Several wildfires broke out in Texas and Oklahoma on Friday, requiring evacuations due to dangerous fire weather conditions. The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center issued a warning of “near-historic” fire conditions across the Plains.
On Friday, numerous Plains and Midwest states issued red flag and high wing warnings.
Extreme fire weather conditions in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas were caused by very dry, warm, and windy circumstances.
The National Weather Service in Norman reported “several large wildfire complexes” burning over central, northern, and western Oklahoma on Friday evening.
The National Weather Service warned residents to evacuate due to a “complex of extremely dangerous fires located along the southern and eastern parts of Lake Carl Blackwell.”
The Windmill Fire began in Roberts County, Texas, and has since spread to an estimated 11,000 acres, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. It was 50% contained by Friday evening, with forward movement halted, according to the report.
The Texas A&M Forest Service announced that parts of Gray County, Texas, were temporarily under mandatory evacuation due to the Rest Area fire. The fire had burned over 3,000 acres and was 30% contained as of Friday evening, according to the report.
Dust storms were also reported in Texas and Oklahoma due to the strong winds in the area.
On Friday, many crashes were reported in northwest Texas due to reduced visibility caused by blowing dust, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety, which warned of “dangerous conditions.”
The National Weather Service in Norman also warned of reduced visibility in sections of northwest Oklahoma due to a dust storm.