High winds, fire danger to hit Amarillo area Friday. Here's what to expect
Here's what we know ahead of the storm.
A Red Flag Warning alerts people that conditions are "highly unfavorable for prescribed burns and may lead to especially dangerous wildfire growth," according to the National Weather Service.
The warning, as of Thursday afternoon, was active in the Amarillo area. It will continue into Friday, which is compounded with a High Wind Warning.
"Critical fire weather conditions will be found across the Panhandles on Friday," reads a statement from the weather service in Amarillo. "West winds will gust from 60 to more than 70 mph at times. Lowest relative humidity values are expected to fall into the 10 to 15 percent range.
High winds can make it difficult to travel and lightweight objects left outside could be blown around. People should secure objects.
Friday will see widespread blowing dust after 7 a.m., with western wind gusts as high as 80 mph and sustained winds between 40-50 mph. The high will be near 63 degrees, with low humidity and extreme fire danger. Blowing dust is expected to continue until 10 p.m., and the gusts could reach up to 35 mph through the night.
Isolated, extreme wind gusts up to 90 mph will be possible across portions of the Caprock escarpment Friday.
People should obey fire restrictions, avoid using charcoal grills, not drive or park vehicles on grassy areas and avoid activities that may cause sparks, according to NWS.
Saturday has a 20% chance of showers with a high around 56 degrees, a low around 33 degrees, and winds between 5-10 mph.
School closures include:
Childress ISD.
New Deal ISD.
Does your school or organization have a closure or update? Let us know by emailing the A-J newsroom at newmedia@amarillo.com.
The latest update from Xcel Energy stated that there may be Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) and a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in the Panhandle area. It is not expected in the Lubbock area as of 2:30 p.m. Thursday. EPSS means that if something touches the line, Xcel can stop the power.
"Power will remain off until our crews can visually inspect power lines to make sure it is safe to turn them back on," Xcel stated in a release. "This may mean that if an outage occurs, it could last longer."
Xcel Energy's website has an outage map at tx.my.xcelenergy.com/s/outage-safety, where people can also report and track outages. Customers can also use the app, call 1-800-895-1999, or text OUT to 98936 to report an outage or text STAT to the same number to check the status of a power outage.
Preparations begin: Xcel Energy readies for power outages during peak fire risk Friday
Palo Duro Canyon State Park in the Panhandle released a statement Thursday after it was notified the park is located within the planned Xcel Energy outage zone planned for Friday.
The statement reads:
As part of Xcel's efforts to reduce fire risk during the high winds expected to hit the Panhandle tomorrow, the park will be without electricity from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. This will lead to significant changes in park operations.
If you decide to brave the hurricane-force winds and visit the park tomorrow, please be aware that there will be limited offerings at the Trading Post and Visitor Center, and they may close due to the power outage. Restroom facilities will also be impacted. Without electricity to power lift stations, the only restrooms available will be at Juniper and Soapberry. These restrooms will have water but will not have power for lights.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause during your visit. Please stay tuned to our Facebook page and website for further updates.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo area school closures, services planned ahead of Friday storm
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