Red Flag Warning

Locations Affected

El Paso, TX ∙ Las Cruces, NM ∙ Florida, NM ∙ Lanark, NM ∙ Oscura, NM ∙ Lincoln, NM ∙ Alamo Alto, TX ∙ Glen Acres, NM ∙ Silver City Grant County Airport, NM ∙ Bent, NM

Headline

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS POSSIBLE SUNDAY...
.An upper level trough carving out over the Central Rockies will bring increasing southwest winds to the region over the next couple of days, while Relative Humidity values remain very low, and fuels remain critically dry. Winds aloft will begin to increase late tonight, with favored downslope areas seeing near- Red Flag conditions during the overnight and pre-dawn hours, as gusty winds help to create very poor RH recovery. Winds will stay strong along north and east-facing slopes Sunday night, and Red Flag conditions may persist through Sunday Night into Monday in those favored areas.

Full Alert Message

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM 1114 AM MDT Sat May 16 2026 ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS POSSIBLE SUNDAY... .An upper level trough carving out over the Central Rockies will bring increasing southwest winds to the region over the next couple of days, while Relative Humidity values remain very low, and fuels remain critically dry. Winds aloft will begin to increase late tonight, with favored downslope areas seeing near- Red Flag conditions during the overnight and pre-dawn hours, as gusty winds help to create very poor RH recovery. Winds will stay strong along north and east-facing slopes Sunday night, and Red Flag conditions may persist through Sunday Night into Monday in those favored areas. ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM SUNDAY TO MIDNIGHT MDT SUNDAY NIGHT FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR THE SACRAMENTO AND CAPITAN MOUNTAINS... ...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR THE SAME AREA... The National Weather Service in El Paso has issued a Red Flag Warning for strong winds and low humidity which is in effect from 7 AM Sunday to midnight MDT Sunday night. A Fire Weather Watch has also been issued from late Sunday night through Monday evening. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 113 Capitan and Sacramento Mountains/Lincoln NF/LNZ. * TIMING...Near Red Flag conditions will develop this afternoon along north and east facing mountain slopes. Winds may diminish briefly in the evening, but will begin to ramp up again late in the night. Relative humidity recovery will be very poor in these locations, and Red Flag Conditions will develop by early morning as winds increase further. Red Flag conditions will develop over a wider area by late morning. Strong winds and poor RH recovery are expected again Sunday night along north and east facing slopes. This is a rare situation where Red Flag conditions may last through the night in favored downslope wind areas. Thus, a Fire Weather Watch is in effect starting Midnight Sunday night, and through the day Monday, when stronger winds will develop across a wider area again. * WINDS...Southwest 25 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 5 to 8 percent with very poor recovery along north and east facing slopes. * EXPERIMENTAL RFTI...5 to 6. * 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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