Red Flag Warning Issued for Central Highlands and Northeast New Mexico
This alert is no longer in effect.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 the Central Highlands and parts of New Mexico due to high winds and low humidity, creating critical fire conditions.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Red Flag Warning
- Affected area
- Central Highlands, New Mexico
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Albuquerque NM
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 Central Highlands, New Mexico.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Albuquerque NM has issued a Red Flag Warning for critical fire weather conditions. This alert replaces the previous Fire Weather Watch for Sunday and indicates that hazardous conditions are imminent or occurring. A Fire Weather Watch also remains in effect for Monday afternoon through Monday evening.
Affected Areas
The primary area affected is the Central Highlands (Zone 125). The warning also encompasses much of Northeast and East Central New Mexico, specifically regions east of the central mountain chain. This includes areas north of Highway 60 on Sunday and the corridor between Highway 60 and Highway 64 on Monday.
What You Should Do
Residents and visitors in the affected areas are strongly advised against any outdoor burning. Any fires that develop under these conditions will likely spread rapidly and become difficult to control. Local officials and fire crews in the field should be notified of the warning. Residents should prepare for potential fire hazards and monitor local weather updates.
Expected Conditions
Critical fire weather is being driven by a persistent lee-side surface trough and significant atmospheric mixing.
- Winds: Southwest to west winds between 20 to 30 mph are expected, with gusts reaching up to 45 mph.
- Humidity: Minimum relative humidity values will drop to between 9 and 14 percent.
- Temperature: High temperatures are forecast to climb 8 to 20 degrees above the 1991-2020 averages.
Timeline
- Red Flag Warning: Effective from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM MST on Sunday, March 8.
- Fire Weather Watch: Effective from 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM MST on Monday, March 9.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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