Red Flag Warning Issued for West Texas and Southeast New Mexico Through Tuesday 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This alert is no longer in effect.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.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for parts of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico due to high winds and low humidity, creating critical fire weather conditions.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Red Flag Warning
- Affected area
- West Texas and Southeast New Mexico
- 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 West Texas and Southeast New Mexico.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Midland/Odessa TX has issued a Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity. This alert indicates that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or are imminent in the warning area. A Fire Weather Watch has also been issued for the following day.
Affected Areas
The warning covers a broad region including:
- Loving County
- Van Horn and Highway 54 Corridor
- Eastern Culberson County
- Reeves County Plains
- Chinati Mountains
- Marfa Plateau
- Davis Mountains and Davis Mountains Foothills
- Gaines County
- Southeast New Mexico Plains
- Upper Trans Pecos
What You Should Do
A Red Flag Warning means that a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures will increase the potential for rapid fire growth. Residents in these areas should exercise extreme caution with any activities that could cause a spark. Additionally, a Fire Weather Watch is in effect for Wednesday; residents should continue to monitor local forecasts for updates and potential extensions of the warning.
Expected Conditions
- Winds: West winds between 25 to 35 mph, with gusts reaching up to 50 mph.
- Humidity: Relative humidity levels are expected to drop as low as 12 to 15 percent.
- Fire Environment: The fire environment is currently rated at 5 out of 10, with fuels (ERC) in the 50th-69th percentile.
- RFTI: Values are forecast between 4 and 5, indicating near-critical conditions.
Timeline
- Red Flag Warning: Effective from 11:00 AM CST (10:00 AM MST) on Tuesday, February 17, until 8:00 PM CST (7:00 PM MST) Tuesday evening.
- Fire Weather Watch: Effective from Wednesday morning through Wednesday evening for continued wind and low relative humidity.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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