Dry and windy conditions resulted in explosive fire conditions in north Texas on this day. Some wildfires were rekindled fires that had been smoldering from earlier in the week.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS FWD wrote it up.
Dry and windy conditions resulted in explosive fire conditions in north Texas on this day. Some wildfires were rekindled fires that had been smoldering from earlier in the week. These wildfires burned tens of thousands of acres, multiple structures, and killed cattle. Two fatalities occurred in Stoenburg as a couple tried to protect their home. Several of the fires were being fought or watched until April 11th and 12th when rain brought relief to parts of north Texas.
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 Fort Worth, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 9, 9:32 AM CST, 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1032 AM CDT THU APR 9 2009 .UPDATE... FORECAST IN GOOD SHAPE. ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO HOURLY TEMP AND DEWPOINTS NEEDED. SCHULTZ && .AVIATION... GENERALLY HELD TO PERSISTENCE TO PREVIOUS TAF SET...THOUGH A FEW MINOR CHANGES. BRIEF MVFR CIGS ASSOCIATED WITH 50KT+ LLJ TO OCCUR ALONG/E OF I-35...BUT HAVE REMOVED FROM KFTW/KAFW FOR NOW PER LLJ TRAJECTORY. WILL LEAVE LLWS MENTION THRU 15Z OR UNTIL RAPID MIXING OCCURS LATE A.M AND SCOURS OUT LL MSTR. OTHERWISE...DRYLINE OVER WEST TX WILL SHUNT RAPIDLY EWD ACROSS N TX BY 18Z/AFTER...AS DEEP SFC LOW TREKS EWD ACROSS CENTRAL OK. WINDS WILL VEER SWLY AND AVERAGE 25 TO 35 KTS...W/HIGHER GSTS BEHIND DRYLINE WITH SOME BLDU PSBL OVR WRN N TX...BUT WILL LEAVE OUT OF ARPTS FOR NOW. ALSO... SEVERE CROSSWINDS EXPECTED ON N-S RUNWAYS AT KDFW/KDAL. WDLY SCT TSRA SHD DEVELOP E OF ALL N TX ARPTS. BOUNDARY DECOUPLES ENOUGH AFTER 00Z FOR A WLY FLO 10-15 KTS...BEFORE CD FROPA OCCURS AT D/FW ARPTS ARND 06Z...WITH A PASSAGE OF 09Z-10Z AT KACT. NW FLO 15-20 KTS XPCTD BEHIND FROPA. 05/ && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 432 AM CDT THU APR 9 2009/ /CLOUDCOVER/ SOME WEAK ELEVATED CONVECTION IN WEST TEXAS OVERNIGHT HAS MOSTLY DISSIPATED. THE ASSOCIATED MID AND HIGH CLOUDS WILL CLUTTER THE SKIES OF WESTERN ZONES THIS MORNING...BUT WILL EXIT TO THE NORTH IN RAPID SOUTHERLY FLOW ALOFT. STRATUS INVADING SOUTHEAST ZONES WILL PERSIST MUCH OF THE MORNING. /WINDS/ A DRYLINE WILL SURGE EAST INTO NORTH TEXAS TODAY. DEEP MIXING WILL ENSUE WEST OF THE BOUNDARY. WHILE STRONG...MODEL WINDS ABOVE THE SURFACE LAYER APPEAR TOO LOW. WITH 65KTS AT 3KFT AGL ON FWS VWP... AN EXTRAORDINARILY WINDY DAY IS ASSURED. SUSTAINED SPEEDS WEST OF THE DRYLINE WILL BE 25 TO 35 MPH...WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH. THE WIND ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE...EXPANDED SLIGHTLY TO INCLUDE A FEW A COUNTIES THAT WILL BE POST-DRYLINE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON. HIGH WIND WARNING CRITERIA OF SUSTAINED 39 MPH FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR WILL LIKELY NOT BE MET...BUT WILL BEAR WATCHING FOR FAR WESTERN ZONES. WITH STRONGER WINDS TO THE WEST OF FWD CWA...BLOWING DUST FROM THE BIG COUNTRY (AND OTHER AREAS ALSO IN SEVERE DROUGHT) MAY ENTER WESTERN ZONES THIS AFTERNOON. /TEMPERATURES/ THE CLOUDCOVER MAY STUNT TEMPERATURES A BIT...BUT POST-DRYLINE READINGS SHOULD EASILY REACH THE MID 80S. AS MIXING DEEPENS... TEMPS MAY LEVEL OFF WITHIN A COUPLE HOURS OF DRYLINE PASSAGE AS AIR FROM 700MB MIXES TO THE SURFACE. A COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY WILL BE NOTICEABLY COOLER. /FIRE WEATHER/ RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN EXPANDED IN AREAL COVERAGE. WEST OF THE DRYLINE...STRONG WINDS AND VERY LOW HUMIDITY WILL CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL. WHERE DEW POINTS FALL UNDER 20F...TEMPS IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S WILL RESULT IN RH VALUES UNDER 10 PERCENT. /CONVECTION/ THE VIGOROUS WARM AND DRY ADVECTION ABOVE THE BOUNDARY LAYER WILL MAINTAIN A SIGNIFICANT CAPPING INVERSION EAST OF THE DRYLINE. AS DRYLINE PEELS UP THIN MOIST LAYER...MECHANICAL FORCING MAY BE SUFFICIENT FOR SCATTERED CONVECTION. BY THE TIME THE SURFACE LAYER IS ADEQUATELY BUOYANT...THE DRYLINE WILL LIKELY BE EAST OF I-35. STILL ANTICIPATE BRIEF WINDOW FOR SEVERE POTENTIAL WITH POTENT MLCAPE (IN EXCESS OF 2000J/KG MID TO LATE AFTERNOON) AND STEEPENING MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES ABOVE THE INVERSION. DRY MID- LEVEL AIR WILL ENHANCE DOWNBURST POTENTIAL...AND SHEAR MAY PROLONG DURATION OF INDIVIDUAL CELLS...AIDING IN THE PRODUCTION OF LARGE HAIL. /EASTER WEEKEND/ MINIMAL RUN-TO-RUN CHANGE IN MODEL PROJECTIONS FOR WEEKEND EVENT. STILL REMARKABLY GOOD INTER-MODEL AGREEMENT IN TIMING...THOUGH SOME PARAMETERS VARY. REGARDLESS...POWERFUL DYNAMICS WILL COMBINE WITH INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE BOUNDARY LAYER. TIMING LESS THAN IDEAL WITH BEST POTENTIAL FOR CONVECTION SUNDAY MORNING...BUT STILL POTENTIAL FOR STRONG/SEVERE CONVECTION WITH SURFACE LOW TRAVERSING THE CWA. MOIST ADVECTION WILL NEED TO BE RAPID SATURDAY NIGHT. BEST MOISTURE AND HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL MAY BE CONFINED TO SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ZONES...WHERE SEVERE DROUGHT PERSISTS. 25 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 87 50 71 51 71 / 20 5 0 0 20 WACO, TX 86 50 73 54 73 / 20 5 0 5 20 PARIS, TX 80 48 68 46 73 / 30 20 0 0 10 DENTON, TX 87 47 69 47 70 / 20 5 0 5 20 MCKINNEY, TX 86 49 70 46 72 / 20 5 0 0 20 DALLAS, TX 86 50 72 53 72 / 20 5 0 0 20 TERRELL, TX 84 53 72 50 73 / 20 10 0 0 10 CORSICANA, TX 83 53 73 52 74 / 20 10 0 5 20 TEMPLE, TX 86 53 75 54 74 / 20 5 0 5 20 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR TXZ091>095- 100>107-115>123-129>134-141>146-156>160. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR TXZ091>095-100>107- 115>123-129>134-141>146-156>160. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 419 AM CDT THU APR 9 2009 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-101100- MONTAGUE-COOKE-GRAYSON-FANNIN-LAMAR-YOUNG-JACK-WISE-DENTON-COLLIN- HUNT-DELTA-HOPKINS-STEPHENS-PALO PINTO-PARKER-TARRANT-DALLAS- ROCKWALL-KAUFMAN-VAN ZANDT-RAINS-EASTLAND-ERATH-HOOD-SOMERVELL- JOHNSON-ELLIS-HENDERSON-COMANCHE-MILLS-HAMILTON-BOSQUE-HILL-NAVARRO- FREESTONE-ANDERSON-LAMPASAS-CORYELL-BELL-MCLENNAN-FALLS-LIMESTONE- LEON-MILAM-ROBERTSON- 419 AM CDT THU APR 9 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS EAST OF INTERSTATE 35 THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING... AS A SURFACE DRYLINE PUNCHES EAST RAPIDLY ACROSS THE REGION. ANY STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL LIKELY BECOME SEVERE AND MOVE RAPIDLY TO THE NORTHEAST. BEHIND THE DRYLINE...A WIND ADVISORY AND RED FLAG WARNING ARE IN EFFECT NORTHWEST OF A CAMERON...GROESBECK...ATHENS LINE. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE SOUTHWEST AND WEST BETWEEN 25 AND 40 MPH...WITH GUSTS APPROACHING 50 MPH BY THIS AFTERNOON. THE GUSTY WINDS MAY PRODUCE BLOWING DUST ACROSS WESTERN PARTS OF NORTH TEXAS. FURTHERMORE...THE DRY...WARM AND GUSTY CONDITIONS WILL RESULT IN A CRITICAL FIRE DANGER ACROSS THE MAJORITY OF NORTH TEXAS TODAY THROUGH SUNSET THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. ANOTHER STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT NORTH TEXAS THIS WEEKEND. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MOST NUMEROUS SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. SEVERE WEATHER AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL APPEAR LIKELY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED ACROSS EASTERN PARTS OF NORTH TEXAS BY THIS AFTERNOON. 05/
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
A 600-700 acre wildfire started near Stringer Lane and FM 1148 to the west of Possum Kingdom Lake and spread north and west. The fire burned at least 14 homes and multiple outbuildings and structures.
Nearly 38,000 acres of land were burned in several wildfires that ravaged the county. The towns of Stoneburg and Sunset were destroyed by fires that claimed nearly seventy homes, numerous structures and vehicles, oil field equipment, and livestock. Eight of the homes destroyed were in Sunset. Two people lost their lives in Stoneburg while attempting to save their home and their son was injured. Another fire in the Dye Mound area claimed several barns and outbuildings. The towns of Montague, St. Jo, and Bowie required evacuations. Some of the fires were still smoldering on April 12th.
Nearly 50,000 acres of land were burned in several wildfires that ravaged the county. It was reported that 14 homes were lost in fires that ignited near Postoak, Newport, Squaw Mountain, Antelope, Bryson, and Two Bush. The Two Bush fire consumed nearly 2200 acres of land and was started by welding. Another fire crossed into Jack County from Young County.
A large wildfire near Graham resulted in evacuations around the city.
A 3000 acre wildfire near Breckenridge threatened an apartment complex resulting in evacuations. This wildfire spread from near HWY 183 on the north side of the city to SH 67 on the northeast side of the city. It was reported to be 4 miles long by 1 mile wide. Another wildfire also burned part of the northwestern corner of the county, west of the old Fort Davis. This fire had spread into the county from Throckmorton County.
Eight wildfires spread through Cooke County including a 1,000 acre fire that was located in the southwestern part of the county near Cross N Ranch, located to the west of HWY 51. Another fire was located north of Muenster. Total burned acreage was estimated to be 1,500 and no structures were damaged or lost.
One wildfire between Lipan and Tolar burned one home.
A 250 acre wildfire was started southwest of Balsora when arcing power lines set a tree on fire and the sparks from the fire ignited the dry grass below. The fire moved from near FM 2210 to FM 920 south of town. Approximately 30 residents were evacuated due to the flames and smoke. Three structures were lost; including one home.
A 200 acre wildfire near Lake Mineral Wells State Park consumed three vacant cabins and one home. Another 100 acre fire moving through several Hudson Oaks subdivisions claimed four structures. One person was injured while attempting to extinguish the flames. The fire likely was started by arcing power lines.
Nearly 10,000 acres of land were burned due to a wildfire that started on CR 104 north of Lake Cisco. This fire moved northeast and jumped HWY 183. It then continued to move towards the community of Morton Valley where evacuations were ordered. No structures were lost. The total burn area was 12 miles from west to east and 10 miles from south to north.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire, Montague | 2009-04-09 | Male | Permanent Home | Direct | |
| Wildfire, Montague | 2009-04-09 | Female | Permanent Home | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2009
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: 164843, 164804, 164812, 164814, 164815, 164830, 164886, 164801, 164817, 164825.