Texas, 2009Wildfire in Texas, February 24 to 25, 2009
February 24 to 25, 2009 · NWS BRO · 1 event in 1 county or zone
The general pattern of a West Texas trough of low pressure with departing high pressure into the central Gulf of Mexico, which had become fairly routine in February 2009, resulted in another day with increasing southeast 20 foot winds toward 25 mph, with higher gusts, on the 24th. A wild fire developed over the King Ranch and spread rapidly during the afternoon.
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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- 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.
The general pattern of a West Texas trough of low pressure with departing high pressure into the central Gulf of Mexico, which had become fairly routine in February 2009, resulted in another day with increasing southeast 20 foot winds toward 25 mph, with higher gusts, on the 24th. A wild fire developed over the King Ranch and spread rapidly during the 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 24, 1:59 PM CST, 1 minute earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 24, 1:59 PM CST, 1 minute before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
159 PM CST TUE FEB 24 2009
.DISCUSSION...
SOUTH WINDS BEGINNING TO PICK UP AS LOW PRESSURE DRIFTS ACROSS THE
TEXAS PANHANDLE. WINDS WILL DECREASE OVERNIGHT...BUT FOG FORMATION
IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN LIGHT AS MOIST SFC PARCEL FAIRLY THICK. WINDY
CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY...WITH RED FLAG CONDITIONS
EXPECTED AGAIN TOMORROW WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 MPH AT 20FT.
LONGER TERM FORECAST IS LOW CONFIDENCE AS MODELS CONTINUE TO FLIP
BETWEEN THE FRONT STALLING TO THE NORTH AND THE FRONT RACING
THROUGH DEEP SOUTH TEXAS SATURDAY NIGHT. CURRENT THOUGHT IS THAT
UPPER LEVEL FLOW WILL BE FROM THE NORTHWEST...GIVING THE SHALLOW
COLD POOL A GOOD PUSH TO THE SOUTH. WILL STICK NEAR THE RECENT GFS
MOS GUIDANCE OF COLDER SOLUTION FOR SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...WITH
MODERATING FORECAST INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.
&&
.AVIATION...
EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING AS THE 12Z KCRP SOUNDING SHOWS A FAIRLY DRY ATMS IN PLACE
OVER THE REGION.
&&
.MARINE...
THE MAIN MARINE CONCERN OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS WILL BE THE
TIGHTENING PG OVER THE REGION FROM THE STEADY PROGRESSION OF
SURFACE LOWS EXPECTED OVER THE CENTRAL U.S. THIS SOUTHERLY PG WILL
FINALLY BE INTERRUPTED TOWARDS THE WEEKEND AS A SERIES OF COLD
FRONTS PUSH TOWARDS THE WESTERN GULF COAST. AFTER THE FROPA ON
SUN...A BRIEF ROUND OF N-NE WINDS WILL AFFECT THE AREA WITH A MORE
EAST TO SOUTHEAST FLOW RETURNING NEXT MON AND TUES. SCA/SCEC WILL
BE POSSIBLE FOR BOTH THE BAY AND GULF WATERS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL
DAYS WITH THE PEAK WINDS LIKELY ACROSS THE BAY DURING THE DAY AND
AT NIGHT ACROSS THE GULF. WILL CONTINUE THE SCA FOR THE BAY WATERS
THROUGH 7 PM THIS EVENING. &&
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL 67 84 68 84 / 0 0 0 0
BROWNSVILLE 65 82 68 85 / 0 0 0 0
HARLINGEN 65 88 64 89 / 0 0 0 0
MCALLEN 63 89 66 88 / 0 0 0 0
RIO GRANDE CITY 60 90 64 89 / 0 0 0 0
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND 63 79 67 81 / 0 0 0 0
&&
.BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 4 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR TXZ250-251-
253>255.
FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY
EVENING FOR TXZ250-251-253>257.
GM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 7 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR
GMZ130-132-135.
&&
THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT:
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BROWNSVILLE
64/60/MARTINEZHazardous weather outlook, Feb 24, 11:45 AM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1145 AM CST TUE FEB 24 2009
GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-TXZ248>257-251200-
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 THE RIO GRANDE OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT MANSFIELD OUT 20 NM-
WATERS FROM PORT MANSFIELD TO THE RIO GRANDE EXTENDING FROM 20 TO
60 NM-
WATERS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT MANSFIELD EXTENDING FROM 20 TO
60 NM-ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY-
INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON-
1145 AM CST TUE FEB 24 2009
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS...THE GULF
OF MEXICO AND THE LAGUNA MADRE.
.DAY ONE...REST OF TODAY AND TONIGHT.
A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR THE LAGUNA
MADRE TODAY. A RED FLAG WARNING FOR DANGEROUS WILDFIRE WILL BE IN
EFFECT TODAY FOR INLAND CAMERON...INLAND WILLACY...KENEDY...
BROOKS...AND HIDALGO COUNTIES.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.
A RED FLAG WARNING FOR DANGEROUS WILDFIRE ACTIVITY MAY BE NEEDED
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...AND A WIND ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED
THURSDAY...FOR ALL OR PORTIONS OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS DUE TO STRONG
WINDS. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED FOR THE LAGUNA MADRE
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AND FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO WATERS EAST OF
PADRE ISLAND THURSDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...DUE TO STRONG WINDS
AND ROUGH SEAS. A MODERATE TO HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT THE
BEACHES OF SOUTH PADRE ISLAND AND BOCA CHICA WILL BE POSSIBLE
THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT DUE TO ROUGH SEAS.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED.
TOMASELLI/SPEECE
Wildfire, Kenedy
- When
- February 24, 2:00 PM CST to February 25, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kenedy forecast zone
- Reported by
- State Official
- Coordinates
- 26.928, -97.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A wild fire grew rapidly during the afternoon across the King Ranch near Norias, approximately 70 miles south of Kingsville. The fire, known as the Stillman S #14 fire, grew to 1,500 acres and may not have been totally contained until the next day. There were some unconfirmed reports of Federal Highway 77 being closed near Norias. The Texas Forest Service responded with an Air Attack (aircraft), two engines, and two dozers. Raymondville and King Ranch Fire Department responded to the blaze.
- 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.
- Blizzard and Coastal Flood in Alaska, February 24 to 26, 2009$491,000 · 93 kt wind · 8 events
- Drought in Florida, February 24 to 28, 200910 events
- Blizzard in Alaska, February 24 to 26, 20094 events
- Dense Fog in Colorado, February 24, 20093 events
- Heavy Snow in Montana, February 24 to 25, 20092 events
- Flooding in Idaho, February 24 to 25, 2009$5,000 · 2 events
- Wildfire in Texas, February 24 to 28, 20092 events
- High Wind in Texas, February 24 to 26, 200956 kt wind · 2 events
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, February 24 to 26, 20092 events
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, February 24 to 25, 20091 event
- Dense Fog in Utah, February 24, 20091 event
- High Wind in Wyoming, February 24, 200952 kt wind · 1 event
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: 157058.