After a welcome snowfall gave firefighters a brief respite from hot, dry conditions Thursday while battling the largest wildfire in Texas history, firefighters are now facing dangerous fire weather into the weekend. is facing a reversal.
The deadly Smokehouse Creek wildfire exploded across more than 1 million acres in just four days in the Texas Panhandle.
One person was killed and many houses were destroyed.
A weak low-pressure system passed through the Texas wildfire zone on Thursday, bringing about 1 to 3 inches of snow to the Panhandle mountains, according to the National Weather Service.
But now temperatures are rising, humidity is falling, and winds are picking up.
Temperatures on Friday are expected to rise into the 70s with humidity below 20%.
Winds will remain light on Friday, but will pick up over the weekend, bringing a return to dangerous fire weather conditions.
A fire weather watch is in effect over the weekend from across the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles to Kansas and eastern Colorado in preparation for significant fire conditions.
Winds are expected to start gusting up to 40 mph on Saturday and increase slightly on Sunday, with gusts up to 50 mph, according to the FOX Prediction Center.
Humidity levels can drop to 5-10%.
Unfortunately, very little rain is expected over the next seven days.
More than 1.25 million acres burned between multiple Texas wildfires
Five major wildfires in the Texas Panhandle have burned more than 1.25 million acres, prompting evacuations, road closures and a state of emergency.
The biggest fires continue to burn in Smokehouse Creek Fire North of Stinnett, a record 1.075 million acres in Texas are only 3% contained.
That fire claimed lives in northern Hutchinson County. Amarillodozens of buildings were damaged after a fire broke out on Monday.
The fire exploded in midweek, moving eastward and growing from 300,000 acres to 1,075,000 acres in two days.
Handout/Texas AM Forest Service Handout/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Some of this fire charred land in Oklahoma, but the 1.05 million acres burned in Texas makes it the largest wildfire in the state’s history.
This includes the fire known as the 687 Reamer Fire, which was absorbed by Smokehouse Creek.
Fire officials lifted evacuation orders for the town of Canadian on Wednesday, but warned there was still a “moderate” chance the fire would spread.
“Ground crews are moving along the fire with heavy equipment, but progress is slow due to the rough terrain.” According to Wednesday night’s update From the Texas A&M Forest Service. More fire resources are expected to arrive Thursday.
Windy Deuce Fire destroys town of Fritch, Texas
Further west, windy deuce fire It burned 142,000 acres across Moore, Potter, and Carson counties, leading to the evacuation of several communities.
The fire has consumed about half of the town of Fritch and is still only 50% contained.
“Well, our house is still standing,” homeowner Lee Quesada said during a video tour of the charred neighborhood. “But when you look on the other side of the burning tree, two buildings are on fire, your neighbor is on fire, two houses across the street are on fire.”
And south and east of the massive Smokehouse Creek Fire, the Grapevine Creek Fire is 60% contained after burning 30,000 acres.
Amarillo Fire Department/AFP via Getty Images
The fires have not only left residents scrambling for safety, but also sent thick smoke spreading across the Texas Panhandle and into the plains.
According to wind forecasts, the smoke will not be as heavy as it was Friday, but will continue to move north through the Oklahoma Panhandle, through Kansas and Nebraska, and into Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
The weather observatory was completely destroyed by fire as the thermometer read 126 degrees.
The fire spread to the town of Canadian, Texas, on Tuesday, with flames flaring up at an automated weather station on Tuesday afternoon.
West Texas Mesonet, which operates the base, said temperatures as high as 126 degrees were recorded at the site before it was destroyed.
Operations at a nuclear weapons facility outside Amarillo have been suspended as flames moved dangerously close.
Late Tuesday, Pantex announced that the search for all employees at the facility had been completed and firefighters were in structural protection mode, but the facility remained secure.
