Red Flag Warning issued March 17 at 3:49AM MDT until March 18 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM

…CRITICAL TO EXTREME FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS RETURN TUESDAY…

.A passing weather system on Tuesday will bring very strong
winds and dry conditions to Southern New Mexico and Far West
Texas. Relative humidity will drop into the teens and lower
double digits–with single digits favored out east–by late
morning, and remain quite low well into the evening. Southwest to
west winds will increase through the mid morning hours and will
peak during the mid and late-afternoon hours, even extending into
the evening. Sustained winds at and above 35 mph, with gusts
exceeding 55 mph are expected. ERC values are well above average
for mid March. Fire danger will be critical due to these weather
conditions.

* AFFECTED AREA…All fire weather zones across Far West Texas,
Southwest and South Central New Mexico including the Lincoln
National Forest, and the lowlands and deserts across the
Borderland region. This includes fire weather zones FWZ055,
FWZ056, FWZ111, FWZ112, FWZ113.

* TIMING…11 AM through 9 PM Tuesday.

* WINDS…West 40 to 50 mph with gusts up to 65 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY…Lowlands 6-11 percent, mountains 13-15
percent.

* TEMPERATURES…Slightly above normal. Mid to upper 70s.

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