Moderate/D1 drought conditions deteriorated to severe/D2 during the last week of July as rainfall totals remained below normal for the month.
Every event with a place to put it; 9 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.
Moderate/D1 drought conditions deteriorated to severe/D2 during the last week of July as rainfall totals remained below normal for the month.
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 Jul 23, 11:13 PM CST, 47 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 1213 AM CDT Tue Jul 24 2018 .AVIATION... VFR will prevail with clearing skies overnight as mid level clouds move out with the passing disturbance. Winds will be out of the north/northeast at 10 mph early in the period but will decrease to near 5 mph by daybreak. Winds will become northeasterly on Tuesday with speed of 5 to 10 mph with perhaps higher gusts in the afternoon. TR.92 && .SHORT TERM... /Issued 325 PM CDT Mon Jul 23 2018/ /Tonight/ After another hot day with record breaking heat, especially across Central Texas, temperatures will be slow to cool this evening as mid and upper level clouds increase with a passing shortwave. The only somewhat good news is that many locations across North Texas were a bit cooler and drier today due to the passage of a weak cold front so overnight lows should still make it into the 70s with the exception of some spots around the Metroplex. A few showers may also accompany the shortwave, but moisture is limited to the mid levels of the atmosphere with a very dry layer below. Therefore, most precipitation should evaporate before reaching the ground, but any showers may produce gusty and erratic winds. 79 && .LONG TERM... /Issued 325 PM CDT Mon Jul 23 2018/ /Tuesday through the Weekend/ While not as hot as the past several days, 100 degree heat is still forecast through a good portion of the long term forecast period. There will be low chances for rain on Tuesday and again next weekend. There does appear to be a more appreciable potential for a break from the heat after next weekend. Tuesday and Wednesday---Slightly cooler air will filter in from the north in the wake of a very diffuse frontal boundary on Tuesday. The 12 UTC runs of the deterministic GFS and NAM continue to advertise that a couple of compact shortwave troughs will dive southward around the eastern flank of the H5 ridge across to the west. The first of these will be exiting Central Texas earlier in the day on Tuesday. Higher resolution guidance is not too aggressive with its depiction of the radar scope on Tuesday morning, but given the steep lapse rates and some mid-level moisture, I'll maintain a low potential for some elevated convection. Rain amounts should be low and a rumble of thunder or two will be possible. With northeasterly flow across the area, we'll likely keep temperatures below record levels with readings closer to seasonal values. On Wednesday, another compact upper level wave will ripple down across the Big Country within the northerly flow aloft. This feature will likely remain too far to the west to introduce any meaningful rain chances, so for now, I'll carry a silent 10 PoP near and west of Highway 281. Wednesday should see high temperatures in the 99 to 101 degree range, so it'll still be hot and individuals outdoors should still take breaks and hydrate with plenty of water. Thursday and Friday---The seasonably hot weather will continue towards the end of the week as the intermountain west H5 ridge builds a little more to the east and our northerly flow aloft becomes slightly more westerly. Some of the medium/long range deterministic guidance suggests that a few more shortwave troughs may still ripple through the flow aloft, but at this time, it's unlikely that there will be sufficient moisture for widespread rain. For now, I'll only advertise just a low chance for showers and an isolated thunderstorm or two across the Big Country late Thursday and into Friday. There could be an increase in cloud cover for at least North Texas as cirrus invades from the west and northwest. The Weekend and Beyond---The weekend should see temperatures near normal values, but there could be some changes on the way--- mainly late Sunday and into Monday. A frontal boundary will slide southward towards the I-40 corridor in Central Oklahoma. A 40-50 knot mid-level jet should result in lift across this area and will likely generate convection. This activity may sag southward and clip some of our Red River counties on Sunday. I've kept the lowest temperatures here on Sunday due to increased cloud cover and the potential for rain. The frontal boundary and associated convection may try to sink southward on Monday and I've maintained slight chance to chance PoPs across the area along with temperatures in the 80s and low 90s. Stay tuned as this is still 7-8 days out. Bain && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Dallas-Ft. Worth 80 98 77 101 77 / 10 0 0 0 0 Waco 79 100 75 101 75 / 10 10 5 0 0 Paris 74 95 71 98 73 / 5 0 0 0 0 Denton 75 98 72 100 73 / 10 0 0 0 0 McKinney 75 97 72 99 74 / 5 0 0 0 0 Dallas 81 99 79 101 80 / 5 0 0 0 0 Terrell 77 97 74 100 75 / 5 0 0 0 0 Corsicana 78 99 74 101 74 / 10 5 0 0 0 Temple 78 101 73 101 74 / 20 20 10 0 0 Mineral Wells 76 99 73 100 73 / 10 5 5 0 0 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Heat Advisory until 7 PM CDT this evening for TXZ100>105-115>123- 135-148. Excessive Heat Warning until 7 PM CDT this evening for TXZ129>134-141>147-156>162-174-175. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 717 PM CDT Mon Jul 23 2018 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-250030- 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- 717 PM CDT Mon Jul 23 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for North and Central Texas. .DAY ONE...Tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. There is a slight chance of thunderstorms across western North Texas Thursday night with increasing thunderstorm chances across the entire region Sunday and Sunday night. The fire threat will remain elevated across the entire region through the weekend due to hot and dry weather and very dry vegetation. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
9 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Moderate drought deteriorated to Severe drought during the last week of July as rainfall remained below normal.
Moderate drought deteriorated to Severe drought during the last week of July as rainfall remained below normal.
Moderate drought deteriorated to Severe drought during the last week of July as rainfall remained below normal.
Moderate drought deteriorated to Severe drought during the last week of July as rainfall remained below normal.
Moderate drought deteriorated to Severe drought during the last week of July as rainfall remained below normal.
Moderate drought deteriorated to Severe drought during the last week of July as rainfall remained below normal.
Moderate drought deteriorated to Severe drought during the last week of July as rainfall remained below normal.
Moderate drought deteriorated to Severe drought during the last week of July as rainfall remained below normal.
Moderate drought deteriorated to Severe drought during the last week of July as rainfall remained below normal.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, July 2018
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: 776647, 776648, 776649, 776650, 776651, 776652, 776653, 776654, 776655.