Critical fire weather conditions will be present over the Texas Plains region Thursday and Friday.

The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has issued an alert putting western portions of the state in the “extreme”, “critical” and “elevated” categories for wildfire potential.

The areas of concern are Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, Abilene, Fort Stockton, Wichita Falls, San Angelo and El Paso regions.

“If a fire should occur, expect it to move fast and burn hot and to pose a serious threat to anything in its path,” said Texas A&M Forest Service Predictive Services Department Head Tom Spencer. “This can be a very dangerous situation.”

Increased fire activity is a concern due to sustained wind speeds of 30 to 35 mph combining with above normal seasonal temperatures, low relative humidity and a dry line — a boundary that separates moist air mass from dry air — forming over the region.

Texas A&M Forest Service is monitoring the situation closely and will be working with local response departments as we preposition state resources, including the opening of two Single Engine Air Tanker bases in Amarillo and Abilene. The Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System has also been tapped to deploy two strike teams to the Texas Plains region.