August 2019 brings the heat and wildfires

August 2019 Brings the Heat

Bird Ranch Fire, located in western Cottle County, on 21 August 2019. The picture is courtesy of Linda Salzar.

August 2019 turned downright HOT, after a fairly typical warm/hot June and July. The second half of July trended dry and the dry conditions intensified in early August. These dry conditions, combined with a building upper level ridge nearby, fueled the hot August. Every one of the first 26 days of the month were above average in Lubbock, including 11 highs in the triple digits, and the remaining days recording highs primarily in the middle to upper 90s.

High temperatures recorded by the West Texas Mesonet on 26 August 2019. Highs the previous day, 25 August, can be FOUND HERE.

The middle of August featured five days with highs between 102 and 105 degrees. After a brief reprieve from the triple digits, the heat returned with a vengeance. The heat peaked on August 26th, when Lubbock recorded a high of 109 degrees. This shattered the daily record high of 102 degrees (set in 1922) and broke the all-time August record of 107 degrees (reached on August 12th and 13th, 1936, and August 3rd, 1944). Many spots south and southeast of Lubbock recorded highs at or above 110 degrees.

Heat stats for the first 18 day of August 2019.

During the height of the dry conditions and the heat in mid-August, very high-based thunderstorms formed several of the afternoons and evenings. These storms provided limited rainfall, but did produce a lot of lightning and wind, which managed to spark and spread several wildfires in the region. One such fire, named the Bird Ranch Fire, ignited in western Cottle County. This fire quickly grew to several thousand acres.

Satellite image that a cumulus cloud (pyrocumulus) developing above the Bird Ranch Fire burning in western Cottle County on 18 August 2019.

Satellite image that shows a cumulus cloud (pyrocumulus), in white, developing above the Bird Ranch Fire (orange) burning in western Cottle County on 18 August 2019.

Near the peak of Bird Ranch Fire, it even helped generate clouds which grew into thunderstorms Sunday afternoon and evening (18 August). The fire-induced storms went on to ignite additional wildfires in the Rolling Plains and western North Texas. Before finally being contained, the Bird Ranch Fire consumed nearly 10,000 acres. The fire was finally contained thanks to efforts of the Texas Forest Service, along with the weather, which brought a couple of rounds of wetting rains.

Top 10 warmest average August temperatures recorded in Lubbock, Texas.

The seemingly relentless heat finally submitted on August 27th, thanks to a cold front that moved through the region and abundant cloud cover. High temperatures only reached 83 degrees both the 27th and 28th before returning to the middle 90s the final few days of the month. The 29 of 31 days above average, including several very hot stretches, made August 2019 the second hottest on record. Only 2011 recorded a hotter August.