Gusty northeasterly winds behind a front, along with very low humidity and dry fuels, combined to create conditions favorable for fire starts and spread across Oklahoma on the 22nd.
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.
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.
Gusty northeasterly winds behind a front, along with very low humidity and dry fuels, combined to create conditions favorable for fire starts and spread across Oklahoma on the 22nd.
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 Mar 22, 11:51 AM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Norman OK
1251 PM CDT Sun Mar 22 2026
...New NEAR TERM, SHORT TERM, LONG TERM...
.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 1208 PM CDT Sun Mar 22 2026
- Record heat likely again this afternoon with widespread 90+
degree temperatures in the south along with Elevated to
Critical Fire Weather Conditions today
- Hotter temperatures return on Tuesday with no significant
chance for precipitation this week.
- Cooler temperatures by next weekend
&&
.NEAR TERM...
(Rest of today and tonight)
Issued at 1208 PM CDT Sun Mar 22 2026
Elevated to critical fire weather conditions prevail this
afternoon, thanks to the combination of above normal temperatures,
low relative humidities, high winds, and dry fuels. Adding to the
problem today will be the wind shift as the front progresses to
the south. As of Noon, the front was located from Altus to
Stillwater, moving south and east around 30-40 mph. By this
timing, the boundary will be out of the area well before sunset.
As the front continues to move south, cold air advection will
cool temperatures down somewhat in the northwest, while the
southwest parts of Oklahoma and our north Texas counties will see
temperatures rise to near record levels this afternoon. As the
front switches the stronger winds to a northwesterly direction,
there will be a few areas of patchy blowing dust across Oklahoma
and western north Texas as well.
Cooler temperatures then take over tonight and Monday, with lows
dropping into the mid 40s for much of the area, except for the far
northwestern portions of Oklahoma, where mid to upper 30s are
expected.
&&
.SHORT TERM...
(Monday through Tuesday night)
Issued at 1208 PM CDT Sun Mar 22 2026
The roller coaster of temperature swings continues Monday
afternoon and then again Tuesday. For Monday, we're still above
normal, but highs will be in the lower 70s instead of the 90s we
have seen this weekend. By Tuesday afternoon, however, we get back
in to the mid 80s...and even a few more 90 degree readings in the
southwest.
&&
.LONG TERM...
(Wednesday through next Saturday)
Issued at 1208 PM CDT Sun Mar 22 2026
There is some hope for some changes in the extended. However,
don't get hopes up too high, as rain chances won't be back in the
forecast until April. The ensemble model solutions are very well
clustered through Thursday, giving high confidence in the forecast
through then. For Friday, the ensemble spread is quite large, so
high temperature forecast confidence is low. For OKC on Friday,
the spread for high temperature range is about 20 degrees, from a
25% percentile of 61 to around 81 on the 75% percentile.
Saturday's forecast is clustered fairly well, yet after Saturday,
the ensembles can't quite focus on one particular solution just
yet.
What does this mean? Transition time may finally be here. The
models and especially their ensembles are finding multiple
solutions, which typically occurs when the pattern is changing.
While nothing special about the change of a calendar page, there
may be some additional hope for a pattern change in the right
direction for us after the next week.
&&
.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 1148 AM CDT Sun Mar 22 2026
VFR conditions with high and maybe some mid clouds moving across
the area into Monday morning. A cold front will continue to move
across the area this afternoon shifting winds to the N and NW with
gusty winds behind the front. Winds are expected to be from the N
and NE tonight into Monday morning remaining breezy overnight.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Oklahoma City OK 48 68 52 81 / 0 0 0 0
Hobart OK 46 69 48 85 / 0 0 0 0
Wichita Falls TX 52 70 50 87 / 0 0 0 0
Gage OK 40 67 43 83 / 0 0 0 0
Ponca City OK 43 64 48 78 / 0 0 0 0
Durant OK 57 73 56 81 / 0 0 0 0
&&
.OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...Red Flag Warning until 9 PM CDT this evening for OKZ004>042-
044>046-050.
Wind Advisory until 6 PM CDT this evening for OKZ005>008-012-013.
TX...Red Flag Warning until 9 PM CDT this evening for TXZ083>090.
&&
NEAR TERM...21
SHORT TERM...21
LONG TERM....21
AVIATION...25The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Jumping Juniper Fire burned 623 acres across northwestern Dewey County, in areas between Vici and Camargo.
The Cross Timber Fire burned 857 acres across southern Pottawatomie County, northwest of Asher.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, March 2026
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: 1323417, 1323418.