Wind Advisory 7, NWS El Paso, TX

253 
WWUS74 KEPZ 160159
NPWEPZ

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM
759 PM MDT Wed Apr 15 2026

NMZ414>416-161300-
/O.CON.KEPZ.WI.Y.0007.260417T0500Z-260417T1800Z/
West Slopes Sacramento Mountains Below 7500 Feet-Sacramento
Mountains Above 7500 Feet-East Slopes Sacramento Mountains Below
7500 Feet-
Including the cities of Pinon, Mayhill, Sunspot, Mescalero,
Mountain Park, Timberon, Sacramento, Apache Summit, and
Cloudcroft
759 PM MDT Wed Apr 15 2026

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM THURSDAY TO NOON MDT 
FRIDAY...

* WHAT...Southwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 55 mph 
  expected.

* WHERE...Sacramento Mountains.

* WHEN...From 11 PM Thursday to noon MDT Friday. Strongest winds 
  expected Friday morning.

* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree 
  limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high 
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

&&

$$

For additional information, visit us at http://www.weather.gov/epz

ZA

308 
WWUS74 KEPZ 161206
NPWEPZ

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM
606 AM MDT Thu Apr 16 2026

NMZ414>416-162200-
/O.CON.KEPZ.WI.Y.0007.260417T0500Z-260417T1800Z/
West Slopes Sacramento Mountains Below 7500 Feet-Sacramento
Mountains Above 7500 Feet-East Slopes Sacramento Mountains Below
7500 Feet-
Including the cities of Timberon, Mayhill, Pinon, Apache Summit,
Sunspot, Cloudcroft, Sacramento, Mescalero, and Mountain Park
606 AM MDT Thu Apr 16 2026

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON 
MDT FRIDAY...

* WHAT...Southwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph 
  expected.

* WHERE...Sacramento Mountains.

* WHEN...From 11 PM this evening to noon MDT Friday.

* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree 
  limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. 
  Wildfire concerns will be elevated during this period.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high 
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

&&

$$

For additional information, visit us at http://www.weather.gov/epz

TAB

026 
WWUS74 KEPZ 161649
NPWEPZ

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM
1049 AM MDT Thu Apr 16 2026

NMZ414>416-170600-
/O.CON.KEPZ.WI.Y.0007.260417T0500Z-260417T1800Z/
West Slopes Sacramento Mountains Below 7500 Feet-Sacramento
Mountains Above 7500 Feet-East Slopes Sacramento Mountains Below
7500 Feet-
Including the cities of Cloudcroft, Sunspot, Timberon, Mountain
Park, Sacramento, Pinon, Apache Summit, Mayhill, and Mescalero
1049 AM MDT Thu Apr 16 2026

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON 
MDT FRIDAY...

* WHAT...Southwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph 
  expected.

* WHERE...Sacramento Mountains.

* WHEN...From 11 PM this evening to noon MDT Friday.

* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree 
  limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high 
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

&&

$$

For additional information, visit us at http://www.weather.gov/epz

KS

854 
WWUS74 KEPZ 170337
NPWEPZ

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM
937 PM MDT Thu Apr 16 2026

NMZ414>416-170445-
/O.CAN.KEPZ.WI.Y.0007.260417T0500Z-260417T1800Z/
West Slopes Sacramento Mountains Below 7500 Feet-Sacramento
Mountains Above 7500 Feet-East Slopes Sacramento Mountains Below
7500 Feet-
Including the cities of Mescalero, Mountain Park, Pinon, Mayhill,
Timberon, Sunspot, Cloudcroft, Sacramento, and Apache Summit
937 PM MDT Thu Apr 16 2026

...WIND ADVISORY IS CANCELLED...

Winds are not expected to reach Advisory criteria, however gusts up 
to 40 mph will be possible tonight into Friday morning.

$$

For additional information, visit us at http://www.weather.gov/epz

CD

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service El Paso TX/Santa Teresa NM
414 AM MDT Wed Apr 15 2026

...New AVIATION, FIRE WEATHER...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 343 AM MDT Wed Apr 15 2026

 - Fair and seasonal today, with lighter winds. Westerly breezes
   bring in drier air, with plenty of sunshine.

 - Breezy again Thursday, with another bump in winds Friday. Very
   dry air, with breezy to windy conditions, will bring elevated
   to critical fire weather conditions.

 - A frontal boundary moves in for a cooler weekend. Moisture
   slips in from the east for a low chance of rain on Sunday over
   areas generally east of the Rio Grande Valley.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 958 PM MDT Tue Apr 14 2026

Some pesky light showers continue to develop just S of the Int'l
border, so PoPs have been adjusted once again to reflect current
radar trends. CAMs have struggled mightily with this activity,
which should end around midnight. Rain rates will be light as long
as precip reaches the sfc.

After a breezy to windy few days early this week, a calmer day is
forecast for Wed. The shortwave trough ejects into the central
Plains, allowing the pressure gradient to loosen. Some lingering
breezes are expected with gusts to 20-25 mph in the afternoon under
mainly clear skies.

A deep upper trough moves into the northern Rockies on Thu,
resulting in SW flow through the column. Lee sfc troughing is
generated across the central and southern High Plains with breezy
southwest winds forecast. The sfc low is nudged SE on Fri as the
base of the trough pushes through the southern Rockies, shifting our
winds westerly. Fri looks to be the windiest day of the period,
approaching advisory level for the high terrain and east slopes.
Blowing dust will be a hazard both Thu and Fri. Dry conditions
persist, although some higher clouds may stream in from the
subtropical jet.

Behind the upper trough will be a sidedoor front that looks to
arrive Sat AM, bringing some cooler temps and breezy N-NE winds. The
sfc high settles to the east early next week, giving us moist,
breezy SE flow off the Gulf for a short time. Low rain chances
return as a result Sun/Mon, mainly E of the RGV. There is a
disagreement in moisture content between the Euro and GFS ensembles
with the GEFS more bullish on moisture and rain chances. Most of the
moisture is flushed out into midweek as zonal flow aloft returns.

Temperatures will be seasonably mild through Fri, then falling to
below normal this weekend behind the front. We'll rebound to above
average late in the forecast period.

&&

.AVIATION...
(12Z TAFS)
Issued at 343 AM MDT Wed Apr 15 2026

VFR conditions at all terminals for this forecast cycle. Lighter
winds today, but with some afternoon breeziness from the SW and W.
Drier air moves in for mostly SKC skies through the forecast
period. Winds in the 3-8kt range through 16Z...then increasing to
8-12kts with some gusts to 18-22kt through 02Z...then lighter
again.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 343 AM MDT Wed Apr 15 2026

For today we get on the backside of the latest passing Pacific low
pressure system and weak surface front, with a more relaxed
westerly flow pattern back over the region. This will mean a
couple of things: Lighter winds, and much drier air moving in on
those lighter winds. Thus, for today, a lot of sunshine,
temperatures just a few degrees cooler, and very near the daily
averages, and a crashing of the minRH this afternoon. So we lose
some of the strength of the winds today, but also push out what
little moisture the system brought, and replace it with very dry
air, and MinRH dropping back into the teens and single-digits.
With ERCs near, or just below, average for the date, and winds a
bit lower, the drying won't allow for a sharp elevation in fire
weather conditions today. However, this is a ONE DAY break in
winds, and we reverse course Thursday, and Friday, with wind
speeds trending upward, as yet another Pacific trough begins to
press toward the region.

On Thursday, our western areas, SW lowlands and Gila/Blackrange,
will see elevated fire weather conditions as the next Pacific
trough begins to deepen to our west. These areas will see a brief
afternoon period with winds approaching RFW criteria, as RH will
be very low. Areas to the east will be breezy, but should stay
below RFW wind criteria. Friday is the day that shows more
potential for critical conditions, as models indicate a potential
for stronger winds pushing fire weather conditions into RFW
conditions possible over our central and eastern areas. We are
considering a RF watch for Friday, but will push that off for
another forecast cycle to get a better handle on model
consistency. But, heads up that Friday will be the day to exercise
caution, and stay ready and alert for the potential for more
active fire behavior, and faster fire growth.

A dry frontal boundary pushes in from the north early Saturday, as
Friday's trough exits into the Midwest. This will turn our winds
northerly, and allow them to slacken overnight into the morning on
Saturday. Saturday will be dry, and cooler, with less winds,
easing fire weather concerns. Sunday we see a fetch of moisture
move in over Otero, Hudspeth, and El Paso, on return-flow easterly
winds. This could allow for some showers to develop over those
areas on Sunday.

Monday we go back to a deep west flow pattern and flush that
moisture back to the east, and return to typical Spring dryness
with, seasonal temperatures, and marginally breezy afternoons for
much of next week.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
El Paso                  51  83  58  83 /   0   0   0   0
Sierra Blanca            47  81  53  80 /   0   0   0   0
Las Cruces               43  80  48  78 /   0   0   0   0
Alamogordo               44  80  48  79 /   0   0   0   0
Cloudcroft               34  56  38  55 /   0   0   0   0
Truth or Consequences    47  79  49  77 /   0   0   0   0
Silver City              41  72  43  68 /   0   0   0   0
Deming                   42  82  48  79 /   0   0   0   0
Lordsburg                40  79  43  76 /   0   0   0   0
West El Paso Metro       53  82  58  82 /   0   0   0   0
Dell City                40  84  49  83 /   0   0   0   0
Fort Hancock             49  87  56  87 /   0   0   0   0
Loma Linda               49  76  53  76 /   0   0   0   0
Fabens                   48  85  55  85 /   0   0   0   0
Santa Teresa             44  81  52  80 /   0   0   0   0
White Sands HQ           51  81  55  80 /   0   0   0   0
Jornada Range            42  80  46  78 /   0   0   0   0
Hatch                    40  82  48  81 /   0   0   0   0
Columbus                 45  83  51  82 /   0   0   0   0
Orogrande                44  79  48  78 /   0   0   0   0
Mayhill                  37  69  44  68 /   0   0   0   0
Mescalero                36  67  41  66 /   0   0   0   0
Timberon                 37  66  41  65 /   0   0   0   0
Winston                  34  71  38  69 /   0   0   0   0
Hillsboro                44  77  48  75 /   0   0   0   0
Spaceport                39  79  43  78 /   0   0   0   0
Lake Roberts             36  72  39  68 /   0   0   0   0
Hurley                   38  74  41  72 /   0   0   0   0
Cliff                    37  78  41  74 /   0   0   0   0
Mule Creek               39  74  39  70 /   0   0   0   0
Faywood                  42  74  44  71 /   0   0   0   0
Animas                   42  79  46  78 /   0   0   0   0
Hachita                  41  80  46  78 /   0   0   0   0
Antelope Wells           44  80  47  78 /   0   0   0   0
Cloverdale               46  73  46  73 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...None.
NM...None.
&&

FORECASTER...14-Bird