Texas, 2022Wildfire in Texas, March 2 to 3, 2022
March 2 to 3, 2022 · NWS BRO · 2 events in 2 counties and zones
Conditions were very favorable for wildfire spread with high pressure and dry weather in place during the day of March 2nd. Moderate to strong east to southeast winds combined with cured ground fuels from several freeze events in January and February allowed for rapid wildfire growth.
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.
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- 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.
Conditions were very favorable for wildfire spread with high pressure and dry weather in place during the day of March 2nd. Moderate to strong east to southeast winds combined with cured ground fuels from several freeze events in January and February allowed for rapid wildfire growth. The Oak Mott fire, in the southern portion of Kenedy County and northern portion of Willacy County, ignited on March 2nd around 1:00PM CST and continued until 2:00PM CST on March 3rd when it was announced it was 100 percent contained. The fire consumed a total of 873 acres.
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 Mar 2, 11:47 AM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 2, 11:47 AM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED
National Weather Service Brownsville TX
1147 AM CST Wed Mar 2 2022
.DISCUSSION...Updated for latest aviation discussion below.
&&
.AVIATION...Vsby satl and surface obs indicate VFR conditions in
place over the RGV airports at midday today. Some cld decks are
present down south of the river, but do not appear to be making
much progress northwards. Some lower level cld decks will likely
reform later tonight through Thurs morning resulting in some MVFR
conditions for portions of the RGV. Short range model guidance
indicates that there will be the potential for areas of fog across
mainly the Northern Ranchlands overnight through Thurs morning,
similar to this morning. For now will hold off on including these
for the RGV airports. But this may need to be updated later today
or tonight if the fog signal from the short term guidance gets
stronger.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 756 AM CST Wed Mar 2 2022/
DISCUSSION...Vsbys within the advisory area have been slow to
improve this morning. So will extend the Dense Fog Avisory through
10 am.
PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 530 AM CST Wed Mar 2 2022/
DISCUSSION...Updated for latest aviation discussion below.
AVIATION...VFR will prevail at the aerodromes through the next
24 hours with high pressure in control at the surface and in the
middle layers of the atmosphere.
PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 337 AM CST Wed Mar 2 2022/
SHORT TERM (Now through Thursday): Deep South Texas and the Rio
Grande Valley will be on the northern periphery of 500 mb high
pressure centered over the bay of Campeche during the period. Dry
weather will dominate over nearly all of the BRO CWFA, but a few
isolated showers cannot be ruled out over the lower Texas coastal
waters on Thursday. Temperatures-wise, a persistent onshore flow
will produce near normal daytime high and overnight low temperatures
for this portion of the whole forecast.
The only fly in the ointment will be fog. Surface observations and
satellite imagery indicate that dense fog has developed and is
persisting over the northern ranchlands at this time. As a result, a
Dense Fog Advisory has been posted for Jim Hogg County, Brooks
County, and the northern half of Hidalgo County from now until a
couple of hours after sunrise this morning. The observations and
imagery will be monitored to determine if the Advisory will need to
be expanded into additional counties through the next few hours.
LONG TERM (Thursday Night through Tuesday): Warm and rain-free
conditions are expected through the weekend with a stable airmass
in place. Broad 500 mb ridging over central Mexico will maintain
a nearly zonal flow over Deep South Texas through the first half
of the period. A southwest flow aloft then develops by the
weekend as the mid-level ridge shifts towards the east and a 500
mb trough drops into the Desert Southwest. At the surface, high
pressure across the northern Gulf of Mexico will maintain a steady
southeasterly low level flow. The pressure gradient is expected
to strengthen Saturday as low pressure develops across the
Plains. The will result in breezy conditions across the area,
especially along the coast, Saturday and Sunday. The next cold
front is expected to move into Deep South Texas on Monday.
Isolated rain showers are expected to develop on Monday ahead and
along the front as moisture increases. Rain chances will linger,
mainly across the eastern portions of the CWA, Monday night into
Tuesday as the frontal boundary stalls off the coast. Well above
normal temperatures will prevail through Sunday night with
temperatures falling back to near or slightly below normal Monday
into Tuesday.
MARINE (Now through Thursday): Buoy 42020 reported south-southeast
winds around 8 knots gusting to around 12 knots with seas slightly
over 1.5 feet with a period of 6 seconds at 150 CST/750 UTC. High
pressure over the western Gulf of Mexico will produce fine marine
conditions along the Lower Texas Coast during the period, with
generally light winds and low seas. Small Craft Exercise Caution
and Small Craft Advisory are not likely to be needed.
Thursday Night through Sunday: Favorable marine conditions are
expected Thursday night into Friday night with high pressure
across the northern Gulf. Adverse marine conditions will develop
during the weekend as the pressure gradient strenghtens along the
lower Texas coast. Small Craft Exercise Caution and/or Small Craft
Advisory may be needed Saturday through Monday for the stronger
winds and higher seas.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL 72 59 73 59 / 0 0 10 0
BROWNSVILLE 75 61 77 62 / 0 0 10 0
HARLINGEN 74 59 76 59 / 0 0 10 0
MCALLEN 77 58 78 61 / 0 0 10 0
RIO GRANDE CITY 77 58 79 61 / 0 0 0 0
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND 67 62 68 63 / 0 0 10 0
&&
.BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...None.
GM...None.
&&
This product is also available on the web at:
https://weather.gov/rgv
Short Term/Aviation...60-Speece
Long Term...56-Hallman
IDSS...67-Mejia
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 2, 9:43 AM CST, 3 hours 17 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook...Updated
National Weather Service Brownsville TX
943 AM CST Wed Mar 2 2022
TXZ248>257-351-353-031200-
Zapata-Jim Hogg-Brooks-Inland Kenedy-Starr-Southern Hidalgo-
Inland Willacy-Inland Cameron-Coastal Willacy-Coastal Cameron-
Coastal Kenedy-Northern Hidalgo-
943 AM CST Wed Mar 2 2022
This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of Deep South
Texas.
.DAY ONE...Rest of Today and Tonight
No hazardous weather is expected at this time.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday
An elevated risk of rip currents is possible at the beaches of
South Padre Island and at Boca Chica Beach Saturday through
Tuesday.
A Wind Advisory may be needed for portions of Deep South Texas and
the Rio Grande Valley Saturday and Sunday.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
Skywarn spotter activation will not be needed.
GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-031200-
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-
943 AM CST Wed Mar 2 2022
This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of The Gulf of
Mexico and The Laguna Madre.
.DAY ONE...Rest of Today and Tonight
No hazardous weather is expected at this time.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday
A Small Craft Advisory may be needed along the Lower Texas Coast
Saturday through Tuesday.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
Skywarn spotter activation will not be needed.
Wildfire, Inland Kenedy County
- When
- March 2, 1:00 PM CST to March 3, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Inland Kenedy County forecast zone
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
- Coordinates
- 26.928, -97.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The event known as the Oak Mott Wildfire was estimated to have initiated around 1:00PM CST about 7 miles north of San Perlita, TX along the border of Kenedy and Willacy Counties. It burned until the afternoon of the 3rd when it was announced to be 100 percent contained at 2:00PM CST. This wildfire consumed a total of 873 acres, of which approximately 800 acres burned in Inland Kenedy County. A Spot Request submitted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service on March 2nd and the GOES-16 Day Land Cloud Fire RGB channel were used as a guide for the ignition time and rapid spread that followed.
Wildfire, Willacy
- When
- March 2, 1:00 PM CST to March 3, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Willacy forecast zone
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
- Coordinates
- 26.477, -97.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The event known as the Oak Mott Wildfire was estimated to have initiated around 1:00PM CST about 7 miles north of San Perlita, TX along the border of Kenedy and Willacy Counties. It burned until the afternoon of the 3rd when it was announced to be 100 percent contained at 2:00PM CST. This wildfire consumed a total of 873 acres, a total of about 73 acres occurred in Willacy County. A Spot Request submitted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service on March 2nd and the GOES-16 Day Land Cloud Fire RGB channel were used as a guide for the ignition time and rapid spread that followed.
- 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.
- Wildfire in California, March 2 to 27, 20223 injured · $100,000 · 1 event
- Flooding in Idaho, March 2 to 4, 2022$40,000 · 3 events
- Dense Fog in Montana, March 2 to 3, 20224 events
- Winter Weather in Alaska, March 2 to 4, 20221 event
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: 1002480, 1002481.