FIRE WEATHER WATCH
FIRE WEATHER WATCH ISSUED MAY 16 AT 11:14AM MDT UNTIL MAY 18 AT 10:00PM MDT
Effective: 2026-05-16 11:14:00 Expires: 2026-05-18 22:00:00 Issued by: NWS El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM
...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.

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON 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 NOON SUNDAY TO MIDNIGHT MDT SUNDAY NIGHT. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...ALL OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL NEW MEXICO, INCLUDING THE GILA REGION AND THE LOWLAND DESERTS. ALSO, EL PASO COUNTY IN TEXAS. THIS AREA INCLUDES NEW MEXICO FIRE WEATHER ZONES 110, 111, AND 112, AND TEXAS FIRE WEATHER ZONE 055.

* TIMING...RED FLAG WARNING ON SUNDAY FROM NOON THROUGH MIDNIGHT. FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ON SUNDAY, AND SLIGHTLY LOWER ON MONDAY.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 5 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...UP TO 90.

* LIGHTNING...NONE EXPECTED.

* EXPERIMENTAL RFTI...4 TO 5.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY. OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.
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SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS, SOUTHWEST DESERTS AND LOWLANDS, SOUTH CENTRAL LOWLANDS AND SOUTHERN RIO GRANDE VALLEY, EL PASO
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