The prolonged drought continued to worsen during the month of April but some rainfall near the end of the month provided a little relief to mainly the northeastern counties of north Texas. However, several rounds of severe weather during the latter half of the month damaged crops and fields.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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.
The prolonged drought continued to worsen during the month of April but some rainfall near the end of the month provided a little relief to mainly the northeastern counties of north Texas. However, several rounds of severe weather during the latter half of the month damaged crops and fields. During the month, 33 counties had Burn Bans.
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 Apr 16, 10:49 PM CST, 1 hour 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1149 PM CDT SAT APR 16 2011 .AVIATION... WINDS HAVE COME AROUND THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST AT MOST OF THE AREA TAF SITES AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVED INTO EAST TEXAS. AS LOW PRESSURE DEEPENS ACROSS THE EASTERN PARTS OF NEW MEXICO AND COLORADO...SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE ACROSS NORTH TEXAS SUNDAY. EXPECT SOUTHERLY WINDS 18-22 KNOTS BY 15Z...WITH GUSTS 28 TO 32 KNOTS BY MIDDAY. THE GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL DECREASE SOME AFTER SUNSET. THESE WINDS SHOULD NOT CAUSE CROSS WIND ISSUES. OTHERWISE...VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH 12Z MONDAY. 58 && .UPDATE... STILL LOOKS LIKE WINDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE TOMORROW AS PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS UP ACROSS THE REGION. AT THIS POINT IT APPEARS AS THOUGH VELOCITIES WILL BE CLOSE TO THE LOWER THRESHOLD OF WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA...BUT WILL HOLD OFF ON ISSUING THE PRODUCT FOR NOW AS SUSTAINED WINDS ON AVERAGE LOOK TO REMAIN JUST BELOW 25 MPH. WILL ALLOW MID SHIFT TO REASSESS AS NEWER DATA ARRIVES. WITH SUSTAINED WINDS EXPECTED TO EXCEED 20 MPH AND RELATIVE HUMIDITIES FALLING TO AROUND 20 PERCENT...WENT AHEAD UPGRADED THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH TO A RED FLAG WARNING FOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON. OTHERWISE AFTERNOON FORECAST PACKAGE IS IN GOOD SHAPE AND NO OTHER GRID UPDATES NEEDED AT THIS TIME. 30 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 352 PM CDT SAT APR 16 2011/ 20Z WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATES A POWERFUL UPPER TROUGH WAS LOCATED OVER THE EASTERN THIRD OF THE CONUS WITH A STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING OVER THE EASTERN CONUS COAST. NORTHWEST FLOW WAS IN PLACE OVER THE GREAT PLAINS ON THE BACK SIDE OF THIS SYSTEM. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TROUGH WAS LOCATED OFF THE WESTERN CONUS COAST. 20Z SFC OBSERVATIONS INDICATE A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE IN PLACE OVER NORTH TX NEAR THE RED RIVER WITH RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS IN PLACE OVER MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE AIRMASS IN PLACE OVER NORTH TX REMAINS VERY DRY IN NATURE WITH AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES LOWER THAN 20 PERCENT ACROSS THE AREA. AS THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN MOVES TOWARDS THE CONUS UPPER FLOW WILL BECOME MORE ZONAL IN NATURE FOR SUNDAY AND EARLY THIS WEEK. ZONAL FLOW OVER THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL CONUS WILL PROMOTE CYCLOGENESIS NEAR THE TX AND OK PANHANDLES WITH WELL DEFINED SURFACE LOW EMERGING BY LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THIS WILL RESULT IN INCREASINGLY STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS OVER NORTH TX DURING THE DAY TOMORROW. WITH DEW POINTS ALONG THE GULF COAST NEAR HOUSTON HOLDING IN THE UPPER 20S TODAY...IT WILL TAKE QUITE A BIT OF TIME FOR GULF MOISTURE TO RECOVER AND ADVECT NORTH BACK INTO NORTH TX. WITH GULF MOISTURE RETURN DELAYED...THE ONSET OF THE STRONGER SOUTHERLY FLOW COMBINED WITH THE DRY AIR ALREADY IN PLACE OVER NORTH TX WILL LIKELY MAKE FOR ANOTHER CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER DAY ACROSS NORTH TX. DUE TO RELATIVELY LIGHT WIND WINDS TODAY...THERE IS SOME HOPE THAT A RESPITE FROM THE STRONG WINDS HAS GIVEN FIRE FIGHTERS A CHANCE TO GET AHEAD AND CONTAIN SOME OF THE ACTIVE WILDFIRES THAT HAVE BEEN IN STEPHENS...EASTLAND...YOUNG AND PALO PINTO COUNTIES THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS. WHATEVER FIRES REMAIN UNCONTAINED MAY SPREAD QUICKLY TOMORROW AFTERNOON...PREFERENTIALLY TO THE NORTH WITH SOUTHERLY WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MPH IN PLACE DURING THE PEAK HEATING HRS OF THE DAY. SHALLOW GULF MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO RETURN TO NORTH TX ON MONDAY AFTER 36 HRS OR SO OF PERSISTENT SOUTHERLY FLOW FROM THE GOMEX. THE APPROACHING SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL AID IN SHARPENING UP THE DRYLINE MONDAY AFTERNOON PUSHING EAST TOWARDS THE WESTERN COUNTIES OF THE CWA. AT THIS TIME THINK THAT TSTM CHANCES ARE FAIRLY LOW DESPITE SOME MODELS SPITTING OUT QPF AS SHALLOW GULF MOISTURE COMBINED WITH A STOUT MID LEVEL EML CAP ARE UNFAVORABLE FOR TSTM INITIATION. THE LACK OF SIGNIFICANT LARGE SCALE FORCING FOR ASCENT ALSO SEEMS TO FAVOR A DRY FORECAST AT THIS TIME FOR MONDAY. BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON TSTMS ARE A BIT MORE LIKELY AS THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO TRANSLATE NORTHEAST THRU FAR WEST TX AND INTO OK DURING THE AFTERNOON HRS. THIS SHOULD SEND THE DRYLINE EAST TOWARDS THE INTERSTATE 35 CORRIDOR. A STOUT CAP WILL REMAIN IN PLACE OVER NORTH TX...HOWEVER SOME LARGE SCALE FORCING FOR ASCENT IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20...WHICH MAY SUFFICIENTLY WEAKEN THE CAP FOR TSTM INITIATION ALONG THE DRYLINE LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON. GFS AND NAM DIFFER ON THE QUALITY OF LOW LVL MOISTURE IN PLACE WITH THE GFS OFFERING UP A MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE SOLUTION BRINGING NEAR 70 DEW POINTS IN PLACE AHEAD /EAST/ OF THE DRYLINE. IF THE GFS VERIFIES POPS MAY NEED TO BE INCREASED...HOWEVER VEERED LOW LVL FLOW AHEAD OF THE DRYLINE WOULD SEEM TO FAVOR THE DEEPEST LOW LVL MOISTURE HOLDING EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA. IF ANYTHING IS ABLE TO INITIATE THERE IS A DECENT CHANCE IT COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH GOOD MID LVL LAPSE RATES ASSOCIATED WITH THE EML CONTRIBUTING TO HIGH CAPE VALUES EAST OF THE DRYLINE. THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST REMAINS LARGELY UNCHANGED. WENT AHEAD AND CONTINUED TO FAVOR THE ECMWF SOLUTION IN THE EXTENDED STALLING OUT THE COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH ON TUESDAY LATE AFTERNOON. A STALLED OUT FRONTAL BOUNDARY COULD SERVE AS A FOCUS FOR TSTM INITIATION OVER NORTHEASTERN COUNTIES OF THE CWA WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. OTHERWISE CONTINUED TO SHOW TEMPS ABOVE MEX GUIDANCE EXPECTING THE COLD FRONT WILL NOT MAKE IT ALL THE WAY THRU THE CWA FOR LATE IN THE WEEK. TSTMS ARE ONCE AGAIN POSSIBLE WITH THE ECMWF AND GFS INDICATING ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TROUGH AFFECTING THE SOUTHERN PLAINS FRIDAY AFTERNOON. CAVANAUGH && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 49 85 66 88 72 / 0 0 10 10 10 WACO, TX 40 89 67 88 73 / 0 0 5 10 10 PARIS, TX 45 81 61 78 68 / 0 0 10 10 10 DENTON, TX 45 84 66 88 71 / 0 0 10 10 10 MCKINNEY, TX 45 82 66 85 72 / 0 0 10 10 10 DALLAS, TX 53 85 67 87 72 / 0 0 10 10 10 TERRELL, TX 45 82 64 85 70 / 0 0 10 10 10 CORSICANA, TX 43 86 64 85 72 / 0 0 5 10 10 TEMPLE, TX 45 89 66 87 71 / 0 0 0 10 10 MINERAL WELLS, TX 46 87 65 94 68 / 0 5 5 10 10 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON TO 8 PM CDT SUNDAY FOR TXZ091-092- 100>103-115>119-129>134-141>147-156>162-174-175. && 58/30
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 856 PM CDT SAT APR 16 2011 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-171100- 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- 856 PM CDT SAT APR 16 2011 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. GUSTY SOUTH WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL LEAD TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS OVER MUCH OF THE AREA SUNDAY. A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE WESTERN TWO THIRDS OF NORTH TEXAS FOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF THE I-35 CORRIDOR TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND TUESDAY NIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...NORTHEAST OF A BOWIE...DALLAS...EMORY LINE. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AREA WIDE FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
According to the US Drought Monitor, the county observed severe drought (D2) conditions during the latter half of the month, but some relief was observed by the end of the month.
According to the US Drought Monitor, the county observed severe drought (D2) conditions during the latter half of the month.
According to the US Drought Monitor, the county observed severe drought (D2) conditions during the latter half of the month.
According to the US Drought Monitor, the county observed severe drought (D2) conditions during the latter half of the month.
According to the US Drought Monitor, the county observed severe drought (D2) conditions during the latter half of the month.
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: 294909, 294910, 294915, 294916, 294917.