Hot temperatures, very low humidity, gusty southwesterly winds and dry fuels combined to create conditions favorable for fire starts and spread across Oklahoma on the 26th.
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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.
Hot temperatures, very low humidity, gusty southwesterly winds and dry fuels combined to create conditions favorable for fire starts and spread across Oklahoma on the 26th.
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 26, 11:14 AM CST, 26 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Norman OK
1214 PM CDT Thu Mar 26 2026
...New AVIATION...
.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 141 AM CDT Thu Mar 26 2026
- Fire weather conditions will be up to Critical this afternoon
into the evening and again but Near Critical Friday afternoon.
- Strong winds through Friday possible behind a strong cold front
coming through tonight.
- Hot today potentially breaking temperature records but
cooler/mild Friday and Saturday.
- Low chances for rain or an elevated storm Thursday night across
far northern OK.
&&
.NEAR TERM...
(Through Thursday)
Issued at 141 AM CDT Thu Mar 26 2026
A final afternoon of hot potential record breaking temperatures,
fire weather, and gusty winds will be the main weather issues and/or
hazards starting later this morning. A Red Flag Warning will be in
effect later this morning into the evening hour across all but
southeastern Oklahoma.
Surface winds this morning will be veering due south with a
tightening pressure gradient resulting in sustained wind speeds of 20-
25 mph by the afternoon. A strong southerly low-level jet will be
increasing this morning only weakening slightly this afternoon. Late
morning mixing into the jet will result in wind gusts between 30-40
mph well into the afternoon and possibly staying mixed & gusty into
the evening should decoupling not occur. Not quite confident enough
for a Wind Advisory for these pre-frontal winds but may need to be
issued short-fused if needed. Moisture advection over the last 24-
hours has formed a broad dryline across the eastern halves of the
OK/TX Panhandles with this broad line advancing eastward into our
western CWA resulting in very low RH values during the afternoon.
The combination of gustier winds and drier hot air will increase
fire weather conditions this afternoon with an Elevated to Critical
risk across all of western & northern Oklahoma into portions of
central Oklahoma and western north Texas all within the
aforementioned Red Flag Warning.
&&
.SHORT TERM...
(Thursday night through Saturday night)
Issued at 141 AM CDT Thu Mar 26 2026
A cold front was currently stretched across the U.S. Northern Plains
& Great Lakes regions being steered by a weather system in Eastern
Canada. This front will continue pushing across the Great Plains
into the afternoon hours and strengthen over Kansas just prior to
pushing into northern Oklahoma Thursday evening. Models consistent
over the last several runs with 40-50+ mph gusts behind the front.
As a result will issue a Wind Advisory early Friday morning across
all but our southeastern CWA and extend it through the entire
afternoon. This may make traveling difficult especially in high
profiled vehicles on Friday due strong north crosswinds over east to
west aligned roadways such as I-40 & TX 287. The strong winds will
also increase fire weather conditions Friday afternoon as well
although a Near Critical risk trimmed further west mainly in western
Oklahoma. A post-frontal shortwave in the mid-levels digging across
southern Kansas could produce some rain or even an elevated
thunderstorm just south of the state line so still have low (up to
30%) POPs in the forecast across northern Oklahoma for Thursday
night. Also added post-frontal rain sprinkles across much of our
area after sunrise Friday into the afternoon due to a second
potential mid-level shortwave coming off the panhandles. Still not
seeing any strong cooling behind this cold front with the surface
high tracking across the Great Plains into the Midwest. However NBM
was warm-biased with cooling as well as dense cloud cover so went
cooler just below normal for Fridays MaxT using the CONSMOS.
Expecting our strong winds to decrease by Friday night as the
surface high starts settling into the Midwest. South winds will be
gradually returning Saturday with mild seasonably normal
temperatures.
&&
.LONG TERM...
(Sunday through Wednesday)
Issued at 141 AM CDT Thu Mar 26 2026
Becoming windy Sunday through Tuesday prior to a mid-week cold front
next week. Becoming warmer each day under an upper ridge building
out of the Southeastern U.S. The gusty south winds and warm very
dry air coming off the TX/OK Panhandles will again increase fire
weather conditions each afternoon with the highest fire danger
risked area mainly across our west. A 15-20% probability for
thunderstorms across northwest Oklahoma Monday night from a mid-
level disturbance coming off the Southern High Plains. However rain
chances may be increasing toward the latter half of the week.
&&
.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 1214 PM CDT Thu Mar 26 2026
VFR conditions will continue into early Friday morning, with
continued very gusty surface winds and an ensuing wind shift (to
north-northeast direction) occurring into Friday morning.
Occasional low-level wind shear concern looks to emerge in advance
of the passing front from central into southern Oklahoma and
north Texas overnight.
Current expectation is for post-frontal stratus to develop near
and after 06-09 UTC/Friday, with persistent MVFR category expected
to continue towards the end of the valid period.
Safe travels!
Ungar
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Oklahoma City OK 92 50 61 41 / 0 10 20 0
Hobart OK 95 48 61 40 / 0 0 10 0
Wichita Falls TX 93 54 65 47 / 0 0 10 0
Gage OK 99 41 59 34 / 0 10 0 0
Ponca City OK 94 47 61 35 / 0 30 10 0
Durant OK 87 59 71 50 / 0 0 10 10
&&
.OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...Red Flag Warning until 7 PM CDT this evening for OKZ004>031-
033>040-044-045.
Wind Advisory from midnight tonight to 7 PM CDT Friday for
OKZ004>031-033>042-044>046-050.
Wind Advisory until 7 PM CDT this evening for OKZ005>026.
TX...Red Flag Warning until 7 PM CDT this evening for TXZ083>090.
Wind Advisory from midnight tonight to 7 PM CDT Friday for
TXZ083>090.
&&
NEAR TERM...68
SHORT TERM...68
LONG TERM....68
AVIATION...09The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Powerline Fire burned 477 acres across far northeastern Hughes County, just west of Dustin. The fire continued to burn into April 2026.
The Cedar Canyon Fire burned 620 acres across northern Blaine County, north of Hitchcock. Five firefighters were injured while working this wildfire.
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: 1323419, 1323420.