The National Weather Service in El Paso, TX, has issued a Fire Weather Watch for Sunday, indicating that the coming conditions are ripe for wildfires. The watch covers areas in Southern New Mexico and Far West Texas, including El Paso County, and will be active from Sunday morning through Sunday evening, according to the National Weather Service.
Expected conditions include strong winds, very low relative humidity, and critically dry fuels, with winds forecasted to reach speeds of 25 to 35 mph and gusts up to 55 mph. Residents in El Paso experienced mostly cloudy skies and cooler temperatures early this Friday morning, but it's the impending wind speed and low humidity slated for Sunday that have fire officials on alert. The relative humidity may drop as low as 5 percent, creating an environment where any potential fires could spread quickly and uncontrollably.
The warning affects several zones, specified as Fire Weather Zones 055, 110, 111, 112, and 113; these zones encompass El Paso County, the Southwest Mountains/Gila National Forest/Apache National Forest, the Southwest Deserts and Lowlands/Las Cruces Bureau of Land Management, the South Central Lowlands and Southern Rio Grande Valley, and the Capitan and Sacramento Mountains/Lincoln National Forest, respectively. "Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly," the National Weather Service cautioned in its report. They strongly advised against outdoor burning during this time.
An experimental tool known as RFTI (Relative Fire Threat Index), which is calculated from wind, vegetation dryness, and additional factors, rates the potential threat level between 5 to 8, which signifies a critical to extreme risk for fire behavior. Stirred by a surface low over eastern Colorado and an upper-level low through the Great Basin, these conditions are a stern reminder for individuals living in the affected areas to stay vigilant and prepared to respond to wildfires, exercising caution and refraining from activities that could inadvertently start a fire.
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