While weather conditions were pretty tame, we continued to be warm and dry for several days and a fire sparked when welding equipment was used to build a fence. Given the lack of moisture and near normal fuel loading.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 AMA wrote it up.
While weather conditions were pretty tame, we continued to be warm and dry for several days and a fire sparked when welding equipment was used to build a fence. Given the lack of moisture and near normal fuel loading. This wildfire managed to cover 4520 acres in about a 9 hour span. It was noted to be controlled by 6 AM LST on the 24th.
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 Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 23, 5:10 AM CST, 3 hours 57 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Amarillo TX 610 AM CDT Wed Aug 23 2023 ...New AVIATION... .SHORT TERM ... (Today through Thursday night) Issued at 342 AM CDT Wed Aug 23 2023 08z WV satellite shows a large upper high continuing to meander over Missouri with southeasterly flow aloft over the Panhandles as a result. Unfortunately, remnants of TS Harold are rotating around the aforementioned upper high well to our southwest with the Panhandles only receiving plentiful cirrus from this system. At the surface, light southeasterly winds are predominant. Today, core of the upper high begins to slowly migrate westward, likely displacing the scant mid-level moisture that allowed tiny bits of convection to develop the past two days to our west. Have therefore kept the forecast free of any mentions of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. Thursday, upper ridge continues to shift westward, keeping temperatures in the 90s and lower 100s in the Panhandles. While progged 700mb moisture may be a bit more favorable for convection in the western Panhandles, warm temperatures aloft suggest probability for this remains low. Have therefore kept mentions of precip out of the forecast but may well need to introduce a 10 PoP mention down the road. In any case, rain amounts would be very light and strong gusts would be possible with any thunderstorms that develop. Ferguson && .LONG TERM... (Friday through Tuesday) Issued at 342 AM CDT Wed Aug 23 2023 Medium range deterministic models and associated ensemble members are in general agreement that the upper level ridge of high pressure will continue migrating westward to around the four corners region Friday through Monday night, placing our region in northwest flow aloft. This will temporarily open the door for precipitation chances during this time period, first starting in the northwest and western sections Friday night through Saturday night, with the threat then spreading across most of the OK and TX Panhandles Sunday through Monday night before ending Tuesday. Cooler temperatures closer to normal values for this time of year appear likely during the Sunday through Tuesday time period due to a combination of more clouds, a weak cold frontal passage, and a corresponding threat for showers and thunderstorms. If they verify, medium range models and ensemble members suggest that a return to dry weather and above normal temperatures are possible for the middle and latter part of next week as the upper level ridge of high pressure marches eastward once again to a position around the southern plains. NBM pops and temperatures fit the above scenario and were utilized in all periods of the long term forecast. 02 && .AVIATION... (12Z TAFS) Issued at 609 AM CDT Wed Aug 23 2023 Barring unforeseen non-meteorological factors, VFR conditions will prevail over the next 24 hours at all sites. Winds will be largely out of the south and some cirrus will likely be present. Ferguson && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Amarillo TX 96 69 95 69 / 0 10 0 10 Beaver OK 100 68 98 70 / 0 0 0 0 Boise City OK 94 65 94 67 / 0 0 0 10 Borger TX 100 71 100 72 / 0 10 0 10 Boys Ranch TX 97 68 97 69 / 0 10 10 10 Canyon TX 96 67 95 66 / 0 10 0 10 Clarendon TX 96 72 97 72 / 0 0 0 0 Dalhart TX 94 64 93 65 / 0 10 10 10 Guymon OK 99 67 98 69 / 0 0 0 10 Hereford TX 95 67 96 66 / 0 10 0 0 Lipscomb TX 98 71 99 71 / 0 0 0 0 Pampa TX 96 70 96 71 / 0 10 0 10 Shamrock TX 98 71 99 72 / 0 0 0 0 Wellington TX 100 73 101 72 / 0 0 0 0 && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. OK...None. && SHORT TERM...77 LONG TERM....02 AVIATION...77
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Amarillo TX 341 AM CDT Wed Aug 23 2023 OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-317-232100- Cimarron-Texas-Beaver-Dallam-Sherman-Hansford-Ochiltree-Lipscomb- Hartley-Moore-Hutchinson-Roberts-Hemphill-Oldham-Potter-Carson- Gray-Wheeler-Deaf Smith-Randall-Armstrong-Donley-Collingsworth- Palo Duro Canyon- 341 AM CDT Wed Aug 23 2023 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. Thunderstorms will be possible across sections of the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles during the afternoon and evening hours Friday through Monday. They are expected to remain below severe levels at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Churchill Fire at JA Ranch was started due to Welding equipment used to build a fence. The fire was able to quickly spread and was contained at about 4520 acres, mostly due to dry fuels as winds were pretty tame.
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: 1138665.