Red Flag Warning | New Mexico Weather

Good morning! I'm Aaron Jolly. And welcome to the New Mexico Weather Podcast — it's Wednesday, February 25th. Step outside right now and that 48 degrees feels almost chilly.. But don't get too comfortable. We're about to shatter records across the state. We're talking 36 degrees to 36 degrees above normal for late February. This is the kind of warmth that makes you question your calendar. Central New Mexico wakes up at 43 degrees around 6 A.M. By 2 P.M.? You're hitting 76. That's a 33-degree climb in eight hours. Winds shift from northeast to east around 5 A.M., gusting to 20 miles an hour by afternoon. Tonight stays mostly clear with a low around 45. Push north and the story gets interesting. Northern New Mexico bottoms out at 41 degrees around 6 A.M. Feels like 33 at that hour, so grab that jacket for the morning commute. By 3 P.M. you're at 67 degrees. Here's the kicker.. Winds shift from north to northwest around 10 A.M. And they mean business. A Wind Advisory runs from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M. for the Central Highlands and southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Gusts could slam 55 miles an hour. Secure anything loose in your yard. Down south is where things get serious. Low of 47 around 6 A.M., rocketing to 82 degrees by 3 P.M. A Red Flag Warning is in effect from 10 A.M. to 7 P.M. for Chaves County. Humidity crashes to 10 percent. Any spark becomes a wildfire in minutes. No outdoor burning today. This heat wave holds through the weekend. Sunday pushes 80 degrees. A pattern shift arrives early next week with possible rain by Tuesday. We're gaining two minutes of daylight daily now. Spring equinox is three weeks out. Sunrise at 6:42 A.M., sunset at 36 degrees:59 P.M. Enjoy the warmth, but respect those wind and fire warnings. That's your forecast — we'll be back tomorrow.