Red Flag Warning Issued for Southern Texas Panhandle and Rolling Plains Through Thursday

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Lubbock TX has issued a Red Flag Warning for the region, indicating that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or are imminent. This alert replaces the previous Fire Weather Watch as conditions have escalated to a severe level.

Affected Areas

The warning covers the following counties in Texas:

• Hall
• Childress
• Motley
• Cottle

Geographic regions impacted include the far southern Texas Panhandle, the northern South Plains, and the northern Rolling Plains.

What You Should Do

Residents are strongly advised to discourage all outdoor burning. Any fires that develop under these conditions can spread rapidly and exhibit extreme behavior. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures contribute to these hazardous conditions. Residents should prepare for potential fire threats and monitor local weather updates.

Expected Conditions

Weather conditions are expected to be conducive to rapid fire growth due to a combination of dry fuels and high winds:

• Humidity: Relative humidity levels are expected to drop as low as 10 percent.
• Wind (Wednesday): Southwest winds between 20 to 30 mph with gusts reaching up to 45 mph.
• Wind (Thursday): West to northwest winds between 20 to 25 mph with gusts reaching up to 40 mph.
• Fuels: Vegetation and fuels in the area are currently dry.

Timeline

The Red Flag Warning is active during the following windows:

• Wednesday, February 18: 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM CST.
• Thursday, February 19: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM CST.

The alert is scheduled to conclude at 7:00 PM CST on Thursday, February 19.