5 days Ago By Adrian Barnett
The National Weather Service in El Paso, Texas, has issued a Red Flag Warning effective from noon to 8 PM MDT Saturday for parts of southern New Mexico and far West Texas. Residents are bracing for critical fire weather conditions, with forecasters predicting low humidity levels, gusty winds, and dangerously dry fuels that could escalate the risk of wildfires across the region.Specific areas highlighted in the warning include El Paso and Hudspeth counties in Texas, alongside portions of southwestern deserts and lowlands near Las Cruces, south central lowlands, and the Capitan and Sacramento Mountains, according to the National Weather Service.
The expected conditions, set to roll in on Saturday afternoon and persist into the evening, have residents and fire services on high alert. With winds expected to reach 20 to 30 mph, gusting up to 40 mph, and relative humidity dropping to a sparse 8 to 18 percent, the stage is set for fires to ignite and spread rapidly if triggered.Experts from the weather service have ranked the potential fire threat as ranging from Near-Critical to Critical on the experimental RFTI scale, urging those in the affected areas to refrain from outdoor burning and other activities that could potentially start a fire.
This includes the use of machinery that could generate sparks or discarded cigarettes, which can easily ignite the parched landscape."Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly," as stated by the NWS. With the Red Flag Warning, they are underscoring the importance of preparedness and prudence, emphasizing that outdoor burning is not recommended under these perilous conditions.
The community is being enlisted to help prevent fire outbreaks by observing safety guidelines and reporting any fires to the authorities quickly..
