The combination of warm, dry and breezy conditions created favorable conditions for fire starts and spread.
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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 OUN wrote it up.
The combination of warm, dry and breezy conditions created favorable conditions for fire starts and spread.
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 Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 21, 2:05 PM CST, 10 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Norman OK 205 PM CST Wed Feb 21 2024 ...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, FIRE WEATHER... .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Thursday) Issued at 203 PM CST Wed Feb 21 2024 A shortwave will move across the central/southern Plains this evening/overnight. At the sfc, a sfc low will move across northern OK tonight with an associated cool front moving across the region tonight into Thu morning. Gusty, north winds are expected behind the front. The airmass behind the front is not particularly cold but will likely lead to temperatures 10-15 degrees cooler than today in many locations. Despite temperatures being cooler Thursday, afternoon highs (mid 60s to low 70s) will still be above average for this time of year. The majority of precipitation associated with the shortwave and front is expected to remain east of the fa. However, can not completely rule out a few rain showers in parts of north central OK later this evening/overnight so there are low chances (less than 20%) primarily in Kay county. && .LONG TERM... (Thursday night through next Tuesday) Issued at 203 PM CST Wed Feb 21 2024 Wind speeds are expected to decrease later in the day Thursday into Thursday night as sfc high builds into the region. Another day with highs in the 60s to low 70s is expected Friday before another warming trend begins Saturday and continues into early next week. Other than the small area of low rain chances tonight, the forecast will continue to be dry through early next week. Models show an upper trough moving across the central U.S. towards the middle of next week which may bring a chance for precipitation to parts of the fa and another cold front which could drop temperatures back down to average for the end of February. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1113 AM CST Wed Feb 21 2024 VFR ceilings and visibilities are expected to continue through Thursday afternoon. Southerly winds will continue across the region through Wednesday evening, with some areas becoming gusty. Winds will slightly weaken and shift out of the west and northwest Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. Winds will pick up after the wind shift, becoming gusty again by late Thursday morning. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 203 PM CST Wed Feb 21 2024 Elevated conditions will continue the rest of this afternoon across parts of western OK and western north TX. A cold front is expected to move across the area tonight into Thursday morning shifting winds to the north and becoming gusty. After cooler temperatures (highs in the 60s to low 70s) Thursday and Friday, temperatures are expected to warm back into the 70s and 80s this weekend into early next week. These temperatures combined with breezy winds Sunday and Monday and min RH of 15 to 20 percent could lead to Elevated fire weather conditions Sunday and Monday afternoons in parts of western OK and western north TX with Near Critical conditions also possible in parts of NW OK Monday afternoon. The highest fire weather conditions right now look to be on Tuesday afternoon when highs will be in the upper 70s and mostly 80s, winds will be gusty from the SW to WSW, and min RHs of 15 to 20 percent are expected. If these conditions occur, near critical to critical fire weather conditions could be possible. A mitigating factor on Tuesday could be cloud cover. Overall, another mitigating factor for the area over the last few weeks has been low ERC values but with the warm, well above average temperatures we have been and are expected to continue to have, and dry conditions, ERC values will likely begin to increase as vegetation/fuels continue to dry. So fuels could be a bit more receptive by Tuesday as well. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Oklahoma City OK 49 67 40 66 / 0 0 0 0 Hobart OK 47 67 39 67 / 0 0 0 0 Wichita Falls TX 51 71 42 69 / 0 0 0 0 Gage OK 41 64 35 66 / 0 0 0 0 Ponca City OK 45 66 37 66 / 20 0 0 0 Durant OK 57 75 45 70 / 0 0 0 0 && .OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OK...None. TX...None. && SHORT TERM...25 LONG TERM....25 AVIATION...50
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Norman OK 212 PM CST Wed Feb 21 2024 OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-222015- Harper-Woods-Alfalfa-Grant-Kay-Ellis-Woodward-Major-Garfield- Noble-Roger Mills-Dewey-Custer-Blaine-Kingfisher-Logan-Payne- Beckham-Washita-Caddo-Canadian-Oklahoma-Lincoln-Grady-McClain- Cleveland-Pottawatomie-Seminole-Hughes-Harmon-Greer-Kiowa-Jackson- Tillman-Comanche-Stephens-Garvin-Murray-Pontotoc-Coal-Cotton- Jefferson-Carter-Johnston-Atoka-Love-Marshall-Bryan-Hardeman- Foard-Wilbarger-Wichita-Knox-Baylor-Archer-Clay- 212 PM CST Wed Feb 21 2024 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of northern... western...central...and southern Oklahoma...and western north Texas. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight... .Fire Weather... Elevated fire weather conditions are expected to continue over parts of western Oklahoma and western north Texas the rest of this afternoon due to gusty south to southwest winds, dry air, and warm temperatures. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday... .Fire Weather... Fire weather conditions will become elevated across western Oklahoma and parts of western north Texas on Sunday and Monday afternoons to critical on Tuesday afternoon due to very dry air, gusty winds and warmer temperatures. Get graphics and more details at weather.gov/norman...and follow our weather forecast office on Twitter and Facebook.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The 'Spring Creek Road Fire' spread over 575 acres across north-central Johnston County.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, February 2024
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: 1163645.