Fire Weather Watch

Locations Affected

Las Cruces, NM ∙ Gila National Forest, NM ∙ Pulpotio Bareas, NM ∙ Hatch, NM ∙ Organ, NM ∙ Ruidoso, NM ∙ Cloverdale, NM ∙ Afton, NM ∙ Newman, NM ∙ Ruidoso Sierra Blanca Airport, NM

Headline

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...
.Upper level ridge will flatten on Saturday and Sunday as an upper level trough races across the Northern Rockies. As a result, the mid to upper level pressure gradient will tighten across the region, orientated from SW to NE inducing SWerly flow aloft. This will ultimately promote daily afternoon/evening occurrences of lee-side low development over the Front Range and sufficient surface troughing across New Mexico. Thus, increasing surface and low-level winds across the area. This coupled with very low Minimum RH values and dry fuels will promote Critical Fire Weather conditions this weekend.

Full Alert Message

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM 410 AM MDT Thu Apr 10 2025 ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY... .Upper level ridge will flatten on Saturday and Sunday as an upper level trough races across the Northern Rockies. As a result, the mid to upper level pressure gradient will tighten across the region, orientated from SW to NE inducing SWerly flow aloft. This will ultimately promote daily afternoon/evening occurrences of lee-side low development over the Front Range and sufficient surface troughing across New Mexico. Thus, increasing surface and low-level winds across the area. This coupled with very low Minimum RH values and dry fuels will promote Critical Fire Weather conditions this weekend. ...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING FOR BREEZY WINDS, DRY FUELS, AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO... The National Weather Service in El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa has issued a Fire Weather Watch for portions of southern New Mexico, which is in effect from Sunday afternoon through Sunday evening. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 112 South Central Lowlands and Southern Rio Grande Valley/BLM/GLZ and Fire Weather Zone 113 Capitan and Sacramento Mountains/Lincoln NF/LNZ. * TIMING...In effect from 12 PM to 9 PM on Sunday. * WINDS...West 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 30 to 40 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...4 to 11 percent. * EXPERIMENTAL RFTI...4 to 7 or Near-Critical to Critical. * IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... 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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