Fire danger is Extreme again today across North Texas, Northeast Texas and East Texas, and we had five or six fires get going around midnight. Burn bans are up to 167 counties. It’s your Texas Weather Roundup for Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
PANHANDLE STORMS
Scattered thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening across the Texas Panhandle, moving in from New Mexico and the Oklahoma Panhandle. The rest of the state stays dry.
There’s an isolated severe risk with those storms across parts of the Panhandle and West Texas, mainly damaging wind gusts of 60 to 75 mph. Localized flash flooding is possible but isn’t expected to be widespread or high impact.
The bigger concern is lightning setting fields on fire. Storm activity decreases late this evening into early Thursday, and the northern Panhandle may get a nice surprise rain out of it. Isolated storms remain possible across the Panhandle and West Texas Thursday afternoon.
EXTREME FIRE DANGER & 167 BURN BANS
167 Texas counties are now under a burn ban, up ten from yesterday. Most of the northern half of Texas is blanketed in red, along with the Big Bend and parts of South Texas, and that map keeps filling in with no rain chances in sight.
Fire danger today is Extreme across North Texas, Northeast Texas and East Texas — including the Piney Woods, the Ark-La-Tex and the DFW Metroplex.
We had five or six fires get going around midnight last night across northern sections of the state, in completely separate areas. That’s not a conspiracy, it’s a sign of how crunchy and combustible things are right now.
Thursday and Friday, fire danger stays High to Very High statewide — a little less obnoxious than today, but nowhere near safe.
Be mindful working outdoors with anything that throws sparks, including mowing. Keep a fire extinguisher or water can handy. And don’t drag chains with your trailer.
THE PATTERN
An upper-level heat dome sits over the Four Corners. There are light northerly winds aloft across the eastern half of Texas, which looks like it might squeeze in some moisture or a weak front — it won’t. August is meant to be hot, and hot is what we’re getting.
TODAY’S HIGHS
109 in Wichita Falls and Childress, and somebody may touch 110. 107 to 108 across the DFW Metroplex, already near 100 by lunchtime. 104 in Austin, 102 in San Antonio. Triple digits in El Paso, Houston, Lufkin, Texarkana and Tyler. 102 in McAllen, 104 at Eagle Pass.
Tonight, 64 in Dalhart — higher elevation and lower humidity up in the northwestern Panhandle let you cool off efficiently. Same for the Davis Mountains, lows in the 60s. Everyone else in the 70s, urban heat islands and warmer spots holding in the 80s.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday — mostly triple digits statewide. Sunday runs 107 to 110 across North Texas, Northwest Texas, Texoma and DFW. If you’re on the immediate Gulf Coast at 93, that’s your humidity, and your heat index still makes it feel like 100. Alpine and the Davis Mountains get 95 on Sunday. Terrain matters.
LONG RANGE
Above-average temperatures continue through the end of August with below-average rainfall. Typical August in Texas.
ABOUT EL NIÑO
Yes, El Niño typically favors cooler and wetter conditions here — but that influence is felt during fall and winter, not August. And it’s not a guarantee. We had a very strong El Niño in 2015 into 2016 with some very active weather, but most of that winter was actually dry and warm.
I do have concerns about increased severe weather, and if cold air is in place we could see some interesting winter weather. But I’m not a climatologist and I don’t hand out seasonal forecasts. We’ll see what happens. It only takes one.
Let us know where you’re watching from in the comments.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Careful What You Wish For
0:52 Panhandle Storms & Severe Risk
2:00 The Heat Dome Isn’t Moving
2:37 167 Counties Under Burn Bans
3:00 Extreme Fire Danger Today
4:27 Temperatures: 109 and Climbing
6:34 Long-Range Outlook
6:56 What El Niño Actually Means
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