE STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS
ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS TODAY. A WIND ADVISORY
IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 6 PM TODAY.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF
THE LOWER TEXAS COAST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS THE STRONG SOUTH
WINDS CONTINUE TO PRODUCE HIGH SEAS. THESE HIGH SEAS WILL PROVIDE A
HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE SURF OF AREA BEACHES. SMALL
CRAFT ADVISORIES WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED FOR THE COASTAL WATERS
TONIGHT AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH DEEP SOUTH TEXAS THIS EVENING.

THE STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS FOLLOWED BY THE COLD FRONT MOVING
THROUGH THE AREA THIS EVENING WILL INCREASE THE THREAT FOR ERRATIC
WILDFIRE DANGER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED FOR THE OFFSHORE
WATERS OF THE LOWER TEXAS COAST WEDNESDAY. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER
IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

TXZ248-249-252-061145-
ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-STARR-
537 AM CST TUE FEB 5 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS FOLLOWED BY A DRY COLD FRONT MOVING
THROUGH THE AREA THIS EVENING WILL INCREASE THE THREAT FOR ERRATIC
WILDFIRE DANGER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Brooks

When: February 5, 2:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Brooks forecast zone
Reported by: Park/Forest Service
Coordinates: 27.032, -98.219 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A 2,300-acre wildfire erupted at the San Rafael Ranch, located along the Jim Hogg/Brooks County line, along Farm to Market (FM) Road 755 by the Kelsy Curve, 10 miles north of FM 1017, threatened 3 structures, all of which were saved. Numerous Fire Departments, Jim Hogg Sheriff’s Office, Texas Forest Service, and the Hidalgo County Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) responded. Civil Air Patrol aircraft performed two smoke detection reconnaissance runs, which were able to help contain the fire quickly.

Wildfire, Jim Hogg

When: February 5, 2:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Jim Hogg forecast zone
Reported by: Park/Forest Service
Coordinates: 27.043, -98.697 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A 2,300-acre wildfire erupted at the San Rafael Ranch, located along the Jim Hogg/Brooks County line, along Farm to Market (FM) Road 755 by the Kelsy Curve, 10 miles north of FM 1017, threatened 3 structures, all of which were saved. Numerous Fire Departments, Jim Hogg Sheriff’s Office, Texas Forest Service, and the Hidalgo County Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) responded. Civil Air Patrol aircraft performed two smoke detection reconnaissance runs, which were able to help contain the fire quickly.

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

More

Every storm in Texas in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, February 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: 85228, 85230.