⚠️ UPDATE: SPC upgraded the Texas Panhandle to a Level 3 of 5 ENHANCED RISK this evening — up from the Level 2 stated in this video. Severe wind gusts of 60-85 mph are the primary hazard.
Major wildfires are burning with evacuations underway, an Enhanced Risk of severe storms hits the Panhandle tonight, and rain chances finally return late week. It’s your Texas Weather Roundup for Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Use the chapters to jump to what you need.
ROSS FIRE — 50,000 ACRES, 5% CONTAINED
Started in Palo Pinto County around 1:30 PM yesterday and has moved well over 10 miles, developing into a firestorm overnight. It crossed Highway 4 in multiple spots west of Graford, crossed Highway 254 and Highway 337, and is approaching FM 2210 in southern Jack County.
Evacuation orders are in place for portions of Palo Pinto and Jack Counties, with numerous local and state assets committed and air attack overhead.
Crews couldn’t stop its forward progress at the head last night — far too dangerous to put people in front of it. The focus was getting folks out of the way and keeping the footprint narrow, especially on the eastern flank. If it flanks out and spots off into a new head fire, that’s a significant problem for Graford.
High growth potential again today with southeasterly winds and another very hot afternoon.
RIO ESCONDIDO FIRE — 2,600 ACRES, 30% CONTAINED
Burning near Evant with mandatory evacuations in place. Large air tankers out of Abilene, single-engine air tankers out of Fredericksburg, air attack overhead. Watch for it picking up steam this afternoon.
Both fires went plume-dominated yesterday, developing pyrocumulus and generating their own weather. That can happen again today.
Also active: the Pecan Fire northeast of Decatur at about 57 acres with good containment, the Dark Canyon Fire in King County at 15 acres, plus fires in Wise, Parker and Wichita Counties.
FIRE DANGER TODAY
Extreme across the Big Country, North Texas, Central Texas and south into South Texas, driven by triple-digit heat and dropping afternoon humidity. This morning’s rain evaporated before reaching the surface.
PANHANDLE — ENHANCED RISK THIS EVENING
SPC upgraded the Texas Panhandle to a Level 3 of 5 Enhanced Risk in the 11:30 AM outlook, raising wind probabilities to 30%.
Severe wind gusts of 60 to 85 mph are the primary hazard, with large hail, heavy rain, lightning and blowing dust. Timing is late this afternoon through the evening, along a stationary boundary sagging toward I-40.
Storms should organize into a line within a very dry, deeply mixed airmass — the setup that produces the strongest downburst winds. This is a wind event. 85 mph does structural damage.
If you’re in the Panhandle tonight, have a way to receive warnings that will wake you up.
Localized flooding is also possible overnight. That risk continues in West Texas and the Panhandle Wednesday, extending Thursday into the Guadalupe Mountains, the northern Permian Basin, the Borderland and the Golden Triangle.
RAIN RETURNS LATE WEEK
The heat dome pushes west and weakens. Thursday brings an upper-level system rotating south on its eastern periphery — the best rain chance several areas have seen in over a month, a 20 to 50% shot at a storm near you. Not a widespread soaking, and lightning will start grass fires.
TEMPERATURES
Triple digits again today, but not as hot as yesterday. Tonight is a real change for the Panhandle: 60 in Dalhart, 66 in Amarillo and Pampa, 69 in Alpine. Everyone else in the 70s with 80s in the urban heat islands.
Wednesday, upper 80s to low 90s in the Panhandle, 98 in Lubbock. Thursday, 95 in Houston, 100 in DFW, Austin and San Antonio, 93 in Lubbock and Amarillo.
Thanks to meteorologist Jason Cooley and storm chaser Chad Casey for staying up overnight bringing visuals from the Ross Fire.
CHAPTERS
0:00 What We’re Watching Today
1:03 Ross Fire: 50,000 Acres, Evacuations
3:14 Rio Escondido Fire Near Evant
4:30 Other Fires & Today’s Fire Danger
5:47 Panhandle Severe Storm Risk
6:28 Flooding Risk in the Panhandle
7:03 Timeline Through Thursday
8:04 Heat Dome Finally Weakens
8:50 Thursday’s Rain Chances
10:19 Temperatures Through the Week
11:51 Fire Danger Outlook
13:00 What We’re Watching Tonight
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