National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Critical Fire Weather in the High Plains; Heat Continues in the West

Critical fire weather conditions will persist in the central High Plains through Friday as gusty winds and dry conditions continue. The heat wave across the West and Southwest will continue to intensify through the week, with daily and monthly record highs expected to be broken. Read More >

 

March 2, 2008 Martin County Wildfire

 

 

Unseasonably warm temperatures and very dry and windy conditions contributed to critical fire danger across much of the area. 

Winds ahead of the front were sustained near 25 mph with gusts higher than 30 mph, sometimes gusting greater than 40 mph! 

Sustained winds of 45 to 55 mph with gusts to near 75 mph were experienced in the mountains. 

To further complicate things, snow fell across the extreme northern portions of the area and into the mountains.   

Highs on Monday were considerably colder than the recent mild temperatures that have occured across west Texas and southeast New Mexico.