Weather / Wildfire

Drought & wildfire.

Much of Texas swings between flood and drought - and dry years bring fast-moving fire, especially across the Panhandle and West Texas. The keys are simple: watch for fire-weather warnings, follow burn bans, and leave early.

Wildfire

Much of Texas swings between flood and drought - and dry years bring fire. The 2024 Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest wildfire in Texas's recorded history, burned about 1.06 million acres of the Panhandle. Fire risk is highest in late winter and spring in the Panhandle, West Texas, and parts of Central Texas, when drought-dried grass meets low humidity and high wind.

• -Obey burn bans. Many counties ban outdoor burning during high risk - check your county's current rules with the Texas A&M Forest Service. Most Texas wildfires (about 90%) are human-caused.
• -Use extreme care with anything that throws sparks during fire weather - this is the link to the Camping and Shooting hubs (campfires, equipment, and target shooting all start fires).
• -If you live in a fire-prone area, create defensible space - clear flammable brush, leaves, and woodpiles away from your home.
• -Sign up for your local alerts so an evacuation order actually reaches you in time.

During fire weather, mind anything that throws sparks - see burn-ban guidance in the Camping hub and the fire cautions in the Shooting hub.