* WHAT...Southwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. * WHERE...Upper Tularosa Valley, De Baca County, and Chaves County Plains. * WHEN...From noon today to 7 PM MDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs may be blown down. Expect strong crosswinds on area roadways. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Areas of blowing dust will drop visibility to near zero in dust-prone locations making travel dangerous, especially during mid to late afternoon when winds will be strongest.

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT SATURDAY FROM 11 AM TO 9 PM AREAWIDE DUE TO STRONG WIND, LOW HUMIDITY, AND AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE... ...FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM NOON UNTIL 8 PM SUNDAY FOR THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS DUE TO STRONG WIND, LOW HUMIDITY, AND AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE... .Winds will trend stronger areawide today as an upper level trough moves through the region steering the jetstream over southern and eastern New Mexico. Widespread critical fire weather is likely, with extreme fire weather conditions in many locations east of the central mountain chain where wind gusts up to 50 mph are expected with minimum humidities in the single digits. Haines Indices will max out at their highest possible value of 6 in most locations. In addition, a Pacific cold front will cross from the west this afternoon and evening shifting winds out of the northwest and west. In the wake of the upper level trough on Sunday, northwest winds will be weaker but still gusty, and potentially strong enough for another round of critical fire weather conditions across the Central Highlands. * AREA AND TIMING...Northwest Plateau (Zone 101), West Central Mountains (Zone 105), West Central Basin and Range (Zone 109), Middle Rio Grande Valley (Zone 106), Upper Rio Grande Valley and Lower Chama River Valley (Zone 121), North Central, Sangre de Cristo, Sandia, and Manzano Mountains (Zones 120, 122, and 124), Northeast Highlands (Zone 123), and the Northeast and East Central Plains (Zones 104 and 126) from 11 AM until 9 PM today. * 20 FOOT WINDS...Southwest and west 20 to 35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph, except up to 50 mph east of the central mountain chain. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...Minimum values from 4 to 16 percent with locally higher values in the mountains near the Colorado border and mostly single digits east of the central mountain chain. * IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended..