Smokehouse Creek Fire grows into largest in history for Texas

Firefighters are battling several wildfires in the Texas Panhandle, the largest being the Smokehouse Creek Fire. While weather conditions will be favorable for containment for a couple of days, dangerous fire weather is expected to return by Friday.

Strong winds, dry fuel, and unseasonable warmth helped fuel a cluster of wildfires in the Texas Panhandle earlier this week. As of Wednesday morning, the largest of the wildfires, the Smokehouse Creek Fire, has expanded to cover 1,075,000 acres (of which 1,050,000 acres have burned in Texas) and is only 3% contained. According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, the Smokehouse Creek Fire is now the largest wildfire on record for the state of Texas.

According to the TemperatureRadar, temperatures were in the 70s on Tuesday as the wildfires exploded across the Texas Panhandle and into Oklahoma. The WindRadar showed gusts as high as 65 mph, making it incredibly difficult to fight the spreading fires. On Tuesday, evacuations were ordered in several towns in a swath northeast of Amarillo, Texas, and officials near Durham, Okla., also encouraged people to flee.

On Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbot issued a disaster declaration for 60 Texas counties, which frees up additional state resources to help with the firefight.

Thursday will bring light rain and snow to the Panhandle; however, winds will gust up to 30 mph. Dangerous fire weather returns Friday as temperatures surge into the upper 70s, drier air returns, and winds increase to 20 to 30 mph, with higher gusts possible. Weather & Radar's expert meteorologists will keep you up-to-date on the latest.