Wildfire in Texas, March 3, 2008

Name: Wildfire in Texas, March 3, 2008
Start: 2008-03-03T12:00
End: 2008-03-03T20:00
Location: Texas

March 3, 2008 · NWS BRO · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

The passage of another vigorous surface trough and associated cold front maintained strong and gusty winds behind it, with frequent sustained winds above 30 mph and gusts at or above 40 mph in many locations for a while during the afternoon of March 3rd. Unfortunately, the gusty northwest winds and rapidly falling humidity contributed to the spread of several wild fires, particularly across the…

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $1,000
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.

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 Mar 3, 9:26 AM CST, 2 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 3, 9:26 AM CST, 2 hours 34 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
926 AM CST MON MAR 3 2008

.DISCUSSION...SURFACE OBSERVATIONS FROM LAREDO...COTULLA...AND
HONDO INDICATE THAT STRONG WINDS ARE DEVELOPING IN THE WAKE OF A
COLD FRONT...CURRENTLY LOCATED IN DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FROM FALFURRIAS
TO ROMA. AND...LATEST FWC MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS WINDS OF 25 TO
30 KNOTS WILL PREVAIL IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT UNTIL EARLY THIS
EVENING. THUS...HAVE POSTED A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE ENTIRE BRO
CWFA UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING. UPDATED ZONE FORECAST ALREADY
OUT.
&&

.MARINE...AT 9 AM BUOY020 REPORTED A SOUTH WINDS AT 25G31KTS WITH
SEAS NEAR 9 FT. THE STRONG SOUTH WINDS WILL CONTINUE AHEAD OF THE
COLD FRONT CURRENTLY MOVING ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS THIS MORNING.
THE WINDS WILL QUICKLY SWITCH AROUND TO THE NORTHWEST BEGINNING
AROUND NOON AS THE FRONT PASSES. NORTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 KNOTS
WITH GUSTS TO 40 ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
THE MARINE CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE QUICKLY LATE TUESDAY AS HIGH
PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE NORTHWEST GULF...WITH CALMING WINDS AND
LOW SEA SWELLS. THE BREEZY SOUTHEAST FLOW WILL RETURN ON WEDNESDAY
IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT...WHICH IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE
THURSDAY AROUND NOON. THE WINDS BEHIND THAT FRONT WILL ALSO BE
GUSTY...BUT ARE CURRENTLY EXPECTED TO REMAIN JUST BELOW GALE
CRITERIA. CURRENT SCA AND GALE WARNING ALIGNMENT LOOKS ON TRACK
WITH NO CHANGES NEEDED.
&&

.AVIATION...ONCE AGAIN...THE MAIN CONCERN FOR AVIATION WILL BE THE
WIND SPEEDS AND DIRECTION TODAY.  SURFACE OBS FROM OUR NORTH
INDICATE THAT THE FRONT HAS CLEARED THROUGH LRD AND HBV WITH STRONG
NW WINDS INDICATED AT 25G35KTS. SEE NO REASON FOR THESE TO DIMINISH
OVER THE LOWER RGV OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS AS THE COLD FRONT
CLEARS THROUGH THE REGION. HAVE ISSUED AN AWW FOR THE BRO AREA FOR
CONTINUED GUSTS TO NEAR 35 KTS.  VSBL SATL INDICATES FAIRLY LIMITED
CLD COVER AHEAD OF AND IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT. LOWERED CEILINGS
WILL LIKELY HOLD ON FOR A FEW MORE HOURS WITH SCT-SKC CONDITIONS
RETURNING THIS AFTERNOON.
&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL  84  51  66  57 /   0   0   0   0
BROWNSVILLE          86  50  67  57 /   0   0   0   0
HARLINGEN            85  49  68  54 /   0   0   0   0
MCALLEN              84  49  69  52 /   0   0   0   0
RIO GRANDE CITY      78  49  69  50 /   0   0   0   0
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND   78  52  63  59 /   0   0   0   0
&&

.BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY TXZ248>257 UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING.
RED FLAG WARNING TXZ248>257 UNTIL 10 PM CST TONIGHT.
SCA GMZ150-155-170-175 UNTIL 12 PM CST TODAY.
GLW GMZ150-155-170-175 12 PM CST TODAY UNTIL 6 AM CST TUE.
SCA GMZ130-132-135 UNTIL 6 AM CST TUE.
&&

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

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

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 3, 8:35 AM CST, 3 hours 25 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
835 AM CST MON MAR 3 2008

TXZ248>257-041115-
ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY-
INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON-
835 AM CST MON MAR 3 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...REST OF TODAY AND TONIGHT

STRONG SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS
THIS MORNING FROM 25 TO 35 MPH. A COLD FRONT WILL THEN MOVE THROUGH
DEEP SOUTH TEXAS AROUND MIDDAY...SWITCHING THE WINDS TO THE
NORTHWEST AT 25 TO 35 MILES PER HOUR WITH SOME HIGH GUSTS POSSIBLE.
THIS COMBINED WITH MUCH DRIER AIR BEHIND THE FRONT WILL BRING A
CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER DANGER TO THE REGION. A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN
EFFECT FOR ALL OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS UNTIL 10PM. A WIND ADVISORY IS
ALSO IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

EXTREME TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER DANGER CONTINUES FOR DEEP SOUTH
TEXAS WITH GUSTY WINDS AND LOWER HUMIDITY...ESPECIALLY ON THURSDAY
IN THE WAKE OF ANOTHER COLD FRONT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-041115-
LAGUNA MADRE FROM THE PORT OF BROWNSVILLE TO THE ARROYO COLORADO-
LAGUNA MADRE FROM THE ARROYO COLORADO TO 5 NM NORTH OF PORT
MANSFIELD TX-
LAGUNA MADRE FROM 5 NM NORTH OF PORT MANSFIELD TO BAFFIN BAY TX-
COASTAL WATERS FROM PORT MANSFIELD TO RIO GRANDE OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT MANSFIELD OUT 20 NM-
WATERS FROM PORT MANSFIELD TO RIO GRANDE EXTENDING FROM 20 TO
60 NM-
WATERS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT MANSFIELD EXTENDING FROM 20 TO
60 NM-
835 AM CST MON MAR 3 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE
LAGUNA MADRE.

.DAY ONE...REST OF TODAY AND TONIGHT

A COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE LOWER TEXAS COASTAL WATERS EARLY
THIS AFTERNOON...BRINGING GUSTY NORTH WINDS AND INCREASED SWELLS. A
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE LAGUNA MADRE...WHILE A
GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE GULF WATERS. BOTH THE SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORY AND GALE WARNING ARE IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM TUESDAY MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES ARE AGAIN EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY IN ADVANCE
OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT...AND THURSDAY BEHIND THIS COLD FRONT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

SPEECE

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, Jim Hogg

When: March 3, 12:00 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)

The Alta Vista Fire, located near Farm-to-Market (FM) road 1017 20 miles north of La Gloria (Starr County) burned 3000 acres in the Alta Vista Ranch during at least the afternoon and evening of March 3rd. |No homes or structures were threatened. Several local fire departments and other agencies from Hidalgo, Starr and Jim Hogg County responded.

Wildfire, Zapata

When: March 3, 12:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Zapata forecast zone
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: Park/Forest Service
Coordinates: 27.001, -99.169 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The La Perla Fire developed rapidly and spread to 1011 acres on the La Perla Ranch, just 5 miles from the town of San Ygnacio. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for the town by Emergency Management officials. The evacuees went to the Zapata Community Center. Six homes were threatened; one outbuilding was destroyed. The evacuation order was lifted by the 4th as the winds subsided and the fire was contained. Responders included personnel from Zapata County and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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, March 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: 91518, 91523.