Hurricane-force winds blast Texas, Oklahoma as fast-spreading wildfires prompt evacuations

A dangerous combination of hurricane-force winds, dry land and cratering humidity levels are bringing sweeping dust storms and an “extremely critical” fire threat to millions across wide swaths of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma on Friday.

Some towns have been evacuated due to nearby fires, while multiple roads are closed around the region – some due to near-zero visibility triggered by sprawling dust storms; others due to smoke and flames from fast-moving wildfires. 

It’s a slice of the effects of a powerful and sprawling storm expected to bring a variety of impactful weather stretching over dozens of states in the Midwest and East Coast as an intense 100-plus-mph jet stream moves into the southern Plains on Friday, according to the FOX Forecast Center.

Already some fires have sprouted in Oklahoma and Texas amid winds gusting over 70-85 mph.

Evacuations are underway in the town of Alanreed, Texas, due to a wildfire, according to Texas A&M Forest Service. Both directions of Interstate 40 at Alanreed are closed due to both the wildfire and several traffic crashes.

Winds have been blistering across the region, with gusts in western Texas reaching 87 mph in Pine Springs, 83 mph in Amarillo and 81 mph in Lubbock. The fierce winds are creating another round of dust storms sweeping across the region. 

“AVOID MOST TRAVEL AT THIS TIME!” the National Weather Service office in Midland, Texas posted on X. “Many roads across Southeast New Mexico and the Permian Basin have areas of near-zero visibility, and several vehicle accidents have been reported across the region.”

The Texas Dept. of Public Safety also reported there have been multiple crashes across the state.

Wildfire evacuations issued near Norman, Oklahoma

Meanwhile, it hasn’t been any better in Oklahoma, which is also dealing with raging wildfires and near hurricane-force wind gusts.

Firefighters ordered the evacuation of the town of Leedey, and multiple shelters have opened in nearby cities. Multiple other fires have started near Norman.

“As many as 4 dangerous wildfires are occurring in east Norman near Lake Thunderbird,” the NWS in Norman posted on X. “If you live near 108th and Tecumseh or anywhere within 4 miles north and 4 miles east of there, EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.”

Norman city officials said public safety resources are “stretched thin at this time” and urged residents to only call 911 for emergencies only. 

Other wildfires were reported near Chandler, Parkland, parts of Logan County, Velma, Camargo, and Lake Carl Blackwell.

Gusts have reached 83 mph in Frederick and Hobart, 71 mph in Oklahoma City and 68 mph in Tulsa, leading to several crashes on the state’s highways.

“We’ve gotten numerous reports of accidents caused by the high winds today,” NWS Norman said.

Four people were injured, including two medics, when multiple vehicles and an ambulance collided in Doolin, Oklahoma during a severe dust storm. Six others were injured in another multi-vehicle crash along Interstate 35 in nearby Blackwell.

Oklahoma City officials said they have more than a dozen areas around the city where there are trees down or debris in the road.

Over 100,000 customers have lost power in Texas while another nearly 75,000 are without power in Oklahoma, according to findenergy.com.

Wildfire melts Oklahoma thermometer

One of the many wildfires burning in Oklahoma burned through a weather gauge in Blackwell, according to an Oklahoma Mesonet spokesperson. 

The thermometer at the Lake Carl site in Blackwell recorded a 1-minute average temperature of 173 degrees at 3:42 p.m. CT.

“The 2 meter anemometer is now reporting 0, which indicates that it likely was completely melted,” Mesonet posted on X.

‘Extreme’ fire threat covers multiple states in southern Plains

A rapidly strengthening surface low over the central Plains will bring very strong, 60-70 mph westerly winds or more across a mass of extremely dry air with relative humidity values dropping into the teens and single digits.

These ingredients will create a perfect storm scenario for fire weather, meaning any fires that ignite could spread rapidly and become difficult to contain.

“Extreme fire weather days are way less common,” said FOX Weather Meteorologist Stephen Morgan. “What’s unique to me about (Friday’s) setup is that this is in a part of (Texas and the Southern Plains) that they’re not doing terrible from a drought perspective, but that speaks to the powerful low, that the humidity levels are going to be so low. We’re going to have a dry line that will have already bypassed this part of Texas and Oklahoma — winds could be dangerous and with the recent bout of some drier weather, that vegetation is just prime fuels.”

Both High Wind Warnings and Fire Weather Warnings spread across much of the Southern Plains with “extreme” fire risks covering over 5 million from North Texas into the heart of Oklahoma and southern Kansas. That includes the cities of Oklahoma City and Tulsa in Oklahoma; Midland, Abilene and Wichita Falls in Texas, plus some of the western and northern suburbs of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. 

“With sustained winds between 25-40 mph, gusts approaching 60 mph and relative humidity between 10-20%, the potential for fire starts and spread will become dangerously high,” said meteorologists with the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth. “The most significant threat will be west of the I-35 corridor. Extreme wildfire behavior is expected, and fire containment will be extremely difficult given the expected winds. Avoid any and all activities that could start wildfires!”

A “critical” fire threat covers the rest of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as well as other major Texas cities of Austin and San Antonio.

About The Author

Stephen Collopy

See author's posts