Damaging Winds & Extreme Fire Weather on Friday, April 22nd

DAMAGING WINDS AND EXTREME FIRE WEATHER!!

Damaging winds and extreme fire weather will occur today, April 22. Widespread wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph and scattered areas reaching 80 mph could knock down large tree limbs, utility poles and other structures while threatening to topple high profile vehicles! Damage to roof tops and other structures is possible along with widespread blowing dust. These winds could potentially be catastrophic for ongoing wildfires or any new fire ignitions, as rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior is expected.

Key Impacts:

South southwest wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph will be capable of producing damage to roof tops, trees, utility poles and other vulnerable structures
Strong cross winds, especially on northwest to southeast oriented roads, will create dangerous driving conditions with the potential for high profile vehicles to topple
Very dry conditions and low humidity between 5 to 10% will combine with the severe winds to create an extreme fire weather scenario with catastrophic fire growth possible

The map of northern and central New Mexico indicates strong to damaging winds on Friday. Widespread gusts of 60 to 70 mph are expected with scattered areas reaching 80 mph.

Friday's recipe for extreme fire weather will include strong to damaging winds, very low humidity, above normal temperatures and an unstable atmosphere.