Fire watch in effect for parts of New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – It’s technically fall right now, but it’s been a lot warmer than normal for this time of year.

Some areas will be coming close to or even breaking record high temperatures.

Parts of central and eastern New Mexico could easily go 10 to 15 degrees above normal again Tuesday, Nov.16.

Winds will also pick up Tuesday afternoon in these same areas. They’ll be from the west around 20 to 30 mph and gusting to about 40 mph.

Combine this with dry fuels and humidity values of only about 5 to 15% – and that spells trouble for fire.

These critical fire weather conditions are forecast for the Sandia and Manzano mountains over to the east central and southeastern plains for Tuesday afternoon.

Any fires that start in these areas could spread rapidly, so any outdoor burning is not recommended.

Here are a few other tips from the National Weather Service:

Don’t throw any cigarettes out the window while driving. This could ignite dry grass on the side of the road.

Also make sure any chains are secured so they’re not dragging across the pavement and throwing sparks.

Be careful parking over any dry grass as well.