NWS warns of strong thunderstorms and fire weather in Texas County

Strong thunderstorms threatened Texhoma’s small border streets Friday night, with winds strong enough to snap limbs, toss unsecured items and briefly knock out power in a town of 596 people split by the Oklahoma-Texas line. The National Weather Service office in Amarillo warned at 7:58 p.m. CDT that a storm about 7 miles south of Keyes was moving east at 15 mph and could affect Texhoma, Boise City, Keyes, Eva, Griggs and Sturgis through 8:30 p.m.

The main hazard in that storm was 50 to 55 mph wind gusts. In a place like Texhoma, where homes, outbuildings, trailers and farm equipment sit exposed to open country winds, that kind of burst can turn a routine evening into a cleanup problem fast. Short-lived thunderstorms of that type can also make road travel difficult across southwestern Texas County and the nearby western Oklahoma Panhandle, especially for drivers hauling livestock, seed, fuel or hay before dark.

A second special weather statement came later Friday night at 9:43 p.m. CDT, this time for parts of the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma Panhandle, as another strong thunderstorm sat about 5 miles northwest of Skellytown and moved east at 25 mph. That storm also carried estimated wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph. The broader forecast discussion from Amarillo said thunderstorms remained possible in the eastern Panhandles on Saturday and Sunday, keeping the region under a pattern of repeated quick-hitting weather threats.

The bigger weekend concern shifted from storm winds to fire danger. The National Weather Service said critical to extreme fire weather conditions were expected for most of the forecast area on Sunday, with sustained winds of 25 to 30 mph gusting to 40 to 45 mph and minimum relative humidity between 5% and 10%. Its weather page showed a Fire Weather Watch in effect from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. CDT Saturday, while a Red Flag Warning remained in effect until 9 p.m. CDT Friday. For Texas County producers, that meant delaying any burning, securing ignition sources, and treating fieldwork, fence repair and outdoor equipment moves as high-risk until winds eased.