Strong wind gusts to near 50 mph will cause blowing dust and an increased wildfire threat Tuesday.
DALLAS — After a chance of severe storms early Tuesday morning, strong winds will cause blowing dust and increased wildfire threat later in the day.
Here’s what you can expect in North Texas:
Key takeaways
- Wind will howl out of the northwest Tuesday morning with gusts to 50 mph
- Warm, windy, and dry will bring an increased fire threat
- Dust from west Texas and the panhandle will blow into the metro
Extreme wind gusts to follow severe storms
A powerful storm system gathering its strength over the Rockies today will bring in strong to severe storms across North Texas late Monday night into Tuesday morning. Once the storms are gone our next concern will be the wind that follows in behind the pacific front. The cold front will make its way through the DFW Metroplex around 5 or 6 Tuesday morning, shifting our wind front the southwest to the west. Around noon the wind will then blow in from the NW with wind gusts as high as around 50 mph. We will have sustained wind between 20 to 30 mph. A Wind Advisory has already been issued for 11 p.m. Monday through 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Extreme wind could spark wildfires Tuesday
The fire threat will be elevated to critical west of I-35 on Tuesday. The Fire Weather Watch has already been issued for some of our SW counties from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. It’s important to note that these areas are not expecting much rain with the thunderstorms moving in Tuesday morning, if it all. Dewpoints will quickly drop into the teens and 20s behind the cold front. The very dry, warm, and windy conditions are what will lead to an increase fire threat in our western counties. It’s important to not burn anything outdoors or throw cigarette butts out of the window.
Dust blows into the metro
As if we needed any more problems on Tuesday, behind our powerful storm system we will likely see blowing dust. With how dry it has been in the panhandle and West Texas, the 50 mph northwest wind will blow in dust across the metro by the afternoon. Visibilities may be reduced and you’ll likely notice the haze in the air. Limit your time outdoors Tuesday once the dust blows in.
