Texas, 2009Wildfire in Texas, March 5, 2009
March 5, 2009 · NWS BRO · 1 event in 1 county or zone
The combination of southeast wind gusts in excess of 35 mph, humidity which fell just below the critical 35 percent threshold, and increasingly dry grasses were enough to rapidly spread a small trash fire to more than 1,500 acres in northern Hidalgo County near Edinburg. The fire, which threatened a number of homes in at one colonia and perhaps another neighborhood, was quickly contained by…
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $25,000
- 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 combination of southeast wind gusts in excess of 35 mph, humidity which fell just below the critical 35 percent threshold, and increasingly dry grasses were enough to rapidly spread a small trash fire to more than 1,500 acres in northern Hidalgo County near Edinburg. The fire, which threatened a number of homes in at one colonia and perhaps another neighborhood, was quickly contained by evening as winds dropped a bit and humidity rose quickly.
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 5, 8:28 AM CST, 3 hours 32 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 5, 8:28 AM CST, 3 hours 32 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
828 AM CST THU MAR 5 2009
.DISCUSSION...THE INTERACTION OF A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE EXTENDING
ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO WITH A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED
FRONTAL BOUNDARIES LOCATED ACROSS THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES WILL
INCREASE THE PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. SUBSEQUENTLY
THE WINDS WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE CWA. BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS
WILL OCCUR ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY FOR THE NEXT FEW
DAYS. NEAR NORMAL TO SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL
PREVAIL ACROSS THE CWA THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. DRY
CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS THROUGH EARLY NEXT
WEEK. THE WINDS WILL CONTINUE FROM THE SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST THROUGH
EARLY NEXT WEEK. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO DEEP SOUTH TEXAS THE
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK SHIFTING THE WINDS FROM THE SOUTHEAST TO THE
NORTH. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS MOVING ACROSS PORTIONS
OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY ASSOCIATED WITH THE
FRONTAL BOUNDARY. TEMPERATURES WILL DECREASE TO SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN
NORMAL VALUES THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONTAL
PASSAGE. THE CURRENT FORECAST PACKAGE LOOKS GOOD, THEREFORE NO
CHANGES ARE ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
&&
.MARINE...BREEZY SOUTHEAST FLOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NEXT
SEVERAL DAYS...WITH THE WINDS NEAR THE COAST REMAINING AROUND
ADVISORY STATUS DURING THE DAY WHILE WINDS OFFSHORE PEAK DURING THE
NIGHT. WINDS WILL REMAIN ELEVATED UNTIL SUNDAY...WHEN A FRONTAL
BOUNDARY APPROACHES NORTH OF THE REGION...DECREASING THE GRADIENT.
LONG RANGE FORECAST NOTES SECOND FRONT RACING THROUGH LATE TUESDAY
OR WEDNESDAY.
&&
.AVIATION...BREEZY SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE REST OF
THE DAY...WITH 20G25KT WINDS AT THE SFC AND WINDS AROUND 40KTS AT 1
TO 2KFT. SKIES WILL REMAIN MOSTLY CLEAR...WITH ONLY A FEW CLOUDS
MOVING INTO THE KBRO AREA FROM THE GULF DURING THE AFTERNOON.
&&
.BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FIRE WEATHER WATCH FRIDAY FROM NOON THROUGH 6 PM CST FOR
TXZ248>250-252-253.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM CST THIS MORNING FOR GMZ170-175.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CST FOR GMZ130-132-135-150-155.
&&
THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT:
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BROWNSVILLE
SYNOPTIC/GRIDS....63
MARINE/AVIATION...64
MESOSCALE.......HART
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 5, 9:41 AM CST, 2 hours 19 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
941 AM CST THU MAR 5 2009
GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-TXZ248>257-061200-
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-
941 AM CST THU MAR 5 2009
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS...THE GULF
OF MEXICO AND THE LAGUNA MADRE.
.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.
STRONG WINDS AND ELEVATED SEAS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY FOR
THE COASTAL WATER. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 KNOTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS
ARE EXPECTED FOR THE LAGUNA MADRE AND NEARSHORE WATERS OUT TO
20NM. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING.
TONIGHT...WINDS NEAR THE COAST WILL DECREASE...WHILE WINDS
OFFSHORE WILL INCREASE...WITH ADVISORIES EXPECTED.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
UNSETTLED MARINE CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO CONTINUE THROUGH
SATURDAY NIGHT AS STRONG SOUTHEAST FLOW PREVAILS ACROSS THE
NORTHWEST GULF. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE
REST OF THE WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
Wildfire, Hidalgo
- When
- March 5, 12:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hidalgo forecast zone
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
- Coordinates
- 26.397, -98.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A small trash fire near Edinburg, at the intersection of Miller Rd. and Federal Highway 281, quickly burned out of control during the early afternoon of March 5th, aided by wind gusts of 25 to 30 mph and humidity falling toward the critical value of 35 per cent in the area.
The Miller Fire eventually covered 1,650 acres. Sixty-five homes were threatened, and one was destroyed. Most of the homes were in or near the Colonia Muniz. A shelter was opened at the Brewster Elementary School, and housed up to 45 people before being closed during the evening. The Texas Forest Service and several local agencies responded. The fire was contained by late afternoon.
- 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.
- Wildfire in Texas, March 5 to 9, 2009$150,000 · 1 event
- Wildfire in Texas, March 5, 2009$100,000 · 1 event
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Colorado, March 5 to 8, 20097 events
- Strong Wind in Illinois, March 5, 2009$5,000 · 5 events
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Montana, March 5 to 6, 20094 events
- Winter Storm in Montana, March 5 to 6, 20094 events
- High Wind in New Mexico, March 5, 200959 kt wind · 4 events
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, March 5, 20093 events
- Heavy Snow in Washington, March 5, 20092 events
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, March 5 to 6, 20092 events
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, March 5 to 6, 20092 events
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, March 5 to 6, 20092 events
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: 162280.