Wildfire in Texas, April 2 to 4, 2022

Name: Wildfire in Texas, April 2 to 4, 2022
Start: 2022-04-02T17:00
End: 2022-04-04T19:00
Location: Texas

April 2 to 4, 2022 · NWS BRO · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Where it happened

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.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS BRO wrote it up.

Conditions were very favorable for wildfire spread again on April 2nd. Light to moderate east to southeast winds combined with cured ground fuels from several freezes in January and February and developing drought conditions allowed for rapid wildfire growth. Two fires started on April 2nd. The first was the Gun Smoke Wildfire, in the northwestern part of Starr County. The second was the San Ygnacio wildfire in west central Zapata County, about a mile south of the town of San Ygnacio.

What forecasters said that day

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 Brownsville, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 2, 2:00 PM CST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 2, 2:00 PM CST, 3 hours before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Brownsville TX
300 PM CDT Sat Apr 2 2022

.SHORT TERM (Tonight through Sunday Night): A 500mb shortwave ridge
across the western half of the state of Texas tonight will flatten
out Sunday into Sun night as a 500mb low/trough across the northern
plains moves eastward. At the surface...a stationary frontal
boundary will linger across the western Gulf of Mexico tonight as a
weak cold front across south Texas this afternoon continues to wash
out. This will allow areas of fog to develop across the eastern
portions of deep south Texas late tonight and spread westward into
early Sunday morning. In addition...smoke from the Borrega wildfire
in Kleberg (even though 95% contained) will continue to provide haze
across portions of the CWA tonight into Sunday. Skies should clear
out Sun afternoon as the fog...smoke and haze lifts with winds
increasing from the east and diurnal heating allowing mixing to
increase. Some isolated showers are expected to develop across
portions of the northern ranchlands late Sun night as a weak warm
front lift northward across the Texas coast and a cold front moves
through northwest Texas. Otherwise...not much in the way of rain
chances are expected in the short term forecast. Temperatures will
continue to be near normal to slightly above normal tonight through
Sunday night.

.LONG TERM (Monday through Saturday): Nearly zonal flow aloft
will continue over the region into Monday as a 500mb shortwave
over the Four Corners pushes into the High Plains. As moisture
increases across the area a weak frontal boundary/dryline will
move into central Texas, this could hep spark a few showers or
thunderstorms through the day Monday as moisture increases across
the area. Rain and thunderstorm chances will stay mainly confined
to the coast. Despite increased cloud cover, southerly flow will
allow temperatures to warm to near or just above normal for Monday
afternoon. As the midlevel through moves into Texas on Tuesday,
the aforementioned boundary/dryline will move through Deep South
Texas, ending precip chances by midday Tuesday. Compressional
warming will heat things up across the region Tuesday and
Wednesday with records possibly being broken. Tuesday highs are
expected to reach the 90s across much of the region with some 100s
out west. By Wednesday, we will see even warmer temperatures with
highs generally in to 100s with 90s near the coast and 80s at
area beaches.

Current records for Tuesday and Wednesday:

Brownsville: Tuesday: 100 / Wednesday: 99 Harlingen: Tuesday: 98 /
Wednesday: 94 McAllen: Tuesday: 99 / Wednesday: 95

Things will cool back down on Thursday as a dry cold front is slated
to move through the area on Wednesday night. This will allow
temperatures to drop back to just below normal through Saturday.

&&

.MARINE (Tonight through Sunday night): Seas were near 5 feet with
northeast winds at 6 knots at buoy020 at 2:10 pm this afternoon.
Winds will veer to the east tonight and remain light as a weak
stationary frontal boundary lingers across the western Gulf of
Mexico. Light east to northeast winds will prevail across the
coastal waters Sunday before veering to the southeast and increasing
Sun night as surface high pressure across the southeast United
States moves eastward and low pressure develops across west Texas
allowing the pressure gradient to increase across the lower Texas
coast Sun night. SCEC conditions may develop across the offshore
waters Sun night as a result.

Monday through Friday: Moderate winds and low to moderate
seas will prevail through Monday night with exercise caution
conditions possible into early Tuesday. A few showers or
thunderstorms will also be possible across the coastal waters Monday
as a weak boundary approaches and moves through. Favorable
conditions are expected late Monday night into Tuesday before a cold
front moves through the area on Wednesday. Moderate to strong
northeast winds and building seas will develop Wednesday night into
Thursday. This will likely prompt Small Craft Advisories along the
Lower Texas Coast Wednesday night through Thursday before favorable
conditions return for Friday.

FIRE WEATHER (Tuesday through Thursday): Elevated to critical fire
weather conditions will be possible each afternoon Tuesday through
Thursday. Low relative humidity values of 10 to 30 percent are
forecast each afternoon with light to moderate 20-foot winds and
very warm temperatures. Rain-free conditions are expected during
this time frame.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL  65  78  67  81 /  10  10  10  20
BROWNSVILLE          68  83  70  85 /   0  10  10  10
HARLINGEN            65  83  68  87 /  10  10  10  10
MCALLEN              66  87  68  90 /   0   0  10  10
RIO GRANDE CITY      65  90  67  95 /   0   0  10  10
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND   66  72  68  74 /  10  10  10  10

&&

.BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...None.
GM...None.
&&

This product is also available on the web at:
https://weather.gov/rgv

61-Castillo/Short Term
68-McGinnis/Long Term

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 2, 4:00 PM CST, 1 hour before

Hazardous Weather Outlook...Updated
National Weather Service Brownsville TX
500 PM CDT Sat Apr 2 2022

TXZ248>257-351-353-031100-
Zapata-Jim Hogg-Brooks-Inland Kenedy-Starr-Southern Hidalgo-
Inland Willacy-Inland Cameron-Coastal Willacy-Coastal Cameron-
Coastal Kenedy-Northern Hidalgo-
500 PM CDT Sat Apr 2 2022

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of Deep South
Texas.

.DAY ONE...Tonight

There is a Moderate Risk of rip currents at the beaches of South
Padre Island and at Boca Chica Beach.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday

An elevated risk of rip currents is possible at the local beaches
through the entire period.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Skywarn spotter activation will not be needed.

GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-031100-
Laguna Madre from the Port of Brownsville to the Arroyo Colorado-
Laguna Madre from the Arroyo Colorado To 5 NM north of Port
Mansfield TX-
Laguna Madre from 5 nm north of Port Mansfield to Baffin Bay TX-
Gulf waters from Port Mansfield to the Rio Grande out 20 nm-
Gulf waters from Baffin Bay to Port Mansfield out 20 nm-
Gulf waters from Port Mansfield to the Rio Grande extending from
20 to 60 nm-
Gulf waters from Baffin Bay to Port Mansfield extending from
20 to 60 nm-
500 PM CDT Sat Apr 2 2022

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of The Gulf of
Mexico and The Laguna Madre.

.DAY ONE...Tonight

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday

Small Craft Advisories are possible along the Lower Texas Coast
Wednesday night through Friday morning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Skywarn spotter activation will not be needed.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Starr

When: April 2, 5:00 PM CST to 10:30 PM CST
Where: Starr forecast zone
Reported by: Park/Forest Service
Coordinates: 26.562, -98.738 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The event known as the Gun Smoke Wildfire was estimated to have ignited around 6:00PM CDT on the western side North FM 649 in Starr County about 5 miles south of the Starr and Jim Hogg County line. It burned until later in the evening on April 2nd when it was announced to be 100 percent contained at 11:30PM CDT. This wildfire consumed a total of 425 acres. A Spot Request submitted by the Texas A&M Forest Service was used as a guide for the ignition time and spread that followed.

Wildfire, Zapata

When: April 2, 7:00 PM CST to April 4, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Zapata forecast zone
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates: 27.001, -99.169 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The event known as the San Ygnacio fire burned along the riverbanks of the Rio Grande River approximately 1 mile south of San Ygnacio. The Zapata County Fire Department stated the first started the afternoon of April 2nd and continued to burn until the afternoon of April 4th. The fire consumed a total of approximately 1000 acres.

What these are

Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 2022 Every state in 2022 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, April 2022

Sources

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: 1007400, 1011079.