Fire Danger High Across North Texas

DALLAS, TX — The National Weather service has issued critical Red Flag Warnings for several parts of Texas and Oklahoma ahead of a dry, windy weather pattern expected to move through the area Wednesday. Although most of the warnings are hanging out to the west of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, all North Texans are warned to avoid dangerous outdoor activities like burning and welding.

Wildfires are often spread by strong winds and dry fuel, which is bad news for North Texas. According to the weather service, winds Wednesday will remain sustained around 20 to 25 miles per hour and relative humidity could drop as low as 12%.

The Red Flag Warnings cover an area west of the line formed by Jacksboro, Mineral Wells and Comanche. A Fire Weather Watch, meanwhile, covers the area northwest of the line formed by Denton and Cisco.

Burn Bans are in effect for the following North Texas counties:

• Baylor
• Throckmorton
• Archer
• Clay
• Montague
• Cookie
• Wise
• Parker
• Tarrant
• Palo Pinto
• Erath
• Comanche
• Somervell
• Freestone
• Leon
• To see the full list of burn bans in Texas, click here.

Patch will bring you updates on hazardous conditions in North Texas. For coverage on potential wildfires, check back regularly. You can also report wildfires to Patch by emailing Dallas@Patch.com or on Twitter at @DallasTXPatch. Call 9-1-1 if you see an unattended wildfire.

Image via Patch