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; 2 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 21st through the 25th, there were 2 grass fires that caused damage. A 2600-acre fire, named the Campsey Fire, burned in northern Jack County.
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 21, 11:15 AM CST, 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1215 PM CDT SUN AUG 21 2011 .AVIATION... WEAK OUTFLOW FROM CONVECTION AROUND KPRX HAS WORKED INTO PARTS OF THE METROPLEX AT 17Z. METROPLEX WINDS HAVE SHIFTED EASTERLY AND MAY HOLD FOR SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE RETURNING SOUTHERLY LATER THIS AFTERNOON. SCATTERED CONVECTION SHOULD BOIL UP AGAIN LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE OVERNIGHT GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH THE RED RIVER VALLEY...AND OVER NORTHEAST TEXAS. WILL KEEP AREA TAF VFR WITH EASTERLY WINDS ACROSS THE METROPLEX SITES THROUGH MID AFTERNOON THEN RETURNING SOUTHERLY OVERNIGHT. SOUTHERLY FLOW LESS THAN 10 KNOTS IS EXPECTED FOR KACT THROUGHOUT THE TAF CYCLE. 75 && .UPDATE... MORE PERSISTENT MID AND HIGH CLOUD COVER GOING TO ACTUALLY KEEPS TEMPERATURES BELOW ONE HUNDRED ACROSS FAR NORTHEASTERN COUNTIES ALONG AND NORTHWEST OF A BONHAM TO SULPHUR SPRINGS LINE. THIS IMMEDIATE HOWEVER WILL HAVE THE HIGHEST SURFACE DEW PTS AT OR ABOVE 70 DEG F AND WILL HOLD ONTO THE HEAT ADVISORY FOR SAME AREAS. ISOLATED SHOWERS CONTINUE UNDERNEATH THIS CANOPY. WE EXPECT WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ALONG AND JUST AHEAD OF THE SW PERIPHERY OF THE THICKER CLOUD CANOPY WHERE STRONG DIFFERENTIAL HEATING WILL OCCUR. WITH THIS IN MIND...HAVE ADJUST POPS DOWN TO SLIGHT CHANCE UNDERNEATH CLOUD CANOPY FOR THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT PERIOD TONIGHT. OTHERWISE...REST OF FORECAST ON TRACK. 05/ && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 404 AM CDT SUN AUG 21 2011/ A FEW SHOWERS WILL LINGER ACROSS THE EXTREME NORTHEAST COUNTIES OF NORTH TEXAS THIS MORNING IN THE VICINITY OF A STALLED FRONT. ADDITIONAL SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE MORNING AS A REINFORCING OUTFLOW BOUNDARY CROSSES THE RED RIVER. EXPECT THIS BOUNDARY TO STALL JUST SOUTH OF THE RED RIVER AND BECOME A FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND SOME THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MOST ACTIVITY SHOULD REMAIN NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20 AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 35 WHERE MOISTURE WILL BE MOST ABUNDANT. THE INCREASED CLOUD COVER IN THE NORTHEAST ZONES AND THE POSSIBILITY OF SHOWERS SHOULD KEEP AFTERNOON HIGHS A FEW DEGREES COOLER THAN THE PAST FEW DAYS. THE REMAINDER OF NORTH TEXAS SHOULD REMAIN HOT AND RAIN FREE TODAY. HOWEVER...AN ISOLATED AFTERNOON/EVENING SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM WILL BE POSSIBLE AS FAR SOUTH AS THE METROPLEX. WILL LEAVE THE HEAT ADVISORY IN PLACE THROUGH MONDAY EVENING. UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY BUILD WEST OF THE REGION THROUGH THE WEEK AND KEEP NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER NORTH TEXAS. THIS SHOULD KEEP AFTERNOON HIGHS A FEW DEGREES COOLER OVERALL AND KEEP SOME LOW RAIN CHANCES (10 TO 20 PERCENT )IN MAINLY THE EASTERN ZONES. IT DOES APPEAR THAT A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL BACKDOOR THE REGION THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AND BRING SLIGHTLY COOLER AIR AND A CHANCE OF RAIN...ESPECIALLY TO THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST ZONES. FOR NOW WILL KEEP ONLY LOW POPS DUE TO LIMITED MOISTURE. LATEST GUIDANCE KEEPS THE TRACK OF IRENE AND ASSOCIATED MOISTURE WELL TO THE EAST OF NORTH TEXAS SO NO MAJOR RELIEF FROM THE HEAT OR DROUGHT IS EXPECTED. HOWEVER...THERE ARE SOME HINTS BY THE ECMWF BEYOND 200 HOURS THAT THE UPPER RIDGE MAY BEGIN TO BREAK DOWN. NOT SURPRISING SINCE THIS WILL BE ABOUT THE START OF SEPTEMBER. 79 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 103 83 105 83 104 / 10 20 10 10 5 WACO, TX 105 81 105 81 104 / 0 10 5 5 0 PARIS, TX 97 78 103 78 103 / 30 20 30 20 10 DENTON, TX 103 81 104 80 104 / 20 20 10 10 5 MCKINNEY, TX 102 79 104 78 103 / 20 30 20 10 10 DALLAS, TX 103 85 105 84 104 / 10 20 10 10 5 TERRELL, TX 103 80 103 80 103 / 10 30 20 20 10 CORSICANA, TX 106 78 104 80 104 / 5 20 10 10 5 TEMPLE, TX 104 77 103 78 103 / 0 5 0 5 0 MINERAL WELLS, TX 103 79 104 78 106 / 5 10 5 5 0 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM CDT MONDAY FOR TXZ091>095-101>107- 116>123-131>135-144>148-158>162-174-175. && 75/
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1047 AM CDT SUN AUG 21 2011 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-221215- 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- 1047 AM CDT SUN AUG 21 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS GENERALLY NORTH OF A GRAHAM TO FORT WORTH TO ATHENS LINE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AND EAST OF A BONHAM TO CANTON LINE LATE TONIGHT. HEAVY RAINFALL...GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE THE PRIMARY HAZARDS. A HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR AREAS GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF A NOCONA...STRAWN...GLEN ROSE TO KILLEEN LINE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. A HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR LOCATIONS ALONG AND EAST OF A NOCONA...STRAWN...GLEN ROSE TO KILLEEN LINE. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY GENERALLY EAST OF INTERSTATE 35 AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20. THERE IS ALSO A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF NORTH TEXAS...MAINLY SOUTHEAST OF A PARIS...WAXAHACHIE...TO GOLDTHWAITE LINE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
A small fire on CR 1110, between Grand Saline and Canton, burned a barn, a shed, and some abandoned vehicles. The fire was likely started by fireworks.
The Campsey Fire began approximately 11 miles north of Jacksboro just west of Old Postoak Road. The fire burned approximately 2600 acres. Two local firefighters were treated for heat related illnesses while working this fire.
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: 343647, 342310.