DFW Area to See Elevated Fire Risk This Week

The National Weather Service Forth Worth issued an alert to expect elevated fire threat in the northwest on Tuesday and throughout the week.

The alert was issued due to a combination of temperatures in the 70s and 80s, breezy winds with gusts of up to 30 mph, and low humidity. It will put the areas around Graham and Cisco in particular at an elevated fire threat.

On Wednesday, the area under elevated wildfire threat will expand near and west of I-35. Vegetation dryness will increase and max wind gusts will be in the 20 mph range.

Thursday will see an even greater swath of the North Texas region under elevated wildfire risk, including Sherman, Dallas-Fort Worth, Waco, and Killeen.

Relative humidity will be 15-30% on Wednesday and 15-25% on Thursday. The highs on both days will be in the 70s and 80s.

Most wildfires are caused by human actions, so it's important to be careful when burning debris, moving or towing vehicles, and grilling outdoors.

This means all residents should avoid outdoor burning, secure tow chains, and refrain from parking or driving over tall grass. It should go without saying, but it's imperative you do not toss lit cigarettes.

Learn how to prevent and prepare your home from wildfires with tips from the Texas A&M Forest Service. The first step is assessing and addressing your home's risk, which you can do by visiting the service's Texas Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal.

The portal helps model potential conditions and therefore predict when and where wildfires are most likely to occur. It also draws on updated building footprint datasets and more recent U.S. Census data which makes it more reliable than in the past.