Ambient temperatures in excess of 100 degrees across Northeast Texas, very low relative humidity values, extreme drought conditions and strong northeasterly winds in association with Tropical Storm Lee making landfall in south central Louisiana were all the ingredients needed for critical wildfire danger across the region. A wildfire started between Avinger and Jefferson, Texas and burned nearly…
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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 SHV wrote it up.
Ambient temperatures in excess of 100 degrees across Northeast Texas, very low relative humidity values, extreme drought conditions and strong northeasterly winds in association with Tropical Storm Lee making landfall in south central Louisiana were all the ingredients needed for critical wildfire danger across the region. A wildfire started between Avinger and Jefferson, Texas and burned nearly 41,000 acres of timberland and grassland before it was declared contained on September 13th. A total of 91 structures were burned which included homes, outbuildings and vehicles. Hundreds of firefighters were called in to battle the 12 day wildfire which began when a limb hit a powerline causing sparks. Schools were closed for a few days in southern Cass and Marion Counties. There was one firefighter that was burned while battling the wildfire. This wildfire, which became known as the Bear Creek Fire, involved 17 different agencies including the Texas Forest Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife and fire departments from Florida, South Carolina and Alabama. The Texas Forest Service used helicopter drops from nearby Lake O The Pines to help battle the fire. A command center was set up to coordinate fire fighting efforts at the Pruitt Lake Missionary Baptist Church on Hwy. 155 in Avinger as well as the Pinecrest Baptist on Hwy. 59 in Linden, Texas. More than 8,000 cases of sports drinks and 10,000 cases of water were provided for all the fire fighters during the event.
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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 2, 3:05 PM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA 405 PM CDT FRI SEP 2 2011 .DISCUSSION... AS USUAL...AROUND LABOR DAY WEEKEND...THE WEATHER PATTERN WILL TRENDING TOWARD A CHANGE. A TROPICAL STORM/LEE/ MOVING SLOW NORTHERLY ACROSS THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO TOWARD LOUISIANA AND THEN...OFF TO THE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST STATES THROUGH THE HOLIDAY PERIOD AND THROUGH THE EARLY HALF OF THE WORK WEEK...WILL PROVIDE CLOUDINESS AND RAIN FOR THE SOUTHEAST ZONES. ALSO STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS AROUND THE SYSTEM AS IT SPREADS NORTH AFFECTING THE FORECAST AREA. RAIN SHIELD AND BANDS OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MORE ACTIVE OVER THE EASTERN AND SOUTHEAST ZONES. A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP OVER PARTS OF ARKANSAS AND NORTHERN LOUISIANA BUT WILL LEAVE MENTION OF THEM OUT IN THE EVENING FORECAST AND EXPECT THEM TO DECREASE WITH LOSS OF AFTERNOON HEATING. LOOKS TO BE INTO THE WEEKEND...LATE SATURDAY...BEFORE THE RAINS INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY. MOST OF THE RAIN WILL BE TO THE SOUTHEAST OF AN EL DORADO ARKANSAS TO SHREVEPORT LOUISIANA...AND CENTER TO LUFKIN TEXAS LINE. THE AREA TO THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF A MONROE TO NATCHITOCHES LINE SHOULD SEE THE HIGHEST RAIN TOTALS OF ONE TO THREE INCHES...WITH A SHARP GRADIENT TAPERING OFF QUICKLY BACK ACROSS EAST TEXAS AND NORTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTH ARKANSAS. A COLD FRONT...ACROSS THE PLAINS...WILL BE MOVING INTO THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE WEEKEND HELPING NUDGE THE TROPICAL SYSTEM OFF TO THE EAST AND MAY HELP FOCUS ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AS MOISTURE FROM TROPICAL STORM LEE MOVES INTO THE BOUNDARY. HAVE BUMPED UP THE TEMPERATURES FROM GFS GUIDANCE SINCE BELIEVE IT HAS MORE CLOUD COVER AND RAIN THAN OTHER MODELS. WILL TREND BETWEEN THE NAM AND GFS. FIRE DANGER WILL REMAIN ELEVATED OVER THE WEST DUE TO THE EXPECTED WINDS AND DRIER CONDITIONS. ONE THE REMNANTS OF LEE MOVE OFF TO THE NORTHEAST COOLER TEMPERATURES WILL BE AROUND ALONG WITH DRIER AIR WHICH WILL BE A WELCOME RELIEF FROM THE RECENT OPPRESSIVE HEAT. /06/ && .AVIATION... DESCENT CU FIELD HAS DEVELOPED ACROSS THE TERMINAL SITES THIS AFTERNOON AND WE SHOULD SEE THIS CLOUD COVER DISSIPATE OR SLOWLY LIFT LATER THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. AT THIS TIME... FEEL LIKE VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PREVAIL ACROSS ALL TERMINAL LOCATIONS THROUGH AT LEAST 18Z SAT BUT BANDING OF SHOWERS WRAPPING AROUND THE NW SIDE OF T.S. LEE COULD RESULT IN BRIEF LOWER VISIBILITIES AT THE MLU AND SHV TERMINAL MAINLY AND AFTER 18Z SAT. MIXING HAS ALLOWED FOR STRONG GRADIENT WINDS TODAY ACROSS ALL TERMINALS BUT THESE SHOULD SUBSIDE SOMEWHAT LATER TONIGHT DESPITE THE INCREASING PRESSURE GRADIENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH T.S. LEE. EXPECTING A RETURN TO STRONG NE WINDS ACROSS ALL TERMINAL LOCATIONS BY MID MORNING SATURDAY WITH 10-15KTS SUSTAINED WITH HIGHER GUSTS. /13/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SHV 74 94 71 92 66 / 10 30 40 40 30 MLU 73 90 69 87 67 / 30 60 70 60 40 DEQ 70 96 68 93 60 / 10 20 20 30 20 TXK 73 96 70 93 64 / 10 20 20 30 20 ELD 72 93 69 90 66 / 10 30 30 30 30 TYR 73 98 71 95 63 / 10 20 20 30 20 GGG 73 96 70 94 65 / 10 30 30 40 20 LFK 73 94 70 93 65 / 30 40 50 50 40 && .SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. LA...NONE. OK...NONE. TX...NONE. && 06/13
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA 1225 PM CDT FRI SEP 2 2011 ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>004-010-017-OKZ077-TXZ096-097- 108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-031100- ANGELINA-BOSSIER-BOWIE-CADDO-CAMP-CASS-CHEROKEE-CLAIBORNE-COLUMBIA- DE SOTO-FRANKLIN-GREGG-HARRISON-HEMPSTEAD-HOWARD-LAFAYETTE- LITTLE RIVER-MARION-MCCURTAIN-MILLER-MORRIS-NACOGDOCHES-NEVADA- PANOLA-RED RIVER TX-RUSK-SABINE LA-SABINE TX-SAN AUGUSTINE-SEVIER- SHELBY-SMITH-TITUS-UNION AR-UPSHUR-WEBSTER-WOOD- 1225 PM CDT FRI SEP 2 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS...FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST LOUISIANA...FOR DEEP EAST AND NORTHEAST TEXAS AND FOR SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY... TROPICAL SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SLOWLY NORTH TO NORTHEAST ACROSS THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO AND INTO LOUISIANA DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEKEND...AND THEN NORTHEAST ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST STATES THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE WORK WEEK. FOLLOWING THE LATEST NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTERS FORECAST PATH...THE MAIN AREAS OF RAIN WOULD BE ALONG AND NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF AN EL DORADO ARKANSAS TO SHREVEPORT/BOSSIER CITY LOUISIANA...AND CENTER AND LUFKIN TEXAS LINE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT. LAZ005-006-011>014-018>022-031100- BIENVILLE-CALDWELL-GRANT-JACKSON-LA SALLE-LINCOLN-NATCHITOCHES- OUACHITA-RED RIVER LA-UNION LA-WINN- 1225 PM CDT FRI SEP 2 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST LOUISIANA AND FOR ALL OF NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... A FEW SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AS TROPICAL MOISTURE MOVES INTO PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST LOUISIANA. BRIEF DOWNPOURS MAY GUST THE WIND TO 35 TO 40 MPH. LIGHTNING WILL BE POSSIBLE NEAR THUNDERSTORMS AND WILL ALWAYS POSE A DANGER TO OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES. NO ORGANIZED HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY... TROPICAL SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SLOWLY NORTH TO NORTHEAST ACROSS THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO AND INTO LOUISIANA DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEKEND...AND THEN NORTHEAST ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST STATES THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE WORK WEEK. FOLLOWING THE LATEST NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTERS FORECAST PATH. AREAS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20 AND TO THE EAST OF INTERSTATE 49 WILL HAVE THE MOST LIKELY OPPORTUNITY FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...ALONG WITH WINDY CONDITIONS. IN ADDITION...OUR NEXT COLD FRONT WILL MOVE IN EARLY NEXT WEEK AND MAY INTERACT WITH THE TROPICAL MOISTURE...EVEN INTENSIFYING OR ALTERING THE AREAS OF MAXIMUM RAINFALL TOTALS. HEAVY RAIN WILL EXTEND ALONG AND NEAR AND TO THE SOUTHEAST OF A MONROE TO BIENVILLE...AND NATCHITOCHES LOUISIANA LINE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. 06
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
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, September 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: 338814.