Fire Weather Watch New Mexico | Effective 03/12/2026 19:02

...RED FLAG WARNING FRIDAY FROM NOON UNTIL 8 PM FOR THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS DUE TO STRONG WIND AND LOW HUMIDITY... ...FIRE WEATHER WATCH SATURDAY FROM NOON UNTIL 10 PM FOR WEST CENTRAL NM, NORTHERN NM, SANDIA AND MANZANO MOUNTAINS, AND CENTRAL HIGHLANDS DUE TO STRONG WIND AND LOW HUMIDITY... Lighter winds across the eastern plains and northeast highlands on Friday, but they will remain strong enough across the Central Highlands for another round of critical fire weather conditions during the afternoon and early evening hours. Critical fire weather conditions will then become more extreme and widespread this weekend as a sharp upper level trough crossing the northern and central Rockies steers a strong jetstream over New Mexico with a potent surface trough in the lee of the southern Rockies. * AREA AND TIMING...West Central Basin and Range (Zone 109), West Central Mountains (Zone 105), Northwest Plateau (Zone 101), North Central Mountains (Zone 120), Upper Rio Grande and Lower Chama River Valley (Zone 121), Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Zone 122), and Sandia and Manzano Mountains (Zone 124) Saturday from noon until 10 PM. * 20 FOOT WINDS...West winds 20 to 40 mph with peak gusts of 45 to 60 mph. The strongest winds will be during the evening. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...Minimum values between 6 and 15 percent with locally higher values across the peaks of the Tusas Mountains and Sangre de Cristo Mountains. * IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly and will be hard to control. Long range spotting and extreme fire behavior will be possible. Outdoor burning is discouraged.