Red Flag Warning and Fire Weather Watch Issued for South Plains and Southern Texas Panhandle
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
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NWS Lubbock has issued a Red Flag Warning for Wednesday and a Fire Weather Watch for Thursday as strong winds and low humidity create extreme fire behavior risks across West Texas.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Red Flag Warning
- Affected area
- South Plains and Southern Texas Panhandle
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Lubbock
Fire-weather notices describe conditions that can support rapid fire spread; they do not report that a fire is present. Check local emergency sources for any active incident.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in South Plains and Southern Texas Panhandle.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Lubbock has issued a Red Flag Warning due to critical fire weather conditions. Additionally, a Fire Weather Watch has been established for the following day. These alerts are triggered by a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures that can contribute to extreme fire behavior.
Affected Areas
The warning and watch cover the far southern Texas Panhandle, the South Plains, and portions of the Rolling Plains. Affected Texas counties include:
- Parmer, Castro, Swisher, Briscoe, Hall, Childress, Bailey, Lamb, Hale, Floyd, Motley, Cottle, Cochran, Hockley, Lubbock, and Crosby.
What You Should Do
Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. Residents should remain vigilant, as any fires that develop can spread rapidly. For those under the Fire Weather Watch, continue to monitor later forecasts for potential upgrades to a warning.
Expected Conditions
- Wednesday: Southwest winds of 25 to 35 mph, with gusts reaching up to 45 mph. Relative humidity levels are expected to drop as low as 9 percent.
- Thursday: West winds of 25 to 30 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph. Relative humidity levels may fall as low as 11 percent.
- Fuels: Local fuels are currently classified as normal to dry.
Timeline
- Red Flag Warning: Effective from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM CST Wednesday.
- Fire Weather Watch: Effective from Thursday morning through Thursday evening.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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