Elevated fire weather conditions persisted for most of the month due to the extreme heat and the ongoing historic drought. Many wildfires occurred during the month burning over 40,000 acres of land, several homes, and lots of personal property.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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.
Elevated fire weather conditions persisted for most of the month due to the extreme heat and the ongoing historic drought. Many wildfires occurred during the month burning over 40,000 acres of land, several homes, and lots of personal property. From the 11th through the 15th, there were 4 grass fires that caused damage. The largest of these fires was the 1320-acre Ranger Hill Fire in Eastland County. This fire did not damage any structures.
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 Aug 12, 6:20 AM CST, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 720 AM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 .AVIATION... EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS ACROSS NORTH TEXAS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY. MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD ACROSS NORTH TEXAS INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON. THESE CLOUDS WILL TEND TO THIN AS THE DAY GOES ON. AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES ACROSS OKLAHOMA...WE WILL SEE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. THE BEST CHANCES WILL BE NORTH OF I-20. THE CONFIDENCE OF A STORM AFFECTING THE TAF SITES IS TOO LOW TO PUT CB IN THE TAFS FOR NOW. 58 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 340 AM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011/ A LUCKY FEW ACROSS NORTH TEXAS SAW SOME BENEFICIAL RAIN YESTERDAY ALTHOUGH MUCH MORE IS NEEDED TO PUT A DENT IN THE ONGOING DROUGHT. A STRONG OUTFLOW BOUNDARY OFF OF THOSE STORMS EFFECTIVELY ENDED THE STREAK OF 100 DEGREE DAYS AT DFW. WACO CONTINUES ITS STREAK BUT THAT COULD BE IN JEOPARDY TODAY AS EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER MOVES IN FROM THE WEST AND AT LEAST SOME CHANCE FOR RAIN CONTINUES. A LARGE COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED ACROSS WEST TEXAS YESTERDAY EVENING AND HAS SINCE DIMINISHED DURING THE OVERNIGHT WITH NEW STORMS DEVELOPING IN THE HILL COUNTRY. THE DYING STORMS OUT WEST SENT AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY EASTWARD AND THAT HAS JUST RECENTLY MOVED INTO EASTLAND...STEPHENS...AND YOUNG COUNTIES. ITS NOT CLEAR WHETHER THIS BOUNDARY WILL REMAIN INTACT OR MIX OUT AND BE A NON FACTOR THROUGH THE DAY BUT AT LEAST A FEW SHOWERS HAVE TRIED TO DEVELOP OVER THE LAST HOUR OR SO. AS THE BOUNDARY CONTINUES EAST...LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE WILL INCREASE AS SURFACE WINDS ARE GENERALLY EASTERLY THROUGHOUT THE METROPLEX. RUC ANALYSIS DOES INDICATE ANTICYCLONIC MID LEVEL FLOW HOWEVER ACROSS NORTH TEXAS WHICH IS LIKELY MORE INDICATIVE OF WEAK SUBSIDENCE ALOFT. EITHER WAY...WILL HAVE TO MONITOR FOR POSSIBLE SHOWER/TSTM DEVELOPMENT ALONG THIS FEATURE OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. AS MENTIONED BEFORE...THE EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER WILL MEAN A SLOW RISE FOR TEMPERATURES TODAY. THINK THERE WILL BE SOME BREAKS BY AFTERNOON THOUGH SO MOST AREAS SHOULD SEE UPPER 90S TO NEAR 100. THE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT PATTERN REMAINS IN PLACE THROUGH SATURDAY BEFORE THE RIDGE BEGINS TO INTENSIFY AND DRIFT BACK EAST. ALL OF THE MODEL GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO INDICATE ANOTHER DISTURBANCE MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TONIGHT TRIGGERING ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS OKLAHOMA. THESE SHOULD AGAIN MOVE SOUTHEAST AND WEAKEN AS THEY DO SO. AREAS GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20 WILL HAVE THE BEST CHANCE TO SEE ANY RAIN LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. AS WE HEAD INTO SUNDAY THE UPPER HIGH STRENGTHENS A BIT AND CENTERS ITSELF CLOSER TO NORTH TEXAS. THIS WILL MEAN A RETURN TO THE 100 DEGREE PLUS HEAT ACROSS THE REGION. THERE IS SOME INDICATION BY THE ECMWF THAT THE HIGH WILL ONLY TEMPORARILY BE CENTERED OVER NORTH TEXAS...THEN DRIFT WESTWARD BY MIDWEEK...REESTABLISHING NORTHWEST FLOW ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. WHILE THE GFS IS NOT QUITE AS OPTIMISTIC...THIS WOULD MEAN SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPS AND AT LEAST INTERMITTENT RAIN CHANCES TOWARD THE MIDDLE AND LATTER PART OF NEXT WEEK. OTHERWISE...TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL. AT THIS TIME GIVEN THE SLIGHTLY COOLER HIGHS AND EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER...A HEAT ADVISORY WILL NOT BE REQUIRED THROUGH AT LEAST SATURDAY. DUNN && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 98 80 98 80 102 / 10 30 20 10 5 WACO, TX 100 79 103 80 103 / 10 20 10 10 5 PARIS, TX 97 75 98 76 99 / 10 40 20 10 5 DENTON, TX 98 76 98 80 101 / 10 30 20 10 5 MCKINNEY, TX 98 75 98 77 101 / 10 30 20 10 5 DALLAS, TX 99 81 98 82 102 / 10 30 20 10 5 TERRELL, TX 99 77 100 77 102 / 10 30 20 10 5 CORSICANA, TX 101 77 102 78 103 / 10 20 10 10 5 TEMPLE, TX 98 77 103 76 102 / 10 10 10 10 5 MINERAL WELLS, TX 97 75 99 78 102 / 10 30 20 10 5 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 58/91
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 529 AM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-131100- 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- 529 AM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT NORTH OF A LAMPASAS TO PALESTINE LINE. CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL ACCOMPANY SOME OF THESE STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THERE WILL BE AN ELEVATED THREAT FOR GRASS FIRES MOST OF NEXT WEEK DUE TO THE DROUGHT AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
A blown tire started a fire along Interstate 30 near Ranger Hill. The fire burned 1320 acres. This fire began on the 12th, was contained on the 15th, and then fully controlled on the 24th.
A 2-acre grass fire was intentionally set near South Sycamore Street, south of Palestine. This fire burned a home.
Fire #695 burned 6 acres approximately 3 miles west of Centerville. The fire burned a 2-story house and a shed. The fire was started by debris burning.
A tree limb fell on a power line and sparked a grass fire the burned 464 acres near Todd City. The Todd City fire was centered near the intersection of FM 19 and CR 335 in the northeastern part of the county. The fire began on the 15th, was contained on the 15th, and then fully controlled on the 20th. The fire consumed a deer camp, a fiberglass salt water tank, several outbuildings, and an oil tank. One firefighter suffered heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation and was taken to the hospital.
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, August 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: 342942, 345244, 342944, 342913.