As the temperatures rose across north Texas, so did the threat for wildfires and the wildfire activity increased beginning around the middle of the month. Six significant wildfires occurred between the 17th and 20th with five of the six fires causing damage.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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.
As the temperatures rose across north Texas, so did the threat for wildfires and the wildfire activity increased beginning around the middle of the month. Six significant wildfires occurred between the 17th and 20th with five of the six fires causing damage. One large fire along the Dallas/Ellis county line destroyed a home and damaged 12 others.
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 Jun 18, 9:01 AM CST, 3 hours 29 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1001 AM CDT SAT JUN 18 2011 .AVIATION... MAIN TOPIC OF CONCERN THIS MORNING IS THE THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ACROSS NORTH TEXAS FOR THIS AFTERNOON. SHORT RANGE GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW THE POTENTIAL FOR INCREASING CONVERGENCE...DECREASING INHIBITION...AND THE POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVLOP BETWEEN 20-22Z. ONCE ANY THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPS...WE EXPECT THE MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS TO BE TO THE EAST AND NORTHEAST. STRONG WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING WOULD BE THE PRIMARY WEATHER PRODUCED BY ANY STORM THAT DEVELOPS. CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO MENTION TSRA OR VCTS AT ANY OF THE TAF SITES...BUT WILL INTRODUCE THE CB MENTION AFTER 21Z IN ALL SITES EXCEPT WACO. NO CEILING OR VISIBILY CONCERNS AT TAF SITES AT THIS TIME...BUT WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO BE SOUTHERLY AND GUSTY. SURFACE OBSERVATIONS ALREADY SHOWING WINDS GUSTING TO 40 MPH. LOCAL VAD PROFILES SHOW 50 KNOTS AROUND 5K FT. 14 && .UPDATE... WEAK COLD FRONT IS MOVING SOUTH THROUGH THE TX PANHANDLE AND WILL PULL UP STATIONARY FROM MONTAGUE TO YOUNG COUNTY BY MID-LATE AFTERNOON. WITH TEMPERATURES WELL OVER 100...CINH SHOULD BECOME NEGLIGIBLE. CONVERGENCE ALONG THE FRONT SHOULD BE STRONG...ALSO OCCURRING IN CONJUNCTION WITH UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT FOR LIFT IN THE FORM OF A SHORTWAVE AND UPPER LEVEL SPEED MAX TRACKING ACROSS THE RED RIVER VALLEY. CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING THAT HIGH BASED CONVECTION SHOULD DEVELOP AROUND 4 PM. SHORT TERM HI-RES GUIDANCE IS IN UNANIMOUS AGREEMENT IN DEVELOPING CONVECTION ALONG THIS FEATURE AND HAVE INCREASED POPS ACROSS THE NW AND N ZONES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SINCE STORMS WILL BE HIGH BASED THEY SHOULD TRACK EASTWARD WITH THE MEAN 500 MB FLOW...WHICH MAY BRING THEM INTO THE METROPLEX BY 6 OR 7 PM. UNFORTUNATELY...SUB-CLOUD EVAPORATION WILL LIMIT RAINFALL REACHING THE GROUND AND STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF DRY LIGHTNING STRIKES AND DAMAGING MICROBURSTS. TR.92 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 356 AM CDT SAT JUN 18 2011/ UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE OVER SOUTH TEXAS WILL WEAKEN AS A FAIRLY STRONG UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVES EAST TOWARDS THE CENTRAL PLAINS BY TUESDAY. NORTH TEXAS WILL BE ON THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER TROUGH BUT WILL SEE SOMEWHAT COOLER TEMPERATURES AND INCREASED THUNDERSTORM CHANCES BEGINNING TUESDAY. OVERALL...THE CURRENT FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK IN TERMS OF TEMPERATURES...WINDS AND PRECIPITATION CHANCES THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEK. TEMPERATURES TODAY AND SUNDAY WILL ONCE AGAIN EXCEED 100 OVER VIRTUALLY ALL OF NORTH TEXAS WITH THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURES WEST AND NORTHWEST OF THE DFW METROPLEX. IN ADDITION...STRENGTHENING SURFACE LOW OVER OKLAHOMA WILL ONCE AGAIN RESULT IN STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS TODAY. AS THE SURFACE LOW MOVES EAST THE DRYLINE WILL ALSO MOVE CLOSER TO NORTH TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON. SHORT-RANGE MODELS ARE FAIRLY CONSISTENT IN DEVELOPING WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHERN AND WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA BY AROUND 6-7 PM AND HAVE KEPT 20 PERCENT POPS IN THESE AREAS FOR THIS EVENING. THESE STORMS WILL BE HIGH-BASED AND POSE A RISK FOR STRONG SURFACE WINDS AND LIGHTNING WHICH COULD START ADDITIONAL GRASS FIRES. SOME CHANCE THAT THUNDERSTORMS COULD ADVANCE A BIT FARTHER EAST BEFORE DISSIPATING THIS EVENING BUT HAVE KEPT POPS WHERE THE BEST CHANCE EXISTS FOR NOW. THE DRYLINE MOVES BACK FARTHER TO THE WEST ON SUNDAY AS THE SURFACE LOW REDEVELOPS OVER SOUTHEAST COLORADO AND WILL KEEP POPS AT 10 PERCENT SUNDAY. EXPECTED TEMPERATURES AND AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS ARE SUCH THAT HEAT ADVISORY CRITERIA WILL BE MET TODAY OVER MOST AREAS AND HAVE CONTINUED THE ADVISORY PREVIOUSLY ISSUED. MOST AREAS WILL BE CLOSE TO ADVISORY CRITERIA AGAIN SUNDAY BUT WILL LET DAY SHIFT REEVALUATE BEFORE EXTENDING. HOT AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES WILL COMBINE WITH STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY LEVELS TO ALSO RESULT IN MEETING RED FLAG WARNING CRITERIA OVER MOST SECTIONS TODAY...WITH THE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM. AS THE UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES TUESDAY A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL SAG SOUTHWARD OVER THE AREA AND COMBINE WITH INCREASING INSTABILITY AND LARGE-SCALE LIFT TO RESULT IN A GOOD CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. DEEP-LAYER SHEAR IN EXCESS OF 30 KNOTS APPEARS TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF ORGANIZED STORMS...AND PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES APPROACH 2 INCHES. THUS...A FEW LOCATIONS MAY EXPERIENCE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES SHIFT SOUTH ACROSS SOUTHERN/EASTERN COUNTIES TOWARDS THE END OF THE WEEK AS A VERY MOIST...TROPICAL FLOW OFF OF THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO COMBINES WITH LOWER HEIGHTS TO RESULT IN WIDELY SCATTERED MOSTLY AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS. 07 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 104 79 101 78 100 / 10 20 5 5 5 WACO, TX 104 79 102 78 101 / 0 0 0 0 5 PARIS, TX 100 77 99 76 98 / 10 10 5 5 5 DENTON, TX 102 78 100 77 99 / 20 30 5 5 10 MCKINNEY, TX 100 78 99 77 97 / 10 20 5 5 5 DALLAS, TX 104 80 100 79 100 / 10 20 5 5 5 TERRELL, TX 102 77 100 76 99 / 5 10 5 0 5 CORSICANA, TX 102 78 100 77 100 / 0 0 0 0 5 TEMPLE, TX 102 78 99 77 100 / 0 0 0 0 5 MINERAL WELLS, TX 107 77 103 76 103 / 20 30 10 10 10 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR TXZ091>095- 100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175. HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR TXZ091>095-100>107- 115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175. && 14/92
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1020 AM CDT SAT JUN 18 2011 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-191145- 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- 1020 AM CDT SAT JUN 18 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A RED FLAG WARNING FOR CRITICAL FIRE CONDITIONS IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM ACROSS ALL OF NORTH TEXAS. HIGH TEMPERATURES...WINDS GUSTING TO 30 MPH...AND RELATIVE HUMIDITIES BELOW 30 PERCENT WILL COMBINE TO MAKE ANY OUTDOOR BURNING HAZARDOUS. A HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR ALL OF NORTH TEXAS. AFTERNOON HEAT INDICES WILL REACH 105 TO 108 ACROSS THE AREA. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS AND LIGHTNING ARE THE MAIN THREATS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. ELEVATED TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL EXIST ACROSS MOST OF NORTH TEXAS THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY. SOME STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE STRONG WINDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... LIMITED SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...MAINLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20...AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 35 AND 35W.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
A 300-acre fire in the Troy-Pendleton area burned approximately 200 round bales of hay.
A 230 acre blaze burned from approximately Waxahachie in Ellis County to DeSoto in Dallas County. In Ellis County, one home was burned in Glenn Heights, five cars were destroyed, and 12 other homes were damaged. Most of the damaged homes were also in Glenn Heights or in Red Oak. Four power poles were also burned. Two fire fighters were treated for heat exhaustion while battling the blaze.
A 230 acre blaze burned from approximately Waxahachie in Ellis County to DeSoto in Dallas County. In Ellis County, one home and 5 vehicles were destroyed and 12 other homes were damaged.
A 125-acre blaze between South Keller Road and Glidewell Road, east of Mineral Wells, burned two abandoned houses and a shed. The fire was started by lightning.
A 20 acre fire in the 1300 block of Zion Hill Road just outside of Weatherford burned 200 round bales of hay and damaged a barn and 2 outbuildings.
A wildfire in Young County burned 600 acres. The fire began near FM 578 and Carmax Road. Only 1 mile of flow line was destroyed.
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, June 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: 323040, 323013, 323014, 329304, 323020, 323025.