Relative humidity values were near 5 percent, and high temperatures were 5 to 10 degrees above normal. A Wind Advisory and a Red Flag Warning were in effect for the Permian Basin.
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 MAF wrote it up.
Relative humidity values were near 5 percent, and high temperatures were 5 to 10 degrees above normal. A Wind Advisory and a Red Flag Warning were in effect for the Permian Basin.
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 Midland/Odessa, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 24, 11:47 AM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
1247 PM CDT TUE MAY 24 2011
.DISCUSSION...
THE 18Z AVIATION FORECAST DISCUSSION IS INCLUDED BELOW.
&&
.AVIATION...
HIGH WESTERLY WINDS AND AREAS OF BLOWING DUST WILL IMPACT AVIATION
ACROSS WEST TEXAS AND SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO THROUGH EARLY THIS
EVENING. WESTERLY WINDS WILL BE SUSTAINED BETWEEN 25-35 KNOTS...WITH
A FEW GUSTS AROUND 45 KNOTS POSSIBLE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS.
BLOWING DUST MAY OCCASIONALLY REDUCE THE VISIBILITY TO 3SM OR LESS.
AN AIRPORT WEATHER WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MIDLAND INTL
AIRPORT UNTIL 25/00Z. THE AVIATION COMMUNITY SHOULD BE ESPECIALLY
ALERT FOR MOUNTAIN WAVE ACTIVITY/STRONG DOWNWARD AIRFLOWS IN THE
VICINITY OF THE GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS...WHERE WINDS WILL BE STRONGEST.
WIND SPEEDS SHOULD GRADUALLY DIMINISH BY EARLY THIS EVENING...WITH
WEST WINDS BECOMING MORE NORTHWEST TOWARD MORNING. SPEEDS MAY PICK
UP TO 15 KNOTS OR BETTER WITH HIGHER GUSTS AGAIN BY LATE WEDNESDAY
MORNING. OTHERWISE...SKC IS EXPECTED THROUGH THIS TAF PERIOD.
&&
.MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NM...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 7 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES... GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS NP/LINCOLN NF/LNZ...SOUTHEAST
PLAINS/BLM ROSWELL/LNZ.
FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY
EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS
NP/LINCOLN NF/LNZ...SOUTHEAST PLAINS/BLM ROSWELL/LNZ.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES... CENTRAL LEA COUNTY...EDDY COUNTY PLAINS...
GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF EDDY COUNTY...NORTHERN LEA COUNTY...
SOUTHERN LEA COUNTY.
BLOWING DUST ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES... CENTRAL LEA COUNTY...EDDY COUNTY
PLAINS...NORTHERN LEA COUNTY...SOUTHERN LEA COUNTY.
TX...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM CDT /7 PM MDT/ THIS EVENING FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES... ANDREWS...BORDEN...CRANE...DAVIS/APACHE
MOUNTAINS AREA...DAWSON...ECTOR...GAINES...GLASSCOCK...
GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS...HOWARD...LOVING...MARFA PLATEAU...
MARTIN...MIDLAND...MITCHELL...PECOS...REAGAN...REEVES
COUNTY AND UPPER TRANS PECOS...SCURRY...UPTON...VAN HORN
AND HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR...WARD...WINKLER.
FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY
EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... ANDREWS...BORDEN...
CRANE...DAVIS/APACHE MOUNTAINS AREA...DAWSON...ECTOR...
GAINES...GLASSCOCK...GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS...HOWARD...
LOVING...MARFA PLATEAU...MARTIN...MIDLAND...MITCHELL...
PECOS...REAGAN...REEVES COUNTY AND UPPER TRANS PECOS...
SCURRY...UPTON...VAN HORN AND HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR...WARD...
WINKLER.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 10 PM CDT /9 PM MDT/ THIS EVENING FOR
THE FOLLOWING ZONES... DAVIS/APACHE MOUNTAINS AREA...
GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS...LOVING...REEVES COUNTY AND UPPER
TRANS PECOS...VAN HORN AND HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR.
BLOWING DUST ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES... ANDREWS...BORDEN...CRANE...DAVIS/APACHE
MOUNTAINS AREA...DAWSON...ECTOR...GAINES...GLASSCOCK...
HOWARD...LOVING...MARTIN...MIDLAND...MITCHELL...REEVES
COUNTY AND UPPER TRANS PECOS...SCURRY...VAN HORN AND
HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR...WARD...WINKLER.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES... ANDREWS...BORDEN...CRANE...DAWSON...ECTOR...
GAINES...GLASSCOCK...HOWARD...MARTIN...MIDLAND...MITCHELL...
SCURRY...WARD...WINKLER.
&&
21HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 135 PM CDT TUE MAY 24 2011 NMZ027>029-033-034-TXZ045>048-050>053-057>063-067>070-074-075- 079>082-258-251845- GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF EDDY COUNTY-EDDY COUNTY PLAINS- NORTHERN LEA COUNTY-CENTRAL LEA COUNTY-SOUTHERN LEA COUNTY-GAINES- DAWSON-BORDEN-SCURRY-ANDREWS-MARTIN-HOWARD-MITCHELL- VAN HORN AND HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR-REEVES COUNTY AND UPPER TRANS PECOS- LOVING-WINKLER-ECTOR-MIDLAND-GLASSCOCK-WARD-CRANE-UPTON-REAGAN- DAVIS/APACHE MOUNTAINS AREA-PECOS-PRESIDIO VALLEY-MARFA PLATEAU- BIG BEND AREA-TERRELL-GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS- 135 PM CDT TUE MAY 24 2011 /1235 PM MDT TUE MAY 24 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO...SOUTHWEST TEXAS AND WEST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT STRONG WEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD ACROSS SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO AND MUCH OF WEST TEXAS TODAY. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS FOR WEST WINDS OF 40 TO 55 MPH...WITH GUSTS OVER 75 MPH POSSIBLE. A HIGH WIND WARNING HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED FOR THE SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO PLAINS...THE VAN HORN AND HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR...THE DAVIS MOUNTAINS...AND PORTIONS OF THE UPPER TRANS PECOS REGION...WHERE WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH...WITH A FEW GUSTS TO 60 MPH ARE EXPECTED. A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE PERMIAN BASIN...WHERE WEST WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH... WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 55 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. A BLOWING DUST ADVISORY HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED FOR THE SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO PLAINS...MUCH OF THE PERMIAN BASIN...THE UPPER TRANS PECOS REGION...THE VAN HORN CORRIDOR...AND THE DAVIS MOUNTAINS...WHERE AREAS OF BLOWING DUST MAY REDUCE THE VISIBILITY TO AROUND ONE MILE...PARTICULARLY NEAR OPEN OR PLOWED FIELDS. THE VERY WINDY CONDITIONS...COMBINED WITH WARM TEMPERATURES... CONSEQUENT LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES...AND VERY HIGH TO EXTREME FIRE DANGER... WILL BRING DANGEROUS HIGH IMPACT FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TO SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO AND MUCH OF WEST TEXAS THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT. THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION AS WILDFIRES WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GROW AND SPREAD QUICKLY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS MAY RETURN ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO PLAINS AND MUCH OF WEST TEXAS AGAIN THURSDAY AS GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS COMBINE WITH VERY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND VERY HIGH TO EXTREME FIRE DANGER. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NECESSARY. THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES... AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN MIDLAND CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT /LOWER CASE/ HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/MIDLAND
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
This fire, known as the Derick Fire, burned around 25,000 acres in Andrews County and moved into portions of Martin County. The fire destroyed 110 power poles.
This fire, known as the CEED fire, burned 5,000 acres in Midland County. The fire was six miles long, and crossed Loop 250 in the City of Midland.
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, May 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: 299398, 299373.