Red Flag Warning Issued for Southeast New Mexico and West Texas Through Friday 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This alert is no longer in effect.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).
Areazine synthesizes this NWS weather alert directly from NOAA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
A Red Flag Warning is in effect for Southeast New Mexico and West Texas as high winds and low humidity create critical fire danger through Friday evening.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Red Flag Warning
- Affected area
- Southeast New Mexico and West Texas
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Midland/Odessa
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 Southeast New Mexico and West Texas.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Midland/Odessa TX has issued a Red Flag Warning for Southeast New Mexico and West Texas. This alert indicates that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring or will shortly, driven by a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following geographic regions and counties:
- Southeast New Mexico: Chaves County Plains, Eddy Plains, and Lea County.
- West Texas: Gaines, Dawson, Borden, Andrews, Martin, Howard, Loving, Eastern Culberson County, Reeves County Plains, Davis Mountains, and Davis Mountains Foothills.
- Regional Zones: Upper Trans Pecos, Permian Basin, Van Horn Corridor, and Marfa Plateau.
What You Should Do
Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged during this period. Any fires that develop can spread rapidly due to the critical weather conditions. Residents should prepare for high fire growth potential and monitor local conditions closely.
Expected Conditions
- Winds: 20-foot winds from the west at 20 to 30 mph, with gusts reaching up to 50 mph.
- Relative Humidity: Levels as low as 9 percent.
- Fire Environment: The Red Flag Threat Index (RFTI) is at 6 (critical). Fuels in the area are reported as dry, with a fire environment rating of 5 out of 10.
Timeline
The Red Flag Warning is effective from 11:00 AM CST (10:00 AM MST) on Friday, February 20, 2026. The alert is scheduled to expire at 8:00 PM CST (7:00 PM MST) on Friday evening.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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