Drought in Texas, March 1 to 31, 2009

Name: Drought in Texas, March 1 to 31, 2009
Start: 2009-03-01T00:00
End: 2009-03-31T23:59
Location: Texas

March 1 to 31, 2009 · NWS OUN · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: 8

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 OUN wrote it up.

Dry conditions continued over much of western north Texas, with average to below average precipitation again in March. A few thunderstorms brought beneficial rain, but only put a dent in the precipitation deficit that has occurred since October. The overall dry conditions were having an effect on the wheat crop, and farm ponds were running low. Wheat production was cut by a half in some places, and prices fell sharply by the end of the month. Grass fires were becoming more numerous as the green up was delayed. Numerous fires were reported over a large area, and burn bans continued for most of the month. Monetary damage estimates were not available.

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 Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 28, 10:45 PM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 10:45 PM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1045 PM CST SAT FEB 28 2009

.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE PD WITH VERY DRY AIRMASS
OVER THE AREA. WINDS WILL REMAIN MODERATE WITH GRADUAL SHIFT BACK TO
SOUTHERLY DIRECTION MOST TAF SITES BY THE END OF THE PERIOD.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 931 PM CST SAT FEB 28 2009/

.UPDATE...
WIND SPEEDS ARE DECREASING ACROSS THE CWA AND TEMPERATURES ARE
FALLING AS THE SURFACE HIGH BUILDS SOUTHWARD. THE PRESENT FORECAST
HAS THESE TRENDS WELL ACCOUNTED FOR AND NO UPDATES ARE NECESSARY
THIS EVENING.

TAYLOR

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 600 PM CST SAT FEB 28 2009/

AVIATION...
VFR THROUGH THE PD. STRONG NORTH WINDS WILL DROP OFF SIGNIFICANTLY
AFTER SUNSET AS AMS DECOUPLES.

II

PREV DISCUSSION.... /ISSUED 240 PM CST SAT FEB 28 2009/

DISCUSSION...
THE BRISK NORTH WINDS OBSERVED ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA TODAY WILL
DIMINISH THIS EVENING AS DECOUPLING OCCURS. MEANWHILE... AN UPPER
LEVEL LOW CENTERED OVER NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA WILL CONTINUE DIGGING
SOUTHEAST INTO THE CENTRAL GULF COAST OVERNIGHT ALLOWING THE COLD
SURFACE RIDGE TO BUILD SOUTH INTO THE AREA. WINDS SHOULD GO LIGHT
AND VARIABLE TONIGHT OVER THE WESTERN PART OF THE CWA... ALONG THE
AXIS OF THE SURFACE RIDGE... WHILE THERE WILL LIKELY STILL BE
ENOUGH SURFACE GRADIENT TO KEEP WINDS RUNNING AROUND 10 MPH OR SO IN
THE CENTRAL AND EAST FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT. VERY DRY AIR OVER THE
REGION... ALONG WITH CLEAR SKIES AND DIMINISHING WINDS... WILL
SUPPORT GOOD RADIATIONAL COOLING ESPECIALLY IN THE WEST WHERE
WINDS WILL BE LIGHTER. WHILE LOWS IN THE TEENS WILL BE COMMON
ACROSS THE NORTH TONIGHT... THERE WILL LIKELY BE SOME SINGLE
DIGITS IN A FEW SPOTS ACROSS NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA.

TEMPERATURES WILL BE BEGIN WARMING ON SUNDAY AND CONTINUE INTO THE
WEEK... BUT THE WARMUP WILL BE TEMPERED ON SUNDAY DUE TO THE
INFLUENCE OF THE CANADIAN AIRMASS STILL BEING FELT. WE COOLED
TEMPERATURES A BIT MORE OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE AREA FOR
SUNDAY. WITH THE UPPER LOW DIGGING SO FAR SOUTH... THE SURFACE
RIDGE WILL GO DEEP INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO THEREBY DRIVING THE
RICHER LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WELL TO THE SOUTH. ALTHOUGH SOUTH WINDS
WILL RETURN TO THE AREA ON MONDAY AND CONTINUE INTO THE WEEK... IT
WILL TAKE SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE DEWPOINTS CAN RECOVER THIS FAR
NORTH.

RAIN CHANCES WILL REMAIN NIL FOR MUCH OF FORECAST PERIOD AS AN
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN U.S. TRANSLATES EAST INTO THE
PLAINS BY TUESDAY... WHILE A LONG WAVE UPPER TROUGH SLOWLY EDGES
TOWARDS THE WEST COAST. SOME ENERGY IS EJECTED OUT OF THE TROUGH
ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY BUT MOST OF THE FORCING WITH THESE WAVES
WILL REMAIN NORTH OF THE AREA... WHILE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS
RATHER THIN AT THAT POINT. A STRONG UPPER WAVE DIGGING INTO THE BACK
SIDE OF THE TROUGH WILL HELP MAINTAIN THE AXIS OF THE LONGWAVE TROUGH
NEAR THE WEST COAST. IT APPEARS THAT MOST OF THE ENERGY ASSOCIATED
WITH THE TROUGH WILL FINALLY LIFT OUT INTO THE PLAINS BY THE LATTER
PART OF NEXT WEEKEND. AT THAT POINT MOISTURE SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO
SUPPORT SOME STORMS.

FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS WILL LIKELY INCREASE ON MONDAY ESPECIALLY
OVER THE SOUTHWEST ZONES IN RESPONSE TO WARMING TEMPERATURES...
STRONGER WINDS AND CONTINUED DRY AIR.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
OKLAHOMA CITY OK  20  47  23  58 /   0   0   0   0
HOBART OK         17  50  26  61 /   0   0   0   0
WICHITA FALLS TX  21  53  28  66 /   0   0   0   0
GAGE OK           10  53  25  66 /   0   0   0   0
PONCA CITY OK     15  43  22  54 /   0   0   0   0
DURANT OK         25  47  25  60 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...NONE.
TX...NONE.
&&

03/02

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 28, 10:30 PM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1030 PM CST SAT FEB 28 2009

OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-011300-
HARPER-WOODS-ALFALFA-GRANT-KAY-ELLIS-WOODWARD-MAJOR-GARFIELD-NOBLE-
ROGER MILLS-DEWEY-CUSTER-BLAINE-KINGFISHER-LOGAN-PAYNE-BECKHAM-
WASHITA-CADDO-CANADIAN-OKLAHOMA-LINCOLN-GRADY-MCCLAIN-CLEVELAND-
POTTAWATOMIE-SEMINOLE-HUGHES-HARMON-GREER-KIOWA-JACKSON-TILLMAN-
COMANCHE-STEPHENS-GARVIN-MURRAY-PONTOTOC-COAL-COTTON-JEFFERSON-
CARTER-JOHNSTON-ATOKA-LOVE-MARSHALL-BRYAN-HARDEMAN-FOARD-WILBARGER-
WICHITA-KNOX-BAYLOR-ARCHER-CLAY-
1030 PM CST SAT FEB 28 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN...WESTERN...
CENTRAL...AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA...AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT...

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT.

DISCUSSION...
A STABLE AND VERY DRY AIRMASS WILL PREVAIL.

PROBABILITY TABLE...
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CST SUNDAY MAR 1.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
              NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA...ZERO PERCENT.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
THOUGH NORTH WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE...WIND CHILL READINGS
OVERNIGHT WILL BE IN THE TEENS AND SINGLE DIGITS. WINDS MAY BECOME
NEARLY CALM ACROSS WESTERN OKLAHOMA BY SUNRISE...BUT THIS WILL ALLOW
THE ACTUAL TEMPERATURES TO FALL INTO THE TEENS IN MOST LOCATIONS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
BY TUESDAY...SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL ALLOW A RETURN OF GULF
MOISTURE...AND FORMATION OF A WEAKLY DEFINED DRYLINE. WITH DEWPOINTS
EAST OF THE DRYLINE REACHING THE LOW 50S... HOWEVER...A WARM CAP
WILL LIKELY PREVENT THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH FRIDAY.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
BEGINNING MONDAY...BREEZY AND WARMER WEATHER WILL INCREASE THE
POTENTIAL FOR WILDFIRES TO SPREAD QUICKLY. THE AREAS OF GREATEST
CONCERN WILL BE IN WESTERN NORTH TEXAS AND WESTERN OKLAHOMA ON
MONDAY...WEDNESDAY...AND THURSDAY.

THE NEXT SCHEDULED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AT
7 AM SUNDAY.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Archer

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Archer forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 33.615, -98.688 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Baylor

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Baylor forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 33.617, -99.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Clay

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 33.786, -98.208 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Foard

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Foard forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 33.975, -99.778 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hardeman

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hardeman forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 34.290, -99.746 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Knox

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Knox forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 33.606, -99.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Wichita

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Wichita forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 33.988, -98.704 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Wilbarger

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Wilbarger forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 34.081, -99.241 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, March 2009

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: 161602, 161603, 161604, 161605, 161606, 161607, 161608, 161609.