Four Days Of High Winds Starting 5/7 Expected To Push Massive New Mexico Fires Into Overdrive

[hatrack]

EDIT

National Weather Service meteorologists Scott Overpeck and Daniel Porter said a four-day stretch of high wind and parched land is expected to intensify the already huge wildfire problem in the state. They said those severe conditions will cover much of New Mexico. Their impact could be especially problematic near the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon and Cerro Pelado fires, which have torn through the northern part of the state. Porter said vast areas could be affected by the impending weather. “These winds are going to persist in the overnight hours as well,” he said.

Their cautions came on a day during which firefighting officials said they were enjoying a brief reprieve from bad weather conditions. The Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fire grew to 165,276 acres Thursday but didn’t penetrate the city of Las Vegas, N.M. The Cerro Pelado Fire near Los Alamos grew only modestly, to 29,368 acres.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico sent a letter to U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore, asking about the prescribed burn that led to the Hermits Peak Fire in April. She contended the burn was poorly timed during wind and dry conditions. “These conditions are not rare during spring in New Mexico. I, and many in the local communities, were shocked that the Forest Service would perform a prescribed burn during these conditions.” Leger Fernández said in the letter.

As officials began to look to the next several days, Overpeck and Porter of the weather service used terms such as “red flag warning” and “potentially historic fire conditions.” “And we don’t like to throw those around too much,” Overpeck said. Firefighting crews fought at least five blazes, including three in Northern New Mexico and two in the southwest quadrant of the state.

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https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/wildfires/calmer-weather-thursday-gives-firefighters-a-chance-to-gird-for-historic-high-winds/article_d3cf7e8c-cc87-11ec-9910-43ed10f32690.html

[Beatlelvr]

1. Two places I just donated to to help with pet evacuation

Santa Fe Cats and Bernalillo Animal Care Services.

[patphil]

2. My daughter lives in Albuquerque.

Over the past week or so she's getting a lot of haze in the air, and particles coating her patio; even indoors there is a fine "dust" everywhere.
There was also a Haboob blowing down from the north.
It is more than a nuisance, it causes breathing difficulties, and eye irritation.
These fires rival the huge fires we have seen in California.
With the windy forecast, they aren't going to be controlled soon.

Fortunately, the fires aren't a threat to Albuquerque...yet.