Fire Weather Watch

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR GILA NATIONAL FOREST TODAY AND AGAIN ON TUESDAY...

.Stronger flow aloft over the Four Corners will induce a lee surface low centered over south-central Colorado and a trough extending south across Western New Mexico on Tuesday. Winds increasing out of the southwest during the afternoon hours, sustained at 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph. Wind will be strongest over mountain ridges and high elevations. Further drying will allow relative humidity to fall to 10 to 15% on Tuesday and then 5 to 10% Wednesday/Thursday. Recent dryness has pushed fuel moisture very low, with ERCs at the 90th percentile dryness and near seasonal peaks. Any fires that develop will have the potential to spread quickly.

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING FOR BREEZY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR GILA NATIONAL FOREST...

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 110 Southwest Mountains/Gila NF/Apache NF/GLZ.

* TIMING...Until 8 PM this evening.

* WINDS...Southwest 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...12 to 18 percent.

* EXPERIMENTAL RFTI...3 to 5, Near Critical to Critical

* IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended.