Headline:
Fire Weather Watch issued May 17 at 4:49AM MDT until May 18 at 10:00PM MDT by NWS El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM
Event:
Fire Weather Watch
Urgency:
Future
Effective:
May 17, 2026 - 3:49am
Expires:
May 17, 2026 - 2:00pm
Description:
...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR TODAY AND MONDAY...
.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. East slope areas are already
seeing windy conditions with winds expected to increase area wide
later this morning into this afternoon, topping out at 20 to 25
MPH with gusts as high as 45 MPH. Winds will stay elevated
overnight tonight for east facing slopes, and increase again for
Monday, once again topping out around 20 to 25 MPH.
...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH
MONDAY EVENING FOR THE SAME AREA...
* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 113 Capitan and Sacramento
Mountains/Lincoln NF/LNZ.
* TIMING...Now through Monday Night, especially for east facing
slopes
* 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.
Instruction:
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.
Area Description:
Capitan And Sacramento Mountains
Forcast Office:
NWS El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM
Sender:
w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov