Latest news with #HighWindWarning
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Extreme Fire Danger: North Texas fire departments on standby as wildfire threat ramps up
The Brief The High Wind Warning and Red Flag Warning in effect Friday for North Texas has expired. So far, DFW has not seen any major fires, but the threat continues into the weekend. North Texas fire departments have increased staffing and more tools on hand, responding with more than the typical number of engines. Brush trucks and wildland-trained firefighters are among the teams on standby. So far, no injuries in North Texas have been reported. FORT WORTH, Texas - Powerful winds and dry grass and brush brought an increased wildfire danger to North Texas. The winds have died down, but dry and breezy conditions fuel continued fire concerns into the weekend. Friday's High Wind Warning and Red Flag Warning have since expired. The combination of dry conditions and strong winds heightened the risk for grass fires to spread rapidly. Rain and storms are unlikely. Firefighters were out in force on Friday, putting out blazes before they spread too fast. Parker County crews helped contain several small grassfires. One of them in Wise County prompted evacuation orders for several homes. FOX 4 crews got to the scene as firefighters were dousing hot spots on the scorched ground. Another sparked in Grand Prairie right on the Arlington border. Firefighters from both departments worked to put it out. "No structures at the moment are at risk. We've got some grass and some piles of logs and woods that we're gonna have to spend some time mopping up and getting them completed out so they don't restart," said Arlington Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Durand. So far, no injuries in North Texas have been reported. Local perspective Gov. Greg Abbott increased state resources to fight possible wildfires that could ignite during Friday's windy conditions. North Texas fire departments are on heightened alert and on standby for any possibility. City departments and the Tarrant County Fire Marshal's Office have increased staffing and more tools on hand. They're responding to most calls with more than the typical number of engines. Brush trucks and wildland-trained firefighters are among the teams on standby. Firefighters in Fort Worth returned on Friday to the scene of a small structure fire that began the day before in the backyard of a home. A specially equipped brush truck was brought in because of the embers getting kicked up by high winds and landing on a nearby tree. "With the embers and winds today, that's going to cause that pick up, casting embers," said Fort Worth Fire Lt. Brant Frazier. "We actually had a concern of embers casting across the alleyway and potentially catching other structures." Frazier is a specially trained wildland fire crew member. He and more than a dozen others with that distinction were added to bolster staffing with Fort Worth Fire. There are also more resources on the ground. Arlington firefighters have also beefed-up staffing and increased available firefighting apparatus for this day, which could result in brush fires wherever there is open land. Fire officials are taking major precautions due to the dangerous conditions caused by the high winds, low humidity and no rain. "It's probably been since 2011, potentially even 2009, the last time we've seen these types of conditions," said Frazier. Dig deeper Friday's strong winds have kicked up dust in the Texas Panhandle, where winds blew more than 80 miles per hour. The dust has even made its way into North Texas, with several tower cameras showing hazy-like skies across DFW. The Source Information in this article comes from the National Weather Service, interviews conducted by FOX 4's Dionne Anglin and previous FOX 4 reporting.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Blizzard conditions impact central Iowa Wednesday
DES MOINES, Iowa – Blizzard conditions have arrived in central Iowa and they will persist into the afternoon hours, causing low visibility, slick roads, and high winds. A Blizzard Warning is in effect for most of central Iowa until 3 PM Wednesday. Whiteout conditions are expected as winds gust well over blizzard criteria (35 mph) and visibilities drop to near zero. In fact, because winds are expected to be so extreme, a High Wind Warning is also in effect for all of central Iowa, as winds could gust over 60 mph. This has caused many power outages. Travel will be very difficult this morning and into the afternoon hours with snow-covered roads, high winds, and very low visibility. Snow wraps up by noon and winds start to calm this evening, but travel issues could linger. Conditions should be much improved by tomorrow. Snow will continue through the morning, wrapping up close to noon. Blizzard conditions will still be possible into the afternoon thanks to blowing snow. Skies should clear out by this evening and into Thursday. When all is said and done, 1-3″ of snow will be possible in central Iowa. Higher totals closer to 5″ are expected in western Iowa. While totals won't be that high, the high winds will make this a high-impact event. Extreme winds will last through the morning and into the early afternoon. Gusts near 60 mph are expected, which will blow snow around, limiting visibility and causing power outages. Even after the Blizzard Warning and High Wind Warning expire, gusty winds will remain in the 30 to 40 mph range until Thursday morning. Many locations have seen some extreme gusts; here are some of the highest so far: Gruver: 62 mph Ames: 58 mph Lamoni: 58 mph Glidden: 58 mph More rain and snow is possible Friday. By next week, this will all be a distant memory as much warmer weather arrives! Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
PinPoint Alert Day: High winds knock out power across Western Washington, calmer skies expected
Happy Tuesday! It is a PinPoint Alert Day this morning with continued very strong wind, rain, and mountain snow. The weakening area of low pressure continues to move over the area this morning, with wind at or just past the peak. We hit 70 mph at the coast last night near Hoquiam and at around 3 a.m. we hit 60 mph at Boeing Field and 52 mph at SEA. We just hit 53 mph in Tacoma with plenty of spots in the 20, 30, and 40 mph range. We'll continue to have strong gusts for the next few hours, even if we are just past the week. For example, instead of 52 mph gusts, SEA may have 48 mph gusts, then easing further past about 7-9 a.m., into the upper-30 mph and lower-40 mph range. By mid to late morning, most of the area will be at more normal windy levels. In the meantime, expect areas of rain, downed trees and branches, obstructed roads, power outages, and strong gusts. The High Wind Warning and the Wind Advisory will stick around until 10 a.m. This afternoon will be gusty to breezy with a Puget Sound Convergence Zone in King and Snohomish Counties. The rest of the area will see rain this morning and then fewer showers this afternoon with some sun breaks. The morning will absolutely be the busy part of the day, with much calmer weather this afternoon. There will be a lot of snow in the mountains today as well. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the mountains, with snow and a rain-snow mix at Snoqualmie with 6-10″ in the Passes and far more at the Paradise Visitor Center. From Wednesday through the end of the work week, the weather will be quiet with some clouds and sun and highs in the 50s to near 60. A chance of rain showers returns this weekend. - Nick Allard, KIRO 7 PinPoint Meteorologist
