Fire Weather Watch

Locations Affected

El Paso, TX ∙ Las Cruces, NM ∙ Fort Bliss, TX ∙ Cotton City, NM ∙ Nutt, NM ∙ Boles Acres, NM ∙ Coyote, NM ∙ Homestead Meadows South, TX ∙ Lisbon, NM ∙ Truth or Consequences, NM

Headline

...CRITICAL TO EXTREME FIRE WEATHER FOR SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO AND FAR WEST TEXAS ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...
.An upper level trough is expected to swing through the Four Corners on Thursday aligning the jet stream across much of New Mexico. This will develop a lee cyclone over Eastern Colorado while deep mixing taps into higher winds aloft. Windy to very windy conditions will combine with single-digit lowland minimum RH values with only the highest elevations seeing minimum RH values in the teens. When combined with very dry fuels, critical to possibly extreme fire weather conditions are expected for Thursday afternoon. The system will linger into Friday, with windy and dry conditions continuing.

Full Alert Message

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM 1029 PM MDT Wed Apr 16 2025 ...CRITICAL TO EXTREME FIRE WEATHER FOR SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO AND FAR WEST TEXAS ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY... .An upper level trough is expected to swing through the Four Corners on Thursday aligning the jet stream across much of New Mexico. This will develop a lee cyclone over Eastern Colorado while deep mixing taps into higher winds aloft. Windy to very windy conditions will combine with single-digit lowland minimum RH values with only the highest elevations seeing minimum RH values in the teens. When combined with very dry fuels, critical to possibly extreme fire weather conditions are expected for Thursday afternoon. The system will linger into Friday, with windy and dry conditions continuing. ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 9 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR FOR STRONG WINDS, VERY LOW HUMIDITY, AND CRITICALLY DRY FUELS FOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO, AND FAR WEST TEXAS... ...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS, LOW HUMIDITY, AND CRITICALLY DRY FUELS FOR SOUTHWEST, AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO AND FAR WEST TEXAS... * AFFECTED AREA...Texas fire zones 55 and 56, which includes El Paso and Hudspeth counties. Also, New Mexico fire zones 110, 111, 112, and 113, which includes Hidalgo, Grant, Luna, Dona Ana, Sierra, and Otero counties. * TIMING...From 10 AM MDT to 9 PM MDT on Thursday and from noon to 8 PM on Friday. * WINDS...For Thursday, southwest 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 to 65 mph. On Friday, Southwest 20 to 25 mph with gusts 40 to 45 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...as 5-10 percent Thursday, 8 to 12 percent Friday. * EXPERIMENTAL RFTI...5 to 9 or Critical to Extreme on Thursday. 3 to 7 Elevated to Critical on Friday. * IMPACTS...any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible Red Flag Warnings.

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