Drought conditions continued to worsen across North Texas and eastern Central Texas late in the month, with severe drought conditions expanding in area.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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.
Drought conditions continued to worsen across North Texas and eastern Central Texas late in the month, with severe drought conditions expanding in area.
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 Aug 21, 10:45 PM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 1145 PM CDT Mon Aug 21 2023 ...New Short Term, Aviation... .SHORT TERM... /NEW/ /Overnight through Tuesday night/ The heat will stay with us through the week but increased cloud cover associated with TD 9 will likely keep most of our Central Texas counties a touch cooler on Tuesday than the past few days. Therefore, we will keep a Heat Advisory across about the southern half of the forecast area, with an Excessive Heat Warning elsewhere. We will also highlight the critical fire threat with a Red Flag Warning for all but the extreme north/northeast counties where wind speeds will be a bit lighter than the rest of the CWA. Unfortunately, the best moisture and lift associated with TD 9 will remain across South Texas, but there is still a low chance for a few showers or storms to graze the southern zones Tuesday afternoon. Overnight lows will once again reach the upper 70s to lower 80s across most of the forecast area. Highs Tuesday will still be hot (101-107), but as mentioned above, it will be a few degrees cooler across Central Texas. A breezy east wind associated with the tropical depression will prevail on Tuesday. Once the remnants of the depression move farther inland Tuesday night, the wind will become more southerly. 79 && .LONG TERM... /Issued 306 PM CDT Mon Aug 21 2023/ /Wednesday Onward/ A 600dam ridge will remain in full control of Central CONUS weather through the middle and latter portion of the week. Excessive heat will be the result here locally, with widespread triple-digit highs expected to continue. Extensions of heat headlines will be necessary through the second half of the week, with most or perhaps all of the area under returning to an Excessive Heat Warning. In addition, an elevated to critical fire threat will persist each day, although moderate wind speeds of 10-15 mph will prevent this threat from reaching even higher levels. Red Flag Warnings and/or Grass Fire Danger Statements will be necessary to address this concern on nearly a daily basis. By the upcoming weekend, a slight breakdown of the upper ridge will occur, while its center becomes repositioned over the Desert Southwest. This may open the door for a weak front to intrude into the Southern Plains as modest mid-level northwesterly flow ensues. A seabreeze along the Texas coast may also become more active in the absence of the ridge which may offer low rain chances to our Central Texas zones over the weekend and early next week. At this time, PoPs of only 20% or less are warranted, and most areas will probably remain dry during the course of the next seven days. Unless cloud cover and/or precipitation coverage is higher than expected, it appears unlikely that any noteworthy drop in temperatures will occur through the extended portion of the forecast, with most areas reaching or exceeding the 100 degree mark on a daily basis into early next week. -Stalley && .AVIATION... /NEW/ /06Z TAFs/ The only aviation weather concern through Tuesday will be a breezy east wind associated with Tropical Depression 9. This wind will continue to affect preferred traffic patterns and create some minor crosswind issues on north/south oriented runways. Otherwise, we expect VFR conditions to continue at all TAF sites through Tuesday night with scattered to occasionally broken middle and high clouds associated with the tropical depression. An east to southeast wind less than 10 knots overnight and Tuesday morning will become more easterly Tuesday afternoon. Wind speeds will increase in the afternoon between 8 and 13 knots with some gusts around 20 knots. Wind speeds will slowly decrease Tuesday evening while veering back to the southeast/south. 79 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Dallas-Ft. Worth 84 104 83 104 84 / 0 0 0 5 0 Waco 80 103 78 103 80 / 5 5 0 5 5 Paris 78 101 78 102 78 / 0 0 0 5 0 Denton 79 105 79 105 79 / 0 0 0 5 0 McKinney 79 102 79 102 80 / 0 0 0 5 0 Dallas 84 105 83 105 85 / 0 0 0 5 0 Terrell 79 104 78 104 80 / 0 0 0 5 0 Corsicana 81 105 79 105 81 / 5 0 0 10 5 Temple 79 103 76 103 79 / 0 10 10 10 5 Mineral Wells 78 106 76 106 78 / 5 0 0 5 0 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Excessive Heat Warning until 9 PM CDT Tuesday for TXZ091>095- 101>107-116>123-131-133>135-146. Heat Advisory until 9 PM CDT Tuesday for TXZ100-115-129-130-132- 141>145-147-148-156>162-174-175. Red Flag Warning from 10 AM to 9 PM CDT Tuesday for TXZ100>103- 115>119-121-122-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 1148 PM CDT Mon Aug 21 2023 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-230015- 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- 1148 PM CDT Mon Aug 21 2023 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. Triple-digit temperatures and high heat index values will prevail throughout the week. An elevated fire threat will accompany the heat. There will be a low chance for afternoon thunderstorms across portions of Central Texas on Tuesday and again over the upcoming weekend. Lightning and gusty winds will be the primary hazards with any storm that manages to develop. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe drought conditions impacted the county through the end of the month.
Severe drought conditions impacted the county through the end of the month.
Severe drought conditions impacted eastern portions of the county through the end of the month.
Severe drought conditions impacted western portions of the county through the end of the month.
Severe drought conditions impacted southeastern portions of the county through the end of the month.
Severe drought conditions impacted the county through the end of the month.
Severe drought conditions impacted the county through the end of the month.
Severe drought conditions impacted the county through the end of the month.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, August 2023
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: 1131112, 1131114, 1131115, 1131116, 1131119, 1131120, 1131121, 1131137.