New Mexico faces increased fire danger in June, after moist end to May
Thunderheads build over the Organ Mountains in the afternoon of Tuesday August, 1, 2023. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)
New Mexico's relatively cool and moist weather so far this spring will dry and warm up in coming weeks, putting fire managers and forecasters on high alert for wildfires before the start of the seasonal monsoon rains this summer.
This year's low snowpack has already put much of the state in drought conditions, and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently declared a state of emergency and additional actions to prevent fires over the coming weeks.
Recent rains around the state offer some relief, as May and June typically emerge as some of the driest months, said George Ducker, a wildfire prevention and spokesperson at the New Mexico Forestry Division.
But the projected warm temperatures through the next several weeks could mean the recent spouting of new plants could aggravate the problem, he said.
'We could see a substantial dry up of these flashy fuels, the grasses and even shrubs,' Ducker said. 'Then, if you get a start, get a little bit of wind — there would be more fuel to burn.'
The recent rains did not herald the start of the monsoon, the seasonal tropical patterns that provide Arizona and New Mexico with critical moisture, said Andrea Bair, a forecaster with the National Weather Service Western Region based in Salt Lake City, at a National Integrated Drought Information System presentation Tuesday.
Rather, she said monsoons are expected to start in mid-June and could be stronger than past years, but hot temperatures will continue to dry out the soils and stress plants across much of the Southwestern U.S.
'The drought looks to continue throughout the season and the monthly outlook forecasts,' she said. 'So not a lot of relief is expected.'
The rains lessened the acute risks of fire in the Southwest, said Jim Wallmann, a senior forecaster for the National Interagency Coordination Center Predictive Services. But other parts of the county are seeing wildfires 'extremely early' in the fire season, he said, noting the 1,000-acre Banana Lake fire in Montana.
'We're having to spread our resources over a much greater footprint of the country,' Wallmann said. 'That could affect how big a fire gets in California, if we're stretched and can't send everything to California while it's burning; we'll be on fires burning everywhere else.'
Ducker said the concerns about availability for resources to fight wildfires is 'a bridge we'll cross when we come to it,' and said the state is working to be prepared.
'We have the resources to be able to jump on fires as they start,' Ducker said. Our federal partners seem to be in the same place where they're ready to respond, so right now we're just waiting for June to see what it shows us.'
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
With record-breaking snowmelt, is the western US at risk for wildfires like those in Canada?
DENVER – A rapid snowmelt across the western United States is setting records for how quickly the frozen precipitation is disappearing and also raising alarms about future wildfire activity. According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, many mountainous regions in states such as Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico saw near- to above-average snowfall, but now many of the same basins are experiencing drought. The rapid loss of snowpack, combined with elevated evaporation rates, can quickly dry out soils and vegetation, creating ideal conditions for wildfires. "Snowmelt this time of year is common, but such rapid melt rates are not normal," experts with NIDIS stated. "In some instances, above-normal temperatures such as these can cause snow to sublimate (transition from a solid to a gas) and reduce runoff into streams and reservoirs." Examples of snowless mountains include Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado and Baldy Mountain in Arizona. Canadian Wildfires Bring Poor Air Quality, Hazy Skies, Red Sunsets Across Central, Eastern U.s. Large sections of Canada have also seen a shorter snowmelt period, which has coincided with an uptick in wildfire activity. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, more than 200 wildfires continue to burn across the country, with nearly 6.4 million acres destroyed since the beginning of the year. While the figures appear to be staggering, they are still far short of 2023, when some 37 million acres burned, setting records for the country's worst fire season on record. The previous record-breaking season led to significant smoke infiltration of the U.S., impacting air quality readings for millions of residents across North America. Similar plumes of smoke have been observed during recent weeks, but due to the jet stream, most of the particles have remained elevated well above the surface. A pattern shift would undoubtedly allow more of the hazardous air to reach the surface, leading to health concerns in addition to visibility issues. With a lack of snow and fire dangers increasing across the western U.S., it might only be a matter of time before firefighters are racing to contain wildfires from the Desert Southwest to the Northern Rockies. Because of the general west-to-east wind flow across the U.S., any large wildfire that pops up in the West naturally sends smoke eastward, potentially impacting a large chunk of the country. Before And After Images Show The Extent Of Wildfire Damage Around Los Angeles So far, the U.S. has been experiencing only an average wildfire season, but some of the worst months are still ahead. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 1.2 million acres have burned in 2025, which is below last year's figure, which was in excess of 2 million through the first five months of the year. Outside of Florida, most counties facing drought conditions are in the western U.S., with nearly a third of the nation officially in significant deficit, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. As the calendar year heads deeper into summer, forecasters expect drought conditions to expand in many locations west of the Mississippi River, including in the Northern Plains and throughout article source: With record-breaking snowmelt, is the western US at risk for wildfires like those in Canada?
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
New Mexico faces increased fire danger in June, after moist end to May
Thunderheads build over the Organ Mountains in the afternoon of Tuesday August, 1, 2023. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM) New Mexico's relatively cool and moist weather so far this spring will dry and warm up in coming weeks, putting fire managers and forecasters on high alert for wildfires before the start of the seasonal monsoon rains this summer. This year's low snowpack has already put much of the state in drought conditions, and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently declared a state of emergency and additional actions to prevent fires over the coming weeks. Recent rains around the state offer some relief, as May and June typically emerge as some of the driest months, said George Ducker, a wildfire prevention and spokesperson at the New Mexico Forestry Division. But the projected warm temperatures through the next several weeks could mean the recent spouting of new plants could aggravate the problem, he said. 'We could see a substantial dry up of these flashy fuels, the grasses and even shrubs,' Ducker said. 'Then, if you get a start, get a little bit of wind — there would be more fuel to burn.' The recent rains did not herald the start of the monsoon, the seasonal tropical patterns that provide Arizona and New Mexico with critical moisture, said Andrea Bair, a forecaster with the National Weather Service Western Region based in Salt Lake City, at a National Integrated Drought Information System presentation Tuesday. Rather, she said monsoons are expected to start in mid-June and could be stronger than past years, but hot temperatures will continue to dry out the soils and stress plants across much of the Southwestern U.S. 'The drought looks to continue throughout the season and the monthly outlook forecasts,' she said. 'So not a lot of relief is expected.' The rains lessened the acute risks of fire in the Southwest, said Jim Wallmann, a senior forecaster for the National Interagency Coordination Center Predictive Services. But other parts of the county are seeing wildfires 'extremely early' in the fire season, he said, noting the 1,000-acre Banana Lake fire in Montana. 'We're having to spread our resources over a much greater footprint of the country,' Wallmann said. 'That could affect how big a fire gets in California, if we're stretched and can't send everything to California while it's burning; we'll be on fires burning everywhere else.' Ducker said the concerns about availability for resources to fight wildfires is 'a bridge we'll cross when we come to it,' and said the state is working to be prepared. 'We have the resources to be able to jump on fires as they start,' Ducker said. Our federal partners seem to be in the same place where they're ready to respond, so right now we're just waiting for June to see what it shows us.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Yahoo
Officials speak on wildfire that damaged Fort Stanton Historic Site
RUIDOSO, N.M. (KRQE) – A Wildfire burning near Ruidoso has now left its mark on a major piece of New Mexico history, destroying and damaging buildings at one of the oldest military forts in the country. 'The good news is that the majority of the site is intact,' said Oliver Horn, New Mexico Historic Sites, Lincoln/Fort Stanton Regional Manager. Story continues below Don't Miss: Body of airman recovered at Elephant Butte Lake, Kirtland Air Force Base says Weather: When does monsoon season start in NM? What you can expect this summer? Crime: Man reflects on YouTube after family killed by younger brother in NE ABQ But after burning structures built during World War II, the Camp Fire has now left destruction at one of New Mexico's most historic military sites. 'And so, the fire essentially swept through the internment camp, and so, we lost two wood structures from the CCC, what we think are from the original CCC camp,' said Horn. Sunday afternoon, the blaze ripped through two wooden buildings on the northwest part of the property outside of Capitan. Those include an old residence and an old bowling alley, both built in the 1940s near areas where German sailors were held in internment camps. 'The firefighters, the incident commanders, incident response team, they were able to channel the fire away from the main site and on the northern side of the Rio Benito river,' said Horn. With buildings dating back to 1855, Fort Stanton is among the largest, oldest, and most intact military forts in the country and one of the best preserved in New Mexico. The 240-acre property has nearly 90 buildings on it, most of which the wildfire didn't touch. 'However, the other remaining features over there survived, and so, some of them, you know, the key ones are, there's a guardhouse. So, all of these are a combination of concrete and adobe structures. So, they're fire resistant, and so the guardhouse survived,' said Horn. The state Department of Cultural Affairs documented and photographed all the buildings on the site in the last few years, which is something they'll use for visitors now as a reminder of what's been lost. 'We lost some historic structures that we cannot replace,' said Horn. Fort Stanton remains closed until further notice because crews also need to replace a damaged water pumping system. They're also working on a continued project to remove all invasive species in the area while looking to replace some of the building roofs on the site with more fire-resistant materials. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
