Headline

Red Flag Warning issued May 18 at 12:04AM MDT until May 18 at 11:00PM MDT by NWS El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM

Description

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR MONDAY...

.An upper level trough carving out over the Central Rockies will
bring breezy southwest winds to the region today, while Relative
Humidity values remain very low, and fuels remain critically dry.
Winds will remain elevated for east slope areas overnight tonight,
increasing area wide through the late morning area wide, topping
out at 20 to 25 MPH with gusts as high as 50 MPH. In some areas,
winds will be strongest in the mid to late morning hours.

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 113 Capitan and Sacramento
Mountains/Lincoln NF/LNZ.

* TIMING AND WINDS...For east slope areas, winds will continue to
gust 35 to 45 MPH through the early morning hours this morning
before increasing area wide this afternoon. Winds will begin to
taper off in the lower elevation in the evening, holding on the
longest along east and north facing mountain slopes.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 5 to 8 percent with very poor
overnight recovery, especially along north and east facing
slopes.

* EXPERIMENTAL RFTI...5 to 7 through the period.

* IMPACTS...any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly.
Outdoor burning is not recommended.

* ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...Winds tonight will vary considerably
with terrain, and may diminish for a time before returning
after midnight. The areas of most concern will be along north
and east facing mountain slopes.

Instructions

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.

Additional Details