Rainfall deficits continued to grow across North Texas in the month of December, and thus drought conditions expanded across the region. Most of the southeastern counties in North Texas and many of the western counties were categorized in Severe to Extreme Drought this month according to the US Drought Monitor.
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.
Rainfall deficits continued to grow across North Texas in the month of December, and thus drought conditions expanded across the region. Most of the southeastern counties in North Texas and many of the western counties were categorized in Severe to Extreme Drought this month according to the US Drought Monitor. Many locations across the southeastern portions of north Texas had not received above normal precipitation since the summer months. A total of 33 counties had burn bans in effect this month. Agricultural impacts due to the drought were limited to stress on wheat crops and very low stock water tanks in some areas.
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 Dec 11, 10:59 PM CST, 1 hour 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1059 PM CST SAT DEC 11 2010 .AVIATION... AS NOTED IN PUBLIC DISCUSSION...EXPECT STRONG NW WINDS OVERNIGHT AND THROUGH AT LEAST 21Z OR LATE AFTERNOON SUNDAY. STRONG...UNI- DIRECTIONAL NWLY CYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT AND ASSOCIATED CAA WILL KEEP THE NW WIND ENGINE GOING FOR ANOTHER 18 HRS...SO NO LET UP IN SIGHT. OTHERWISE VFR CONDITIONS WITH PASSING HIGH CLOUDINESS NEAR THE MS VALLEY UPPER LOW. COLD HIGH PRESSURE WILL SETTLE IN BY SUNDAY EVENING AND COMBINED WITH DECOUPLING WILL FINALLY SETTLE THE NW WINDS DOWN. LITTLE CHANGE TO CURRENT NORTH TX AIRPORT FORECASTS. 05/ && .UPDATE... A WINDY NIGHT IS IN STORE FOR NORTH TEXAS AND WHILE LOCATIONS IN THE NORTHEAST WILL COME CLOSE TO WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA OVERNIGHT...THINK WINDS WILL REMAIN JUST BELOW CRITERIA SPEEDS AND WILL NOT ISSUE AN ADVISORY AT THIS TIME. THE GFS LAMP GUIDANCE IS THE MOST AGGRESSIVE WITH WIND SPEEDS TOMORROW IN THE AREA OF THE CURRENT FIRE WEATHER WATCH AND A WIND ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED IN THE SAME AREA SUNDAY. NEXT PUSH OF COLD AIR IS CROSSING THE RED RIVER NOW AND WIND SPEEDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN SPEED AS THE SURFACE HIGH CONTINUES TO MOVE DOWN THE PLAINS. HAVE INCREASED THE WIND SPEEDS OVERNIGHT ACROSS ALL THE REGION. MADE A FEW ADJUSTMENTS TO THE HOURLY GRIDS AND OVERNIGHT LOWS BUT GENERALLY THE FORECAST IS IN GOOD SHAPE AND MOST OF THE ADJUSTMENTS WERE MINOR. 82/JLD && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 306 PM CST SAT DEC 11 2010/ DRIER AND COLDER AIR WILL CONTINUE TO FILTER INTO NORTH TEXAS TONIGHT AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS SOUTHWARD FROM THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS. WIND SPEEDS WILL REMAIN IN THE 20 TO 25 MPH RANGE ALONG WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS THROUGH ABOUT SUNSET THEN THE BOUNDARY LAYER WILL DECOUPLE AND WIND SPEEDS WILL DECREASE A BIT. WE WILL KEEP THE RED FLAG WARNING IN PLACE FOR THE WESTERN COUNTIES AND MOST LIKELY LET IT EXPIRE AT 6 PM. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL REMAIN TIGHT OVERNIGHT WITH WIND SPEEDS BETWEEN 15 TO 20 MPH ALONG WITH A FEW HIGHER GUSTS. WIND SPEEDS JUST ABOVE THE BOUNDARY LAYER SHOULD REMAIN STRONG THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING AND ONCE MIXING BEGINS SOME OF THIS HIGHER MOMENTUM AIR WILL WORK ITS WAY TO THE SURFACE...RESULTING IN BREEZY CONDITIONS. THE STRONGEST WINDS SUNDAY SHOULD BE IN THE NORTHEAST COUNTIES RESULTING IN CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR MUCH OF THE DAY. THEREFORE...WILL ISSUE A FIRE WEATHER WATCH ALONG AND NORTHEAST OF A SHERMAN TO KAUFMAN LINE. WIND SPEEDS WILL SLOWLY DECREASE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND DIMINISH SIGNIFICANTLY BY SUNSET. THE WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS NORTH TEXAS WILL REMAIN RELATIVELY QUIET FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK WITH DRY NORTHWEST TO WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT AND LITTLE IN THE WAY OF UPPER LEVEL ENERGY TO SUPPORT ANY PRECIPITATION. A WARMING TREND IS IN STORE FOR THE FIRST PART OF THE WORK WEEK WITH INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND A BUILDING UPPER LEVEL RIDGE ALOFT. THE RIDGE WILL BREAK DOWN BY MID WEEK AND THE FLOW WILL BECOME MORE ZONAL WITH AN EMBEDDED SHORT WAVE FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS BY WEDNESDAY. AT THE SAME TIME...A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND BRING ANOTHER REINFORCEMENT OF COOL AND DRY AIR. THE COOL AND DRY AIR SHOULD REMAIN OVER NORTH TEXAS THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. 79 && .FIRE WEATHER... RED FLAG WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 00Z/6 PM...AS TEMPERATURES RAPIDLY COOL...HUMIDITIES RAPIDLY RISE...AND WINDS SETTLE DOWN TO 15-20 MPH. IT APPEARS MIXING OF STRONG NW FLOW ABOVE THE SURFACE AGAIN SUNDAY MORNING WILL RESULT IN VERY GUSTY NW WINDS 20 TO 25 MPH. THIS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE EXTREME FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS NORTHEAST PARTS OF NORTH TEXAS BY MIDDAY SUNDAY WITH A FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT ACROSS THIS AREA SUNDAY. SIGNIFICANT FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR ELSEWHERE ACROSS NORTH TEXAS. WE SHOULD SEE HEIGHTENED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ONCE AGAIN ACROSS THE WEST ON MONDAY...THEN ALL OF NORTH TEXAS NEXT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...AS STRONG SOUTH/SOUTHWEST WINDS RETURN THE AREA AND TEMPERATURES WARM UP INTO THE 60S/70S. 05/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 30 48 23 52 36 / 0 0 0 0 0 WACO, TX 34 54 20 57 35 / 0 0 0 0 0 PARIS, TX 23 43 17 44 26 / 0 0 0 0 0 DENTON, TX 27 45 16 53 31 / 0 0 0 0 0 MCKINNEY, TX 28 45 15 47 31 / 0 0 0 0 0 DALLAS, TX 31 46 25 52 36 / 0 0 0 0 0 TERRELL, TX 29 45 20 47 34 / 0 0 0 0 0 CORSICANA, TX 31 47 22 52 36 / 0 0 0 0 0 TEMPLE, TX 32 53 22 57 35 / 0 0 0 0 0 MINERAL WELLS, TX 25 49 19 56 29 / 0 0 0 0 0 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON FOR TXZ093>095-104>107-120>123. && 05/82
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 602 PM CST SAT DEC 11 2010 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-121200- 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- 602 PM CST SAT DEC 11 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS IN EFFECT NORTHEAST OF A SHERMAN... ROCKWALL...CANTON LINE FROM MID SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. ELSEWHERE ON SUNDAY...ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FROM MIDDAY THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON. ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. 82/JLD
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
As rainfall deficits continued to grow across north Texas, drought conditions worsened according to the US Drought Monitor. The drought conditions in Freestone County were classified as Severe Drought (D2).
As rainfall deficits continued to grow across north Texas, drought conditions worsened according to the US Drought Monitor. The drought conditions in Limestone County were classified as Severe Drought (D2) and encompassed all but the northwestern corner of the county.
As rainfall deficits continued to grow across north Texas, drought conditions worsened according to the US Drought Monitor. The drought conditions in Henderson County were classified as Severe Drought (D2).
As rainfall deficits continued to grow across north Texas, drought conditions worsened according to the US Drought Monitor. The drought conditions in Erath County were classified as Severe Drought (D2); however some relief was noted over part of the county near the end of the month due to 0.50-1.50 of rain.
As rainfall deficits continued to grow across north Texas, drought conditions worsened according to the US Drought Monitor. The drought conditions in Eastland County were classified as Severe Drought (D2); however some relief was noted over part of the county near the end of the month due to 0.50-1.50 of rain.
As rainfall deficits continued to grow across north Texas, drought conditions worsened according to the US Drought Monitor. The drought conditions in Stephens County were classified as Severe Drought (D2); however some relief was noted over part of the county near the end of the month due to 0.50-1.50 of rain.
As rainfall deficits continued to grow across north Texas, drought conditions worsened according to the US Drought Monitor. The drought conditions in Palo Pinto County were classified as Severe Drought (D2); however some relief was noted over part of the county near the end of the month due to 0.50-1.50 of rain.
As rainfall deficits continued to grow across north Texas, drought conditions worsened according to the US Drought Monitor. For about two weeks, much of Young County was classified as Severe Drought (D2); however the drought conditions were eased by the end of the month due to much of the county receiving over an inch of rain.
As rainfall deficits continued to grow across north Texas, drought conditions worsened according to the US Drought Monitor. The drought conditions in Falls County were classified as Severe Drought (D2) and encompassed most of the county.
As rainfall deficits continued to grow across north Texas, drought conditions worsened according to the US Drought Monitor. The drought conditions in Van Zandt County were observed across only the southern half of the county, and were classified as Severe Drought (D2).
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, December 2010
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: 267282, 267283, 267284, 267286, 267287, 267288, 267289, 267290, 267291, 267292.