Red Flag Warning Issued for Northeast New Mexico Highlands and Plains

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Albuquerque has issued a Red Flag Warning for the Northeast Highlands and Northeast Plains. This alert is triggered by a combination of strong winds and extremely low relative humidity, creating an environment where fire can spread rapidly and exhibit extreme behavior.

Affected Areas

The primary areas under the Red Flag Warning include:

• Northeast Plains (Zone 104)
• Northeast Highlands (Zone 123)
• Central Highlands

Additionally, Fire Weather Watches are in effect for Western and North Central New Mexico, including the Sandia and Manzano Mountains, as well as all of Northern and Central New Mexico on Sunday.

What You Should Do

Residents are urged to exercise extreme caution as any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly and be difficult to control. Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged on Saturday and should not be conducted under any circumstances on Sunday. Local officials and fire crews should be advised of these critical conditions. Prepare for potential extreme fire behavior and long-range spotting.

Expected Conditions

Saturday:

• Winds: West winds between 20 to 30 mph with gusts reaching 35 to 40 mph.
• Humidity: Minimum relative humidity values between 6 and 10 percent.

Sunday:

• Winds: Northwest and north winds increasing to 30 to 40 mph with damaging gusts up to 65 mph.
• Humidity: Minimum relative humidity values between 8 and 15 percent.
• Impacts: Critical to extreme fire weather conditions are likely despite cooling temperatures.

Timeline

• Red Flag Warning: Effective Saturday, March 14, from 12:00 PM (noon) until 12:00 AM (midnight).
• Fire Weather Watch: Effective Sunday, March 15, from 9:00 AM through 8:00 PM.