National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce
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Last Map Update: Sat, Mar 14, 2026 at 9:04:18 am CDT

A High Wind Watch is in effect for the entire forecast area between 7 AM and 7 PM CDT Sunday. A strong cold front will move through West Texas on Sunday morning, and will be accompanied by very strong winds from the northwest that will transition to the north throughout the day. Sustained winds between 30-50 mph, with gusts up to 65 mph, are forecast. Blowing dust will result in reductions to visibility.
A Fire Weather Watch is in effect for the entire forecast area between 7 AM and 9 PM CDT Sunday. The high winds and very low relative humidity will result in the rapid growth and spread of wildfires.
Elevated fire weather conditions are expected today across the South Plains and far southwestern Texas Panhandle.
Sunny skies and possible record high temperatures are expected today, with elevated fire weather conditions across the Caprock and Southern Rolling Plains.
Winds will remain elevated overnight, keeping mild lows generally in the 50s and 60s outside the far SW Panhandle.
Following the high winds, fire danger, and blowing dust on Sunday, much cooler temperatures are expected Monday morning. Temperatures will then gradually warm up throughout the rest of next week, with no sign of rain.

 

 

 

Local Weather History For March 14th...
2008 (14th-16th): A combination of dry, strong downslope southwesterly winds, and very dry air all contributed to the
growth of at least a half dozen wildfires across the West Texas South Plains region during the afternoon and evening hours
of the 14th. Four of these wildfires burned thousands of acres and/or resulted in property damage. Although wind speeds on
the 14th were generally sustained in the 25 to 35 mph range, an isolated severe wind gust of 62 mph was recorded by a
Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet station near Amherst. No wind damage was reported throughout the region. Damage
resulting from wildfire activity, however, prompted a disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency
and President George W. Bush. Wildfires on this day scorched more than 135,000 acres across a broad area of the Southern
Plains stretching from eastern New Mexico to central Texas. The first wildfire to ignite on the West Texas South Plains
began around 11:30 AM when a vehicle sparked a fire in thick grasses on an eastern King County ranch. By late afternoon,
two large wildfires had merged to account for 19,000 acres of burned rangeland. Texas Forest Service officials reported
that the massive wildfire damaged a number of ranch homes and destroyed at least two oil pipelines. Although up to 230
structures were threatened, only one was reportedly destroyed. Portions of U.S. Highway 82 and Texas Highway 222 were
closed by local officials as a result of the raging fire. The fire burned out of control for more than twenty-four hours,
and then flared up again on multiple occasions during subsequent days. A 2,000 acre wildfire started in rough canyon
terrain north of U.S. Highway 380, prompting the closure of that highway, in western Kent County around 3:45 PM. The fire
was reportedly difficult to suppress due to complex terrain, but no serious damage was reported. The fire remained largely
uncontained for approximately two days.