The largest wildfire in Kansas recorded history started northwest of Alva, OK but quickly moved into Comanche and Barber counties. By the time it was contained, the fire had consumed nearly 275,000 acres in Kansas (and another 90,000 acres in Oklahoma).
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 DDC wrote it up.
The largest wildfire in Kansas recorded history started northwest of Alva, OK but quickly moved into Comanche and Barber counties. By the time it was contained, the fire had consumed nearly 275,000 acres in Kansas (and another 90,000 acres in Oklahoma). There were 103 structures damaged or destroyed, including 76 homes (11 a total loss), with $706,000 in livestock loss and $27,000,000 in fencing. Four bridges were destroyed. Fortunately there were no deaths or serous injuries. It was the 10th largest wildfire in U.S. history.
Total cost (as of June 1) was $30,133,000 but that number may continue to rise.
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 Dodge City, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 22, 5:34 PM CST, 26 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Dodge City KS 634 PM CDT TUE MAR 22 2016 ...Updated for Aviation... .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH Wednesday night) ISSUED AT 234 PM CDT TUE MAR 22 2016 Tonight a cold front will remain nearly stationary along the Nebraska border as a surface trough of low pressure/dryline moves east across western Kansas. Lows tonight will be similar to last night and range from the lower 40s in west central Kansas to the lower 50s in south central Kansas. On Wednesday an area of low pressure at the surface will deepen as an upper low storm system lifts northeast from southern Colorado into western Kansas early in the day. Given the strengthening surface pressure gradient along with strong winds aloft mixing down to the surface the winds across western Kansas will be increasing into the 30 to 40 mph range by the early afternoon. The strongest winds will occur during the mid to late afternoon as a strong cold front crosses western Kansas. Behind this cold front models suggest sustained winds of 35 to near 40 mph with gusts of around 55 mph. These speeds are just below High Wind Warning criteria, but given the potential of these strong winds being slightly stronger late Wednesday will issue a High Wind Watch for Wednesday afternoon. In addition to the strong winds falling afternoon temperatures can be expected behind this cold front as clouds, cold air advection and light precipitation develops. Initially this precipitation will be in the form of rain but as temperatures fall a mix of rain or snow will develop by late day/early evening in north central Kansas. All snow will then develop early Wednesday night across west central and north central Kansas with a period of steady snow possible for a few hours. Snow accumulations of 1 to near 2 inches will be possible along and north of the I-70 corridor before the snow ends around midnight. Strong winds early Wednesday evening will also create reduced visibilities due to blowing snow. Prior to the onset of precipitation the strong winds is expected to produce a period of blowing dust Wednesday afternoon. Some reduction in visibilities is expected due to this blowing dust. .LONG TERM...(Thursday THROUGH Tuesday) ISSUED AT 234 PM CDT TUE MAR 22 2016 On Thursday as the upper level storm system tracks northeast into the Western Great Lakes Region a northwesterly flow will be developing across the central Rockies. Northwest winds at 10 to 20 mph will back more to the west southwest during the day as a surface ridge axis moves into central Kansas and a trough of low pressure at the surface begins to develop[ along the lee of the Rockies. 900mb to 850mb temperatures will begin to warm during the day, mainly near the Colorado border. Given 900mb to 850mb temperatures at 00z Friday the highs on Thursday are expected to range from the low 50s in north central Kansas to the upper 50s in far western Kansas. 900mb to 850mb temperatures will continue to warm on Friday ahead of a cold front which will be dropping south out of Nebraska into northern Kansas by late day. 850mb temperatures at 00z Saturday continue to support highs in the mid 60s to lower 70s for western Kansas. At this time will stay close to these temperatures for highs despite the potential for increasing clouds from the west late day ahead of the next approaching upper level trough. Friday night into early Saturday a cold front will drop south into the Texas panhandle as a northern branch upper level wave crosses the Northern Plains. There may even be a chance for some precipitation Friday night behind this front along a mid level baroclinic zone that will be located across northern Kansas. Saturday will be cloudy and cool. There may even be a slight chance for some light precipitation during the day as moisture and isentropic lift begins to develop ahead of an upper level trough that will be crossing the four corners region. Given the cloud cover and precipitation chances the highs may struggle to climb much higher than the low to mid 50s. From Saturday night through early Monday the latest global models begin to diverge on the track and speed of this next upper level trough as it moves from New Mexico into the the Central and Southern Plains. Precipitation chances will improve late this weekend, but exactly were the better chances for precipitation will be is unclear. Will therefore stay close to the latest CRExtendedFcst_Init for precipitation chances through Sunday night. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z Wednesday EVENING) ISSUED AT 629 PM CDT TUE MAR 22 2016 Gusty winds of 15-25kt will decrease as the low levels decouple this evening. LLWS may crank up to around 40-45kt after 02Z. Winds increase again after 14Z then become northwest with a strong cold after 20-22Z. Very strong winds could mixdown from the northwest with the front to 45-50kt. Some light showers may also accompany the front. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DDC 48 56 30 56 / 0 30 20 10 GCK 44 49 25 58 / 0 40 30 10 EHA 45 50 29 59 / 0 20 20 10 LBL 47 55 28 60 / 0 30 20 10 HYS 44 53 27 53 / 0 50 50 10 P28 53 68 32 58 / 0 10 10 10 && .DDC Watches/Warnings/Advisories... Red Flag Warning until 9 PM CDT /8 PM MDT/ this evening for KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090. High Wind Watch from Wednesday afternoon through Wednesday evening for KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090. && SHORT TERM...Burgert LONG TERM...Burgert AVIATION...Kruse
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 242 PM CDT TUE MAR 22 2016 KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090-231000- TREGO-ELLIS-SCOTT-LANE-NESS-RUSH-HAMILTON-KEARNY-FINNEY-HODGEMAN- PAWNEE-STAFFORD-STANTON-GRANT-HASKELL-GRAY-FORD-EDWARDS-KIOWA- PRATT-MORTON-STEVENS-SEWARD-MEADE-CLARK-COMANCHE-BARBER- 242 PM CDT TUE MAR 22 2016 /142 PM MDT TUE MAR 22 2016/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL...SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. DISCUSSION...VERY WARM TEMPERATURES ALONG WITH LOW HUMIDITY AND GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED LATE TODAY. SEE THE RED FLAG WARNING FOR DETAILS. WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED... LIMITED NON THUNDERSTORM WIND RISK. EXTREME FIRE WEATHER RISK. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. DISCUSSION...A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL KANSAS ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. AHEAD OF THE FRONT, DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS WILL CREATE AN ELEVATED WILDFIRE THREAT. BEHIND THE FRONT, THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP FROM DODGE CITY TO HAYS AND LARNED. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED. STRONG GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS AT 35 TO 45 MPH WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE BEHIND THE FRONT WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. REFER TO THE HIGH WIND WATCH FOR DETAILS. SOME LIGHT SNOW COULD DEVELOP MAINLY OVER CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL KANSAS DURING THE EVENING HOURS. ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE INCH OR LESS WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG AND NORTH OF THE I-70 CORRIDOR. HAZARDS WEATHER RISK... WEDNESDAY... LIMITED FLOODING RISK. ELEVATED LIGHTNING RISK. EXTREME NON THUNDERSTORM WIND RISK. LIMITED SNOW RISK. ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER RISK. THURSDAY... NO HAZARDS. FRIDAY... ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER RISK. SATURDAY... NO HAZARDS. SUNDAY... NO HAZARDS. MONDAY... LIMITED FIRE WEATHER RISK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. && FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT OUR WEBPAGE HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DDC/EHWO BURGERT
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The damage values were shared between Comanche and Barber counties.
The damage values were shared between Comanche and Barber counties.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, March 2016
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: 627374, 627375.