Storm chaser Mike Scantlin reported live from Oklahoma on the afternoon of March 14 as fires broke out and dust flew through the wind.
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00:00Dry, windy conditions making for critical fire weather and dust storms across the plains.
00:05Storm chaser Mike Scalin, he's in Merrimack, Oklahoma with more on the situation there, Mike.
00:10So give us an update on where you are. Are you closer to 412 or Highway 64?
00:17Yeah, I'm just about a mile south of 64 here. I'm really kind of between Cleveland and Merrimack here.
00:22This fire started down on 412 over towards Merrimack and it's pushing north and east, just east of northeast.
00:29You know, the clips I shot earlier were down on Highway 99.
00:38So, definitely more rural areas, but there are communities here.
00:41Now this area behind me, where I'm standing, we did have fire crews come through here and telling people to prepare.
00:47This is not an evacuation order, but to get ready for an evacuation order,
00:51because that should be coming shortly if this fire does continue to push north.
00:55Those stronger winds starting to rotate around the bend and push north through here.
01:01So, we had some 60 mile an hour gusts earlier, maybe up to 70.
01:05And then we kind of got, we're in this little bit of a lull here, but that next push is coming through.
01:10I can actually hear the wind starting to pick up here through the woods here.
01:13So, you know, 60, 70 mile an hour wind gusts on their way here to a fire that's being battled currently.
01:20There's an even bigger fire probably about 30 miles southwest of here towards Kearney-Turkins area there near 44.
01:26Just on the northeast side of the Oklahoma City Metro.
01:28So, I think I'm going to pivot to that one because the area where I was earlier,
01:31they've pretty much got a, from what I can tell, they've got a handle on this one.
01:35So, you know, it's mayhem down here and it's just, it's so windy.
01:41The visibility is so poor.
01:43You know, pay attention to those orders and pay attention to those warnings.
01:46And, you know, get ready to bail if you have to because these things are moving really quickly
01:51and almost impossible to fight out here.
01:54All right. Storm chaser Mike Scanlon.
01:56David, you know this area really, really well. What's going through your head?
01:59Well, just looking at these areas, the winds, as he said, is really starting to pick up.
02:02Now, right now he's in a rural area of what's Pawnee County,
02:05which is just to the northeast of Stillwater for anyone familiar with the area.
02:09So, it's in rural areas right now.
02:12So, it's not really going to be threatening any population centers,
02:15but we'll be watching that going forward.