Fire weather: Southwest & other areas closely monitored

This week’s start is much calmer than the last 4 weeks as widespread severe weather is not on the table. But there are other aspects, also dealing with weather, that we are closely monitoring, like fire weather.

Much of New Mexico will is under a red flag warning, this means that conditions, such as strong gusts, and low humidity are present and could make any fires become uncontrollable. Temperatures will also be on the warm side, with highs in the afternoon reaching the upper 70s to low-80s. Winds through Tuesday will be between 20-30 mph, but gusts could reach 50 mph. The relative humidity is expected to be the lowest during the afternoon hours between 10 to 15 percent on Monday and Tuesday, and be much lower, up to 10 percent on Wednesday.

An elevated fire risk is in effect across the northern half of Arizona, which a red flag warning on Tuesday through the evening hours. On Monday, the winds will be mainly from the southwest, causing temperatures to rise to toasty levels, between the mid to upper 80s, and gusts that could reach 25 mph.

On Tuesday, the situation worsens as the gusts could be as high as 50 mph, warm temperatures, and lower humidity are in the forecast. There could also be some dust blowing which could limit visibilities in the region, lowering air quality and complicating travel.

A red flag warning is also in effect for portions of northeast Nebraska and west-central Iowa. Between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m., humidity levels will be as low as 19 percent and gusts could reach up to 35 mph. Any fires that ignite may spread rapidly and become uncontrollable.

If you are in a fire weather area, make sure to avoid any type of burning. Make sure to dispose of cigarettes correctly and never park over dry vegetation as the tailpipe of your car could ignite it and cause a bigger fire.