Very strong wind gusts will continue through Tuesday across New Mexico. Winds and dry conditions will also continue to bring a critical to extreme fire danger across parts of the state.
Winds are gusting over 50 mph across parts of New Mexico Monday. The winds are bringing the warmest weather we’ve seen so far this year though. Strong winds will continue overnight though, especially across the higher elevations and eastern New Mexico. A strong cold front will also be sweeping across New Mexico tonight. This will bring high temperatures Tuesday as much as 30° colder compared to Monday.
Even stronger winds are expected Tuesday afternoon, with wind gusts as high as 60 to 80 mph. The wind will cause areas of blowing dusts and could even result in damage. However, the biggest concern tomorrow will continue to be the critical to extreme fire danger, especially for eastern New Mexico. Relative humidity could drop as low as 3% in the eastern part of the state. This means that fires could develop easily and spread rapidly.
Winds finally relax Tuesday night and it will be much quieter on Wednesday. Winds will still be breezy, especially in the eastern plains, but it will be a huge improvement over today and Tuesday. Temperatures will remain cool Tuesday afternoon. A warming trend begins statewide on Thursday and it will continue through Easter Weekend into next week. Winds will remain fairly light, with the exception of some afternoon breezes. The warmest weather so far this year will arrive this weekend too.
