Red Flag Warning Issued for Northern and Central New Mexico Due to Severe Winds and Low Humidity

Alert Details

A Red Flag Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, NM. This alert indicates that critical fire weather conditions are occurring or will occur shortly due to a combination of strong winds and low relative humidity.

Affected Areas

The warning covers a broad portion of northern and central New Mexico, including:

• Northwest Plateau (Zone 101)
• West Central Mountains (Zone 105)
• Middle Rio Grande Valley (Zone 106)
• West Central Basin and Range (Zone 109)
• North Central Mountains (Zone 120)
• Upper Rio Grande Valley and Lower Chama River Valley (Zone 121)
• Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Zone 122)
• Sandia and Manzano Mountains (Zone 124)
• East Central Plains (Zone 126)

What You Should Do

Residents are advised that outdoor burning is not recommended during this period. Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly and become difficult to control. Local officials and fire crews in the field should be notified of these conditions. Residents should remain vigilant and exercise extreme caution with any potential ignition sources.

Expected Conditions

Weather conditions will be driven by a Pacific and backdoor cold front passing through the region.

• Winds: North-northwest winds between 25 to 40 mph are expected, with powerful gusts ranging from 45 to 65 mph.
• Humidity: Minimum relative humidity values will drop to between 6 and 15 percent. Locally higher humidity values may persist across the peaks of the Tusas and Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
• Fire Hazard: The combination of damaging winds and single-digit humidity will create critical to extreme fire weather conditions.

Timeline

The Red Flag Warning for the specified zones is in effect from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM MDT on Sunday, March 15, 2026.