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Since early March, about 100 pole top fires have occurred in San Antonio. The problem happens when rain has not fallen for a while and allowed dust and dirt to build up on insulators. The moisture eventually returns, allows the material to conduct electricity , which can spark a fire. Two such fires caused power outages on April 12. San Antonio Express News (Texas), April 12, 2022 Nearly 30 electrical poles in San Antonio caught fire on the morning of March 21. After some dry weather that allowed dust to build up on poles and lines, the area received some light rain, causing some arching and pole top fires that brought down lines or caused transformers to blow. Up to 14,000 customers were without power. KSAT-TV ABC 12 San Antonio (Texas), March 21, 2022

Research Fire started on April 12, 2022 at approximately 2:00 pm.Texas A&M Forest Service is in unified command with the local

 On Monday, April 11th, Texas A&M Forest Service was requested to assist with a wildfire in a pine plantation located approximately three miles northwest of Crockett, TX between Highway 287 and 229. Crews arrived on scene at approximately 9:00 am and found the fire to be approximately 200 acres with low fire behavior, and not threatening any homes or structures. The fire is believed to have been burning for at least two days prior to the request call, and the cause of ignition is currently under

 Texas A&M Forest Service responded to a request for assistance on the Training Area 23 wildfire in Bexar County. The fire ignited on April 9, 2022.Texas A&M Forest Service is working in unified command with Joint Base San Antonio's Fire Department and initially responded on April 9 with a task force out of Fredericksburg (2 dozers, 2 engines), a Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS) Strike Team (5 engines), 3 single engine air tankers, 1 air attack platform, 1 lead plane, 1 type 1 helicopter and 2 large airtankers at this time.  Additional TIFMAS Strike Teams have joined the suppression efforts on April 10.  Fire fighters continue to work with aircraft and heavy equipment to suppress this fire. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JointBaseSanAntonio Twitter:  @JointBaseSanAntonioInstagram:

No watches are valid as of Tue Apr 12 13:50:02 UTC 2022.

MD 0453 CONCERNING BLIZZARD FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN MONTANA...FAR NORTHWESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA...AND MUCH OF WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA.
Mesoscale Discussion 0453 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0848 AM CDT Tue Apr 12 2022 Areas affected...Portions of eastern Montana...far northwestern South Dakota...and much of western North Dakota. Concerning...Blizzard Valid 121348Z - 121745Z SUMMARY...Blizzard conditions are beginning across portions of western North Dakota, far northwest South Dakota, and far eastern Montana. DISCUSSION...Moderate to heavy snow has begun across a broad swath of the northern Plains. Winds are already strong (sustained 25 knots with gusts 35 to 40 knots) and are expected to strengthen through the afternoon. Blizzard conditions have already been reported at KHEI and KBHK this morning. Widespread blizzard conditions are expected across much of western North Dakota, far eastern Montana, and far northwest South Dakota later this morning and this afternoon. Snowfall rates up to 2 to 3 inches per hour are expected late this morning and into early afternoon across central North Dakota with these conditions expected to persist for several hours before lifting into northern North Dakota. Moderate snow will remain in its wake with snowfall rates around 1 inch per hour persisting well beyond this afternoon. Some locations are forecast to receive over 2 feet of snow with persistent blizzard to near blizzard strength winds and visibilities expected for the next 24 to 48 hours. This is expected to cause extreme impacts across the region. ..Bentley.. 04/12/2022 ...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product... ATTN...WFO...ABR...BIS...UNR...BYZ...GGW... LAT...LON 46110471 47090440 47710363 48360263 48470059 48179998 47319973 46400040 45760233 45560373 45550444 45690482 46110471 Read more

Public Severe Weather Outlook
PUBLIC SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 0813 AM CDT TUE APR 12 2022 ...Severe thunderstorms expected over parts of the Middle Missouri Valley and Midwest this afternoon and tonight... * LOCATIONS... Iowa Eastern Nebraska Northwest Missouri Eastern Kansas Southern Minnesota Far Southeast South Dakota * HAZARDS... Widespread damaging winds, some hurricane force Several tornadoes, a few intense Widespread large hail, some baseball size * SUMMARY... Scattered severe thunderstorms capable of producing very large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes are expected late this afternoon and tonight across a broad portion of the southern/central Plains into the Mississippi Valley. Some of the tornadoes could be strong. Preparedness actions... Review your severe weather safety procedures for the possibility of dangerous weather today. Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio, weather.gov, or other media for watches and warnings. A watch means that conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms over the next several hours. If a severe thunderstorm warning is issued for your area, move to a place of safety, ideally in an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Read more

SPC 1300Z Day 1 Outlook
Day 1 Convective Outlook CORR 1 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0811 AM CDT Tue Apr 12 2022 Valid 121300Z - 131200Z ...THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WEST-CENTRAL/NORTH-CENTRAL IOWA... ...THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS/UPPER MIDWEST AND NORTH/CENTRAL TEXAS... CORRECTED FOR NDFD THUNDER GRAPHIC ...SUMMARY... Scattered severe thunderstorms capable of producing very large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes are expected late this afternoon and tonight across a broad portion of the southern/central Plains into the Mississippi Valley. Some of the tornadoes could be strong. ...Central Plains/Middle Missouri Valley/Upper Midwest... Portions of west-central/north-central Iowa have been upgraded to a Categorical Moderate Risk, with a somewhat focused potential for tornadoes along with large hail and damaging winds expected late this afternoon and evening near the surface low and nearby triple point/warm front vicinity. Potentially intense thunderstorm development, including surface-based convection and elevated storms to the north of the northward-shifting warm front, is expected by late afternoon across eastern Nebraska/northwest Iowa/southeast Minnesota generally near the surface low/triple point. Moisture return across the warm sector will be relatively modest (generally upper 50s to low 60s F dewpoints), but will be sufficient for the development of moderate buoyancy due to the presence of steep mid-level lapse rates and relatively cool temperatures aloft. Wind profiles will be quite favorable for supercells near the triple point and in the vicinity of the warm front, with very strong deep-layer shear and enlarged low-level hodographs. Any discrete supercells that develop within this regime will be capable of all severe hazards, including the potential for strong tornadoes and very large hail. Later this evening, more widespread/southward-spatially expanding convection is expected along the eastward-surging cold front, resulting in an increasing damaging wind threat this evening. Damaging winds aside, a tornado threat will also exist with any embedded circulations within the line of frontal convection given the robust magnitude of low-level winds (upwards of 60-70 kt) in the lowest 2-3 km AGL. Overall storm intensity will tend to diminish by early in the overnight. ...Central/North Texas to the Lower Mississippi Valley... A southern-stream/lead shortwave trough nearing the south Texas/Mexico border vicinity this morning will continue northeastward toward the ArkLaMiss through evening. Storms may develop as soon as mid-afternoon near the dryline as it extends across north/west-central Texas. Effective shear of 35-45 kt will favor a few eastward-moving supercells and/or organized clusters into late afternoon/early evening. Moderate-to-strong buoyancy and steep mid-level lapse rates will support a threat of very large hail and severe wind gusts with the strongest cells/clusters. Any supercells that can persist into the richer low-level moisture east of the dryline may also pose some tornado threat. An additional/somewhat separate corridor of potentially severe storms are possible this afternoon and evening farther east across far east Texas into Louisiana and southern Arkansas. While the details are a bit unclear, strengthening deep-layer shear and moderate buoyancy would be supportive of at least some hail/wind potential, and low-level shear/helicity, enhanced by a diurnally sustained branch of the low-level jet, may be sufficient for a couple of tornadoes as well. ...Central/eastern Oklahoma and south-central Kansas... A conditionally favorable supercell environment will exist late this afternoon into evening along and ahead of the dryline that will exist from central Kansas southward into west-central Oklahoma. However, this region will be between the main mid-level trough and surface low to the north, and the ejecting low-amplitude shortwave trough to the south. Most convection-allowing models continue to show very little signal for deep convective initiation in this region. However, some global guidance such as multiple runs of the ECMWF depict isolated development across central Oklahoma, and this may be plausible given ample post-dryline heating/mixing and confluence/modest convergence near the dryline. If/where storms develop and sustain, localized intense/significant severe weather may occur. Very large hail would be a possibility and a tornado risk will likely exist as well, especially if any storms are sustained through early/mid-evening as low-level hodographs further enlarge. ..Guyer/Smith.. 04/12/2022 Read more

A Barton County farmer is waiting to fertilize and plant because the soil is too dry. Hardly any rain has fallen all winter. Brownfield Ag News (Jefferson City, Mo.), April 11, 2022

The 1,000+ farmers and ranchers getting water from the Klamath Reclamation Project will get about one-seventh the normal amount this year amid a historic drought. The water will begin to flow on April 15. Irrigators were shocked and angry, wondering if they could survive another year of meager water supplies. Salmon downstream will get about half of the usual amount of water if the reservoir was full. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced $15 million in relief for affected farmers and $5 million for Native American tribes as a result of its decision and warned farmers not to take water beyond what was ordered or risk further irrigation reductions and legal action. Inflow to the Upper Klamath Lake is at a record low, and water allocations could be reduced if drought conditions worsen this summer. Increased groundwater pumping since late summer 2021 has resulted in hundreds of domestic wells running dry. Associated Press News (New York), April 11, 2022

No watches are valid as of Mon Apr 11 13:49:01 UTC 2022.

No Mesoscale Discussions are in effect as of Mon Apr 11 13:49:01 UTC 2022.

SPC 1300Z Day 1 Outlook
Day 1 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0750 AM CDT Mon Apr 11 2022 Valid 111300Z - 121200Z ...THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF ARKANSAS/EASTERN OKLAHOMA... ...SUMMARY... Isolated to scattered severe thunderstorms are expected this afternoon into tonight from parts of northeast Texas to the Ozarks and Mid-South, with the greatest threat expected over parts of far eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas. Large to very large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes all appear possible. ...Arkansas/eastern Oklahoma to Mid-South... Broad cyclonic mid/high-level flow will persist over the region today, although there will be a tendency for upper heights to rise regionally, particularly late today through tonight. A cold front will continue to slowly advance southeastward across the Ozarks/Mid-South and toward southeast Oklahoma today, although it is expected to return northward as a warm front tonight in response to lee cyclogenesis across the north-central High Plains. A byproduct of an early overnight MCS near the I-44 corridor, an outflow boundary also continues to settle southward/decay across north-central Arkansas and east-central Oklahoma in the predawn hours. A few stronger storms could occur early today across northern Arkansas northeastward toward the lower Ohio Valley, but a more appreciable severe risk is likely to unfold later this afternoon, farther to the south-southwest. The outflow boundary will likely further stall/decay during the day, but its residual influence/imprint, particularly where it intercepts the front, is a probable focus for at least widely scattered deep convective development by late afternoon across east/southeast Oklahoma into western/northern Arkansas. Upwards of 2500 J/kg MLCAPE may exist by peak heating, particularly across southeast Oklahoma and southwest Arkansas. Some diurnal weakening of the strong early day southwesterly low-level jet will likely occur today, although mid-level winds will remain strong (40-45 kt 700-500 mb) particularly at a latitude including Arkansas and southeast Oklahoma. Effective shear of 40-50 kt will support supercells where storms do develop later today. Large hail can be expected along with the potential for tornadoes, with low-level SRH/hodograph curvature maximized near the boundary(ies). Storms should remain semi-discrete for a duration through late afternoon/early evening, particularly given the relatively weak forcing-for-ascent influences. Even so, some eventual upscale growth is probable this evening with at least some increased potential for wind damage. ...Central/north Texas... A conditionally favorable environment for supercells will be in place along and east of a dryline into parts of central and north Texas this afternoon/evening. The potential for deep convective initiation remains highly uncertain, however, under the influence of height rises and residual mid-level capping. Regardless, at least a couple of late afternoon/early evening storms are plausible given modest near-dryline convergence and ample post-dryline heating/mixing. Should initiation occur and sustain, a conditional risk of very large hail and locally severe wind gusts will be present with any sustained supercell. ..Guyer/Smith.. 04/11/2022 Read more

 The Cashew Fire started on April 9th and Texas A&M Forest Service received a request for assistance at approximately 3:30 pm. The request came in for assistance for Texas A&M Forest Service resources support with the fire located in Wichita County. Unified command was established to assist with containment and suppression efforts. Fire resources are on scene assessing the

No watches are valid as of Sun Apr 10 14:04:01 UTC 2022.

No Mesoscale Discussions are in effect as of Sun Apr 10 14:04:01 UTC 2022.

SPC 1300Z Day 1 Outlook
Day 1 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0752 AM CDT Sun Apr 10 2022 Valid 101300Z - 111200Z ...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTH-CENTRAL PLAINS AND OZARKS... ...SUMMARY... Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected this evening from parts of northeastern Oklahoma into southeast Kansas and Missouri. Large hail and damaging winds are expected to be the main threats. ...Oklahoma to southeast Kansas/Ozarks... Gradual height falls are expected toward the region on the southern periphery of an upper-level trough shifting eastward from the northern High Plains toward the Upper Midwest. Primary surface cyclogenesis will take place from Kansas toward the Upper Midwest as a cold front advances southeastward toward the Ozarks/central Oklahoma through tonight, while a dryline will extend from a secondary surface low southward across western North Texas/west-central Texas around peak heating. Modest-caliber moisture return will occur across the eastern halves of Texas/Oklahoma into the Ozarks and Middle Mississippi Valley, with surface dewpoints rising into the 50s F to locally near 60 F across the warm sector. A stout elevated mixed layer will likely inhibit surface-based thunderstorm initiation for much of the day, but MLCAPE will steadily increase into the 1500-2000 J/kg range as robust diurnal heating occurs beneath very steep mid-level lapse rates. Moderate southwesterly flow aloft will provide sufficient deep-layer shear for storm organization, conditional upon initiation. Isolated storm development cannot be entirely ruled out near the dryline/triple point across west-central/southwest Oklahoma during the late afternoon/early evening, but substantial MLCIN across the warm sector is expected to limit this potential. A more probable scenario will be for increasing post-sunset development across north-central and especially northeast Oklahoma into far southeast Kansas and the Missouri/Ozarks. This will be aided by a strengthening low-level jet and warm advection, with much of this development tending to be at least slightly elevated to the north of the front. Regardless, moderate buoyancy and strong effective shear will support some supercells capable of large hail. Locally damaging wind gusts and perhaps a tornado or two will also be possible if any cells sustain along the boundary. ...Northern/central Texas... Deep convective potential is still currently expected to remain limited owing to factors such as persistent capping and only modest convergence near the dryline, but it is conceivable that a couple of storms could develop near the dryline late this afternoon. Such development might be aided by a subtle mid-level impulse/speed max over New Mexico early today. This region will be reevaluated in subsequent outlooks/daytime trends to see if an addition of at least low conditional-type severe probabilities are warranted given the potentially unstable air mass that will be in place near/east of the dryline. ..Guyer/Smith.. 04/10/2022 Read more

Many Nebraska state recreation areas and some wildlife management areas have temporarily banned campfires until further notice due to drought conditions and extreme fire danger. The affected state recreation and wildlife management areas include Medicine Creek, Red Willow, Swanson, Enders, Sutherland, Buffalo Bill, Lake McConaughy, Lake Ogallala, Lake Minatare, Wildcat Hills, Sherman and Victoria Springs state recreation areas and Ash Hollow State Historical Park. A temporary burn ban already is in place at Calamus state recreation area. Hunters participating in the April 9 youth shotgun opener were urged to avoid open fires for camping or cooking. Nebraskaland (Lincoln, Neb.), April 8, 2022

 At approximately 6:00 pm, April 7, 2022, a wildfire had started in Wheeler County just north of Kelton by the crossroad of Hwy 152 and FM592. The Texas A&M Forest Service (TAMFS) had gotten a request for assistance by Wheeler County EMC and worked in unified command with Wheeler Volunteer Fire Department. On initial attack, heavy equipment was engaged on the left flank north of Hwy 152 and burnout operations were being taken place. Higher winds from the north had pushed the fire south towards the Oklahoma border, multiple fire departments were on scene. Forward progression had been stopped on the first night and crews will continue to monitor and patrol the fire. The fire has been mapped and is at 8,152

 The Bull Creek Fire started on April 9th around 1:00 PM along FM 1610 just North of Lake JB Thomas. Texas A&M Forest Service (TAMFS) is working in unified command with local responders to help improve existing fire lines that the county has already put in place. There are a few creek bottoms with heavy brush that are of concern so engines will work to mop up while heavy equipment works to improve some of the indirect