NWS Amarillo

Storms could start as early as Thursday afternoon, but are more likely later in the evening.

While the potential for severe weather on Thursday remains, certain factors could limit the severity. One such factor is the timing of moisture advection from the south. Current expectations suggest this moisture will arrive during the early morning hours, likely leading to extensive cloud cover throughout Thursday morning. This cloud cover could reduce daytime heating, resulting in significantly fewer and less intense thunderstorms. Please continue to check back for updates as we track these developments.

While most of the Panhandles is gearing up for our fist widespread severe weather day, the far northwest corner could still be under the threat of critical fire weather. Presently this area is the most likely to be behind the dry line with southerly winds of 25 to 30 mph and gusts upwards of 40 mph. A Red Flag Warning is in place for the two counties this area encompasses.

Behind all the activity Thursday looks to be another widespread chance at widespread critical fire weather. Currently a new system is expected to force westerly to southwesterly winds to push across the area at 20 to 30 mph with gusts upwards of 40 mph. These conditions will also be later accompanied by a cold frontal passage that evening, which will see winds shift to a more northerly direction.

Thursday continues to trend with the potential for severe weather across the Panhandles, with potential to see all hazards in play for the day. Make sure you have multiple ways to receive warning and know what actions to take if under the threat of severe weather.

Now that February is wrapped up, we can officially say we just had our warmest February on record for all of our climate sites. We also had our warmest winter (1 Dec - 28 Feb) on record. Add Nov into the mix, and we had our warmest Nov-Feb on record as well.