...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS POSSIBLE THURSDAY FOR LINCOLNNATIONAL FOREST...

DRY AND BREEZY WEATHER PATTERN WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WILL SET THE STAGE FOR NEAR-CRITICAL TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS IN THE LINCOLN NATIONAL FOREST FOR THURSDAY. A SHORTWAVE TROUGH COMING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES WILL INDUCE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE IN THE SOUTHERN PLAINS ON THURSDAY. WEST WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MPH ARE FORECAST WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH DURING THE AFTERNOON. MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES OF 7 TO 15 PERCENT ARE FORECAST. WIDESPREAD TREE MORTALITY AND DIEBACK FUELS WILL INCREASE THE WILDFIRE RISK AS ERCS CLIMB TOWARDS THE 90TH PERCENTILE.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EL PASO TX SANTA TERESA HAS ISSUED A FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO, WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...NEW MEXICO FIRE WEATHER ZONES 110, 111, AND 112, INCLUDING THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS AND GILA NF, THE SOUTHWEST DESERTS AND LOWLANDS, THE SOUTH CENTRAL LOWLANDS AND SOUTHERN RIO GRANDE VALLEY.

* TIMING...WINDS INCREASING AFTER 10 AM, AND PEAKING IN THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS.

* WINDS...WEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 TO 35 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 7 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE LOWER TO MID 80S.

* EXPERIMENTAL RFTI...3 TO 5, NEAR CRITICAL TO CRITICAL.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY. OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.