Alert archive / New Mexico / Red Flag Warnings in 2020

Red Flag Warning 21, NWS El Paso, TX

October 25, 20208 counties in New Mexico

NWS El Paso, TX issued this red flag warning at Oct 25, 2020, 5:32 AM MDT for 8 counties in New Mexico. It took effect at Oct 25, 2020, 12:00 PM MDT. It was in force for 8 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Oct 25, 2020, 5:32 AM MDT (11:32 UTC)
In effect from: Oct 25, 2020, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired: Oct 25, 2020, 8:00 PM MDT
In force: 8 hr
Issued by: NWS El Paso, TX

Counties Catron County, NM, Doña Ana County, NM, Grant County, NM, Hidalgo County, NM, Lincoln County, NM, Luna County, NM, Otero County, NM, Sierra County, NM

The radar

The Holloman AFB radar (KHDX), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:31 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Santa Teresa, NM (KEPZ), launched 00:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 121 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 3000 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 66 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 75 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

867 
WWUS84 KEPZ 251132
RFWEPZ

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service El Paso TX/Santa Teresa NM
532 AM MDT Sun Oct 25 2020

...Dry and Windy Conditions Expected This Afternoon with High 
Fire Danger Across Southwest New Mexico...

.Strong southwest flow ahead of an advancing cold front down the 
Southern Plains will produce a few hours of Red Flag conditions 
across southwest New Mexico. Winds will increase from the
southwest this afternoon 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. 
Continued warm and dry weather will once again produce 
temperatures around 10 degrees above normal for late October and
drop relative humidity to the lower teens. The areas of greatest 
fire danger will be the Gila Wilderness and the I-10 corridor in 
southwest New Mexico, where winds will be strongest. Ongoing 
drought conditions will increase the risk, especially in places 
where dry fuels are present.

NMZ110>112-251945-
/O.NEW.KEPZ.FW.W.0021.201025T1800Z-201026T0200Z/
NEW MEXICO FIRE WEATHER ZONE 110 
 SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS/GILA NF/APACHE NF/GLZ-
NEW MEXICO FIRE WEATHER ZONE 111 
 SOUTHWEST DESERTS AND LOWLANDS/LAS CRUCES BLM/GLZ-
NEW MEXICO FIRE WEATHER ZONE 112 
 SOUTH CENTRAL LOWLANDS AND SOUTHERN RIO GRANDE VALLEY/BLM/GLZ-
532 AM MDT Sun Oct 25 2020

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM MDT THIS
EVENING FOR WINDY CONDITIONS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE 
WEATHER ZONES 110, 111, AND 112...

The National Weather Service in El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa has
issued a Red Flag Warning, which is in effect from noon today to
8 PM MDT this evening. 

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire weather zone 110 including portions of the
  Gila Wilderness. Fire weather zone 111 across the New Mexico
  bootheel. Fire weather zone 112 and the lower I-25 corridor.

* WIND...Sustained winds from the southwest at 18 to 25 mph. Wind
  gusts of 30 to 40 mph.

* HUMIDITY...10 to 15 percent

* IMPACTS...any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. 
  Outdoor burning is not recommended.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can
contribute to extreme fire behavior.

&&

$$

Dennhardt

1 follow-up statement

299 
WWUS84 KEPZ 260206
RFWEPZ

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service El Paso TX/Santa Teresa NM
806 PM MDT Sun Oct 25 2020

...The Red Flag Warning has expired...

.RH values and winds have fallen below red flag criteria; 
however, the fire danger will remain elevated for several more 
hours.

NMZ110>112-260315-
/O.EXP.KEPZ.FW.W.0021.000000T0000Z-201026T0200Z/
NEW MEXICO FIRE WEATHER ZONE 110 
 SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS/GILA NF/APACHE NF/GLZ-
NEW MEXICO FIRE WEATHER ZONE 111 
 SOUTHWEST DESERTS AND LOWLANDS/LAS CRUCES BLM/GLZ-
NEW MEXICO FIRE WEATHER ZONE 112 
 SOUTH CENTRAL LOWLANDS AND SOUTHERN RIO GRANDE VALLEY/BLM/GLZ-
806 PM MDT Sun Oct 25 2020

...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 110, 
111, AND 112...

Winds have subsided below critical levels for most locations and 
RH values are increasing.

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS El Paso, TX issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Oct 25, 2:29 PM MDT	Winter Storm Watch	EPZ	Grant, Hidalgo, Luna, Otero, Sierra	15 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in New Mexico, 2020 Every red flag warning in 2020

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.