West winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to around 35 mph, combined with hot temperatures and relative humidity values in the single digits resulted in critical fire weather conditions on April 14 over a large part of West Central Texas. Dry and gusty northwest winds behind a cold front on April 15 reinforced the critical fire weather conditions as relative humidity values lowered to around 10…
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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 SJT wrote it up.
West winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to around 35 mph, combined with hot temperatures and relative humidity values in the single digits resulted in critical fire weather conditions on April 14 over a large part of West Central Texas. Dry and gusty northwest winds behind a cold front on April 15 reinforced the critical fire weather conditions as relative humidity values lowered to around 10 percent.
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 San Angelo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 14, 2:18 PM CST, 1 hour 42 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX 318 PM CDT THU APR 14 2011 .SHORT TERM... ...MAIN CONCERN IN THE SHORT TERM WILL CONTINUE TO BE FIRE WEATHER... A STRONG UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE IS CURRENTLY MOVING EAST THROUGH SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS. AT THE SURFACE...A SURFACE LOW IS MOVING NORTHEAST ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. THE TRAILING SURFACE TROUGH IS LOCATED ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...INHIBITING WINDS SOMEWHAT THIS AFTERNOON...ALTHOUGH WE ARE STILL SEEING GUSTS TO GREATER THAN 30 MPH. SHOULD SEE THESE GUSTY WINDS CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING HOURS. FOR TONIGHT...WINDS WILL DIMINISH...AND A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA. LOWS TONIGHT WILL BE COOLER THAN LAST NIGHT WITH LOWS RANGING FROM THE MID 50S TO LOWER 50S...AS OPPOSED TO THE MAINLY 60S WE SAW THIS MORNING. TOMORROW...NORTHWEST WINDS ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL PICK UP BY MID MORNING. THESE WINDS...ALONG WITH DRY AIR BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WILL AGAIN CAUSE ELEVATED TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE CWA FRIDAY. MORE DISCUSSION ON FIRE WEATHER CAN BE FOUND BELOW. TEMPERATURES WILL BE MUCH COOLER...GETTING INTO THE 70S ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY...AND LOWER 80S FROM THE FROM CONCHO VALLEY INTO THE INTERSTATE 10 CORRIDOR. 20 .LONG TERM... UNSEASONABLY COOL NIGHT EXPECTED ACROSS ALL OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ON SATURDAY MORNING. SURFACE HIGH WILL SETTLE ACROSS THE AREA RESULTING IN LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS AND CLEAR SKIES. VERY LOW DEWPOINTS SHOULD ALLOW FOR IDEAL RADIATIONAL COOLING CONDITIONS WITH TEMPERATURES DROPPING INTO THE 30S AND 40S...LOWEST READINGS ACROSS LOW LYING RIVER VALLEYS. RETURN FLOW WILL ENSUE ON SATURDAY WITH TEMPERATURES CLIMBING INTO THE 70S TO LOW 80S ACROSS THE AREA. STAYED A COUPLE DEGREES ABOVE GUIDANCE FOR MOST AREAS. ON SUNDAY...DRYLINE WILL MIX EAST TOWARD OUR CWA BORDER...WITH MOST OF THE CWA STAYING INT THE MOIST AIR. LOWERED TEMPERATURES A FEW DEGREES ACROSS THE BOARD...WITH THE HIGHEST READINGS ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA. 850 THERMAL RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE AREA ON MONDAY...WITH THE DRYLINE MIXING EAST INTO MUCH OF THE AREA. EXPECT HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE 90S ACROSS THE BOARD...WELL ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS. MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE PLACEMENT AND TIMING OF THE NEXT BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVING ACROSS THE AREA ON TUESDAY. 12Z GFS CONTINUES TO SHOW A DISTURBANCE TREKKING ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING...WHICH HELPS TO SET OFF CONVECTION ALONG THE DRYLINE. CONTINUED SLIGHT CHANCE POPS ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA FOR THIS TIME FRAME. DRYLINE WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA DURING THE DAY...THEN RETREAT TO THE WEST AT NIGHT FOR MUCH OF THE REST OF THE WEEK. A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE...DEPENDING ON THE TIMING OF DISTURBANCES MOVING OVER THE REGION. KEPT POPS BELOW 15 PERCENT FOR NOW...BUT THESE MAY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED UP AS THE TIMING OF ANY DISTURBANCES BECOMES MORE CLEAR ON FUTURE SHIFTS. MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW THE NEXT COLD FRONT SWEEPING THROUGH THE AREA SOMETIME NEXT WEEKEND...BUT THIS REMAINS BEYOND THE FORECAST CYCLE. DANIELS && .FIRE WEATHER... ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING...WITH ANOTHER CRITICAL DAY OF FIRE WEATHER EXPECTED FRIDAY... A RED FLAG WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR THE BIG COUNTRY...CONCHO VALLEY...NORTHERN EDWARDS PLATEAU. WEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH...WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING. FOR FRIDAY...STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM...COMBINED WITH DRY LOW LEVELS AND CONTINUED DROUGHT CONDITIONS WILL RESULT IN RED FLAG CONDITIONS ROUGHLY ALONG AND EAST OF A SWEETWATER...TO BALLINGER...TO BRADY LINE. A RED FLAG WARNING WILL BE IN EFFECT TOMORROW AFTERNOON FROM MID MORNING THROUGH EARLY EVENING. FARTHER TO THE WEST...WE WILL SEE NEAR CRITICAL CONDITIONS...BUT THE SFC PRESSURE GRADIENT...AND HEIGHT GRADIENT AT 850MB DO NOT LOOK STRONG ENOUGH TO RESULT IN WINDS THAT WILL CONSISTENTLY REMAIN ABOVE 20 MPH. HOWEVER...THESE AREAS WILL BE MONITORED CLOSELY...AND RESIDENTS IN THE CONCHO VALLEY SHOULD STILL REMAIN VIGILANT IF WORKING OUTSIDE TO NOT START ANY ACCIDENTAL FIRES. ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS WARMER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES ALLOW HUMIDITIES TO FALL TO LESS THAN 20 PERCENT EACH DAY. WINDS WILL GENERALLY BE 10 TO 20 MPH. 20 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ABILENE 45 77 41 77 53 / 0 0 0 0 0 SAN ANGELO 44 80 37 83 55 / 0 0 0 0 0 JUNCTION 43 81 36 82 54 / 0 0 0 0 0 && .SJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: CALLAHAN...COKE...CONCHO...CROCKETT...FISHER...HASKELL... IRION...JONES...NOLAN...RUNNELS...SCHLEICHER...SHACKELFORD... STERLING...TAYLOR...THROCKMORTON...TOM GREEN. RED FLAG WARNING FROM 10 AM TO 7 PM CDT FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BROWN...CALLAHAN...COLEMAN...FISHER...HASKELL...JONES... MCCULLOCH...NOLAN...RUNNELS...SAN SABA...SHACKELFORD...TAYLOR... THROCKMORTON. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX 335 PM CDT THU APR 14 2011 TXZ049-054-064>066-071>073-076>078-098-099-113-114-127-128-139- 140-154-155-168>170-152045- FISHER-NOLAN-STERLING-COKE-RUNNELS-IRION-TOM GREEN-CONCHO- CROCKETT-SCHLEICHER-SUTTON-HASKELL-THROCKMORTON-JONES-SHACKELFORD- TAYLOR-CALLAHAN-COLEMAN-BROWN-MCCULLOCH-SAN SABA-MENARD-KIMBLE- MASON- 335 PM CDT THU APR 14 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY...CONCHO VALLEY...AND PARTS OF THE NORTHERN EDWARDS PLATEAU. A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THESE AREAS THROUGH 8 PM TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY ON FRIDAY ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY AND HEARTLAND...AND RUNNEL COUNTY. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS IN EFFECT ACROSS THESE AREAS FOR FRIDAY... FROM 10 AM TO 7 PM. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The McPherson fire located 21 miles southwest Sonora has burned approximately 2307 acres. The fire was 90 percent contained.
The East Caddo fire located 7 miles south of Admiral burned 300 acres. The fire is 100 percent contained.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2011
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: 305232, 305240.