Texas Wildfires Rage as Drought and Wind Collide
The Texas Panhandle is burning.
As of this writing, multiple large wildfires are churning across one of America’s most wind-swept landscapes, forcing evacuations, shutting down highways, and pushing state and local firefighting crews to their limits. It is a familiar and frightening scene for anyone who lives in the Lone Star State — and the conditions driving these fires are showing no signs of letting up.
What’s Burning Right Now
The past 48 hours have been brutal across the High Plains. On Tuesday, a powerful low-pressure system centered in the northern Great Plains pushed strong westerly winds across drought-stressed northern Texas, and wildfires erupted almost simultaneously across multiple counties. The Texas A&M Forest Service received nine requests for assistance in a single day, with fires burning nearly 18,500 acres in that span alone.
As of this morning, two major fires remain active in the Texas Panhandle. A third smaller fire is nearing containment.
The 8 Ball Fire, burning in Armstrong and Donley counties, has scorched an estimated 9,000 acres and is only 40% contained.
The Lavender Fire, raging across Oldham and Potter counties near Amarillo, has consumed roughly 12,000 acres and stands at just 20% containment.
Wind gusts peaked at 73 mph in Lubbock and 68 mph in Amarillo on Tuesday — conditions that make fire suppression extraordinarily dangerous and difficult. Critical fire weather warnings are expected to persist through the end of the week.
Evacuation orders have been issued across multiple communities. Potter County declared a disaster. The American Red Cross mobilized disaster teams, opening evacuation points and preparing overnight shelters, while Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service stepped up to assist displaced residents with livestock needs.
A little good news came overnight, however.
Fighting Fire on the Front Lines
State and local crews have worked around the clock under punishing conditions. The Texas A&M Forest Service, the lead agency for wildfire response in the state, coordinates a statewide network of personnel and equipment designed for rapid deployment. Local volunteer and municipal fire departments — from Hereford to Amarillo — have been dispatched to reinforce those efforts, with the Amarillo Fire Department sending several crews to assist in Potter County.
Road closures have complicated logistics significantly. Multiple farm-to-market roads and state highways have been shut down to protect both civilians and first responders. It’s a logistical chess match that local emergency managers are playing in real time, even as the fire lines shift with every gust of wind.
A Danger That Never Really Went Away
Texas actually has two wildfire seasons. The late-winter season — running roughly from mid-February through early April — is driven by dormant, bone-dry grass and the cold fronts that barrel across the open plains with little to slow them down. The second season arrives in late summer and early fall, when heat and drought once again prime the landscape. In practice, this means Texans face wildfire risk for a significant portion of the calendar year.
The scale of recent fire events has already left its mark. The 2024 Smokehouse Creek Fire, which scorched over a million acres in the Panhandle, was the largest wildfire in Texas history and prompted property insurers to reassess their exposure in the region.
Texas now ranks third in the nation for homes at risk from wildfires, behind only California and Colorado.
A Hotter, Drier Future
Climate scientists warn that conditions like those driving this week’s fires will become more frequent and more severe. Warmer average temperatures are extending drought periods and intensifying the summer dry season across the southern Great Plains. Vegetation that once retained some moisture through the winter is drying out faster and earlier, providing more fuel when the wind arrives.
The Red Flag Warning season — those dangerous combinations of low humidity, dry fuel, and high winds — is getting longer.
For Texans on the Panhandle and beyond, the message is stark: this is not an anomaly. It is the new normal, intensifying with each passing year. Preparedness, early warning systems, and sustained investment in firefighting resources have never been more essential for the communities that call this windswept land home.
Central Texas caught a break this week. While North Texas was getting slammed with 75 mph gusts, Central Texas saw winds top out at a much milder 25 to 35 mph. Plus, a weekend half-inch of rain helped soak the dry ground, keeping conditions from getting too intense. (Austiin American-Statesman)
Georgetown High School went into lockdown Wednesday morning after the district received an anonymous threat, prompting police to sweep the campus and evacuate students to a secure location while officers assessed the situation. Law enforcement ultimately found no suspicious items and issued an all‑clear late in the morning, though classes were canceled for the rest of the day as a precaution .
An Austin Police Department officer, Andy Garcia, has been indefinitely suspended following an October 2025 incident captured on video in which he allegedly punched a man on East Sixth Street.
A lawsuit filed by victim James Rodriguez claims Garcia punched him during an incident in which he wasn’t involved, merely standing nearby. Rodriguez’s attorney, Jeff Edwards, described the actions as “egregious, dangerous, and excessive use of force” and said there was no provocation. (KXAN-TV)
The Travis County District Attorney’s Office has decided to retry an Austin police officer in connection with a deadly shooting in 2022.
A suspect was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon after a hours-long standoff in Hutto, according to police.
The Austin Police Department is actively searching for suspects involved in a fatal shooting that occurred early Sunday morning, February 15, 2026, at the Gustavo “Gus” L. Garcia Recreation Center at 1201 E. Rundberg Lane.
Surveillance video in APD’s YouTube Channel shows people of interest who the Austin Police Homicide unit are trying to identify.
This case is being investigated as Austin’s ninth homicide of 2026. (Austin Police Department)
Austin police are also looking for a man wanted on an outstanding warrant involving unlawful disclosure or promotion of an intimate visual.
Authorities in Hays County are looking for a suspect wanted for the sexual assault of a child and failure to comply with the Sex Offender Registry.
It may take longer to get election results in Tavis County this primary election because of a shift in early voting tabulations.
University of Texas System Chairman Kevin Eltife said Wednesday that UT’s new Academic Medical Center will no longer be based downtown at the former site of the Frank Erwin Center, the historic home of UT’s basketball teams. (Austin American-Statesman)
Austin Transit Partnership announced Austin Rail Constructors has been selected as partner to build Austin’s light rail.
Residents in the East Riverside neighborhood talked to KXAN-TV about dealing with the road work.
The Mopac South Project is back in the conversation this year, hitting a milestone with the release of the environmental study.
KXAN-TV traffic reporter Erica Brennes talks about Austin traffic and construction.
Pool season is just around the corner. Austin Parks and Recreation says Barton Springs, Deep Eddy, Bartholomew and Springwoods pools begin charging entry fees on Saturday, March 14.
Toronto, eh?
The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) is revisiting its long‑standing water management plan and is actively considering building a new reservoir in Colorado County, about 115 miles east of Austin.
Water restrictions continue in Hays County and that has local farmers concerned.
WEATHER
WEDNESDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
The record high temperature for Austin on February 19 is 93 degrees set in 1986.
Quick context:
- 2nd warmest: 88°F (1980)
- 3rd warmest: 84°F (1996)
- Normal high for mid-February in Austin is around the upper-60s, so 93°F is extremely unusual for this time of year.
When Austin could see its first 90-degree day?
Sunset Wednesday evening at South 1st Street and Barton Springs.
BREAKING: Our campaign raised $2.5 million in 24 hours after the FCC banned our Colbert interview. pic.twitter.com/g6v4gzGAhS
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) February 18, 2026
Senate candidate Jasmine Crockett said the late-night scramble over Stephen Colbert’s pulled interview with rival Democrat James Talarico may have done the opposite of what CBS’ lawyers intended — handing her opponent extra attention just days into early voting.
Talarico was also in Austin yesterday. He held a rally just days after his news-making appearance on Stephen Colbert’s late-night show in New York.
Senator John Cornyn is warning Texas Republicans that picking the wrong nominee could turn November into a bloodbath. (MEAWW)
San Marcos City Council has effectively blocked the Maberry Data Center development from happening.
Speaking of the San Marcos Daily Record…the local news outlet has been sold to Times Media Group.
In the span of just six weeks between December and January, six people died while detained by ICE in Texas. (Texas Tribune)
Audio has been released of 911 calls from an ICE detention facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso. The calls are related to the deaths of two detainees, who staff say tried to hang or strangle themselves last month.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a 46‑page lawsuit against Dow Chemical Co., alleging hundreds of wastewater pollution violations at its industrial complex in Seadrift, a rural community on the Gulf Coast.
In an unusual move against Texas plastic production, Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Dow and fellow petrochemical giant Braskem last week, citing evidence that the companies illegally dumped plastic pellets and other pollutants into state waterways. https://t.co/dhb2ul6FdU pic.twitter.com/82rhD3SzYZ
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) February 18, 2026
A massive fire at a recycling plant in Dayton in Liberty County forced a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents Wednesday.
Two former Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office employees were arrested for their alleged role in a bribery scheme that produced illegitimate vehicle registrations and title transfers without proof of insurance, inspection and other requirements. (Houston Public Media)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations officers at the Laredo Port of Entry seized methamphetamine that totaled over $602,000 last week. (U.S. Customs & Border Protection)
Wildfire risk is so high in the Texas Panhandle that an energy company preemptively cut off power to avoid lines blowing down and starting to spark. We’ll take a closer look at the situation.
Early voting is underway across Texas. We sent reporters to polls across the state to hear from voters who made it out on the first day.
We’ll profile the candidates in a hotly-contested race near Houston where the GOP is hoping to gain a seat.
Beef prices are contributing to shock over grocery store bills, but ranchers are upset about one way President Trump is trying to bring the price of ground beef down.
And we’ll explore the deepest underwater cave in North America.
(Episode from February 18, 2026)
SPORTS
MLB: As Major League Baseball’s spring training season gets underway, both the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers are back on the field preparing for 2026. Houston opened camp in West Palm Beach with pitchers and catchers reporting this week and position players soon after, beginning the club’s push to rebound following last year’s postseason miss.
Meanwhile, the Rangers have assembled in Surprise, Arizona, where their full squad workouts and early Cactus League games signal the start of another AL West showdown.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Rashaun Agee had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Zach Clemence and Marcus Hill scored 14 points apiece, and Texas A&M erased a 13-point second-half deficit Wednesday night to beat Mississippi 80-77 and snap a four-game skid. (Associated Press)
NBA: The San Antonio Spurs are coming to Austin to play two games on their schedule.
The Houston Rockets are back in action tonight as well. Dallas has the night off.
The latest episode of Texas Parks & Wildlife takes us to Lake Casa Blanca International State Park in Laredo to do some birding and to Trinity Bay to do some fishing.
