Red Flag Warning Issued for Capitan and Sacramento Mountains Through Sunday Evening
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
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The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for South Central New Mexico as high winds and low humidity create critical fire weather conditions through Sunday.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Red Flag Warning
- Affected area
- South Central New Mexico
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS El Paso
Fire-weather notices describe conditions that can support rapid fire spread; they do not report that a fire is present. Check local emergency sources for any active incident.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in South Central New Mexico.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa has issued a Red Flag Warning for critical fire weather conditions. The alert is driven by a combination of strong winds, critically low relative humidity, and temperatures well above seasonal averages caused by high pressure and a passing trough.
Affected Areas
The warning covers Fire Weather Zone 113, encompassing the Capitan and Sacramento Mountains, including the Lincoln National Forest. Forecasters indicate the highest threat is located on the eastern slopes of the Sacramento Mountains.
What You Should Do
Residents are advised that any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly due to the prevailing conditions. Outdoor burning is not recommended. A Red Flag Warning signifies that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or are imminent, and residents should prepare for extreme fire behavior.
Expected Conditions
- Winds: On Saturday, west to southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph are expected. Conditions will intensify Saturday night through Sunday afternoon with northwest winds of 30 to 40 mph and gusts reaching 55 to 60 mph.
- Humidity: Relative humidity will drop as low as 7 to 10 percent, with poor overnight recovery limited to 18-28 percent.
- Temperatures: Highs will reach up to 76 degrees, averaging over 10 degrees above seasonal normals.
- Fire Threat Index: The Experimental RFTI is rated at 4 to 5, representing marginally critical to critical levels.
Timeline
The Red Flag Warning is effective from 3:00 PM MDT Saturday, March 14, through 6:00 PM MDT Sunday, March 15.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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