857  
FXUS64 KEPZ 182004  
AFDEPZ  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM  
204 PM MDT FRI APR 18 2025  
   
..NEW DISCUSSION, FIRE WEATHER
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- WINDY AND DUSTY CONDITIONS LINGER THIS EVENING, THEN BREEZY AND  
COOLER FOR SATURDAY WITH LOW TO MEDIUM RAIN CHANCES.  
 
- LIGHTER WINDS AND WARMER ON SUNDAY.  
 
- WARM AND DRY NEXT WORK WEEK WITH GENERALLY LIGHT WINDS.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 204 PM MDT FRI APR 18 2025  
 
ANOTHER DUSTY, WINDY DAY HAS TRANSPIRED TODAY AS SOUTHWEST WINDS  
HAVE INCREASED AHEAD OF AN UPPER LOW. SEVERAL DUST STORM WARNINGS  
REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS VIS HAS BEEN OBSERVED TO  
BE A QUARTER MILE OR LESS IN SPOTS. TWO MAIN DUST PLUMES ARE  
ONGOING: ONE FROM HWY 9 NE INTO THE TULAROSA BASIN, AND THE SECOND  
FROM TORNILLO TO THE NORTHEAST. THE DUST IS FILLING INTO EL PASO  
WITH WORSENING VISIBILITIES EXPECTED AS WE HEAD INTO THE EVENING.  
WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR SATELLITE IMAGERY AND GROUND  
OBSERVATIONS FOR ANY FURTHER DSWS OR IF WE'RE LUCKY, EARLY  
CANCELLATIONS. LIKE YESTERDAY, THE DUST IS EXPECTED TO LAST INTO  
THE EVENING, BUT THIN OUT AFTER SUNSET ONCE OUR WINDS BEGIN TO  
DECREASE. WIND ADVISORIES AND DUST ADVISORIES (NOW INCLUDING ALL  
OF FAR WEST TX) ARE IN PLACE UNTIL 8PM.  
 
FOR TONIGHT, AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW SWINGS INTO THE FOUR CORNERS WITH  
THE CIRCULATION REACHING FAR ENOUGH SOUTH TO GIVE MOST AREAS A  
CHANCE OF PRECIP TOMORROW. AREAS TO THE N AND W WILL HAVE THE BEST  
CHANCE OF SEEING RAIN/MTN SNOW (ABOUT 50%), WHILE FAR WEST TX HAS  
A SLIM CHANCE OF RECEIVING MEASURABLE RAINFALL. SNOW  
ACCUMULATIONS OF T-1" ABOVE 7000FT ARE EXPECTED WITH QPF OF  
GENERALLY LESS THAN 0.1". IT WILL BE A QUICK SHOT OF PRECIP WITH  
THE PACIFIC FRONT AS IT PUSHES THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS  
WILL STAY BREEZY FOR SATURDAY (15-25 MPH SUSTAINED), BEGINNING  
W-SW AND SHIFTING W-NW BY THE EVENING BEHIND THE FRONT. THE UPPER  
LOW DEPARTS TO THE EAST INTO THE TX PANHANDLE SAT NIGHT.  
 
THE REST OF THE FORECAST LOOKS PRETTY BENIGN AS ZONAL FLOW TAKES  
OVER EARLY IN THE WEEK. THE DRYLINE SETS UP TO OUR EAST BY  
MIDWEEK, BUT IS EXPECTED TO BE A NON-PLAYER FOR US. NON-  
MENTIONABLE POPS ARE IN THE GRIDS FOR NOW FOR EACH AFTERNOON LATER  
IN THE PERIOD SINCE THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO IS THE DRYLINE STAYS  
TO THE EAST. ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE DRYLINE, MODEST W-SW WINDS  
PERSIST WITH NO MAJOR WIND STORMS ON THE HORIZON. AFTER A  
SEASONABLY COOL WEEKEND, TEMPERATURES REBOUND TO ABOVE NORMAL ON  
MONDAY, STAYING IN THE 80S FOR THE REST OF THE PERIOD.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
 
(18Z TAFS)  
ISSUED AT 1121 AM MDT FRI APR 18 2025  
 
W-SW WINDS ARE INCREASING TO BEGIN THE FORECAST PERIOD, LOFTING  
DUST ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION. VIS BELOW 1 MILE IS EXPECTED THIS  
AFTERNOON EXCLUDING KTCS WHICH COULD ALSO SEE VIS REDUCED TO 5  
MILES OR LESS. VIS REDUCTIONS MAY LAST INTO THE EVENING BEFORE  
SETTLING AFTER SUNSET, SIMILAR TO YESTERDAY. AS WE TRACK SATELLITE  
IMAGERY AND GROUND OBSERVATIONS FOR BLOWING DUST, AMENDMENTS MAY  
BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON. WIND SPEEDS OF AROUND 30KTS WITH GUSTS  
UP TO 45 KTS ARE FORECAST THIS AFTERNOON, SLOWLY SUBSIDING TONIGHT  
BUT STAYING BREEZY INTO TOMORROW MORNING. AN AWW WAS ISSUED  
EARLIER FOR KELP SINCE WINDS WILL EASILY EXCEED CRITERIA. OTHER  
THAN FEW-SCT250 PASSING OVERHEAD, SKIES WILL BE MAINLY CLEAR,  
OUTSIDE OF THE BLOWING DUST OF COURSE.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
 
ISSUED AT 204 PM MDT FRI APR 18 2025  
 
HIGH FIRE DANGER CONTINUES INTO THE EVENING DUE TO BRISK WINDS FROM  
THE WEST-SOUTHWEST AND LOW HUMIDITY. GOOD OVERNIGHT RECOVERIES ARE  
EXPECTED AS AN UPPER-LEVEL SYSTEM BRINGS MOISTURE AND RAIN/MTN  
SNOW CHANCES TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. FOR SATURDAY, THE ADDED  
MOISTURE WILL HELP LIMIT FIRE SPREAD, BUT BREEZY WEST WINDS  
CONTINUE, CREATING ELEVATED FIRE DANGER. FUELS WILL MOISTEN  
SOMEWHAT AS A RESULT OF THIS SYSTEM, BUT WILL DRY OUT AGAIN NEXT  
WEEK UNDER ZONAL/SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT. AFTER SATURDAY, THE  
REST OF THE FORECAST WILL HAVE LIGHTER WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY.  
COOLER TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST THIS WEEKEND AS THE UPPER LOW  
SWINGS THROUGH, WARMING TO ABOVE NORMAL ON MONDAY.  
 
MIN RHS WILL BE 10-20% NEAR THE INT'L BORDER, 20-35% ELSEWHERE  
SATURDAY; THEN 5-12% EVERYWHERE. VENT RATES WILL BE FAIR TO VERY  
GOOD SUNDAY, MOSTLY EXCELLENT ALL OTHER DAYS.  
 

 
   
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS
 
 
EL PASO 52 70 45 75 / 0 20 0 0  
SIERRA BLANCA 46 73 39 71 / 0 0 0 0  
LAS CRUCES 43 64 35 72 / 0 40 0 0  
ALAMOGORDO 45 66 35 72 / 0 50 20 0  
CLOUDCROFT 30 45 22 50 / 0 50 20 0  
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 44 62 37 73 / 0 50 10 0  
SILVER CITY 37 53 31 67 / 10 60 0 0  
DEMING 42 65 34 74 / 0 50 0 0  
LORDSBURG 40 61 31 72 / 0 50 0 0  
WEST EL PASO METRO 51 68 45 73 / 0 20 0 0  
DELL CITY 45 73 39 75 / 0 10 0 0  
FORT HANCOCK 48 78 41 77 / 0 10 0 0  
LOMA LINDA 45 64 39 67 / 0 20 0 0  
FABENS 48 73 42 75 / 0 20 0 0  
SANTA TERESA 47 66 39 71 / 0 30 0 0  
WHITE SANDS HQ 50 66 43 73 / 0 40 10 0  
JORNADA RANGE 43 64 34 73 / 0 50 10 0  
HATCH 44 65 35 75 / 0 50 10 0  
COLUMBUS 46 66 39 74 / 0 40 0 0  
OROGRANDE 46 65 37 71 / 0 40 10 0  
MAYHILL 35 57 29 64 / 0 40 20 0  
MESCALERO 35 55 25 61 / 0 50 30 0  
TIMBERON 31 53 24 60 / 0 40 10 0  
WINSTON 31 52 26 68 / 10 60 10 0  
HILLSBORO 39 60 33 73 / 0 50 10 0  
SPACEPORT 40 62 31 72 / 0 50 10 0  
LAKE ROBERTS 28 53 17 68 / 10 60 0 0  
HURLEY 35 58 29 70 / 0 50 0 0  
CLIFF 36 61 28 75 / 20 50 0 0  
MULE CREEK 33 56 25 70 / 30 50 0 0  
FAYWOOD 39 56 33 70 / 0 50 0 0  
ANIMAS 40 64 34 73 / 0 40 0 0  
HACHITA 41 62 33 72 / 0 50 0 0  
ANTELOPE WELLS 41 65 35 75 / 0 50 0 0  
CLOVERDALE 40 60 36 71 / 0 40 0 0  
 

 
   
EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
TX...BLOWING DUST ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR  
EASTERN/CENTRAL EL PASO COUNTY-NORTHERN HUDSPETH  
HIGHLANDS/HUECO MOUNTAINS-RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF EASTERN EL  
PASO/WESTERN HUDSPETH COUNTIES-RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF EASTERN  
HUDSPETH COUNTY-SALT BASIN-SOUTHERN HUDSPETH HIGHLANDS-  
WESTERN EL PASO COUNTY.  
 
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR EASTERN/CENTRAL EL  
PASO COUNTY-NORTHERN HUDSPETH HIGHLANDS/HUECO MOUNTAINS-  
SALT BASIN-WESTERN EL PASO COUNTY.  
 
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR TEXAS FIRE  
WEATHER ZONE 055 EL PASO COUNTY- TEXAS FIRE WEATHER ZONE  
056 HUDSPETH COUNTY.  
 
NM...BLOWING DUST ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR EAST  
CENTRAL TULAROSA BASIN/ALAMOGORDO-EAST SLOPES SACRAMENTO  
MOUNTAINS BELOW 7500 FEET-LOWLANDS OF THE BOOTHEEL-NORTHERN  
DONA ANA COUNTY-OTERO MESA-SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 7500  
FEET-SOUTHEAST TULAROSA BASIN-SOUTHERN DONA ANA  
COUNTY/MESILLA VALLEY-SOUTHWEST DESERT/LOWER GILA RIVER  
VALLEY-SOUTHWEST DESERT/MIMBRES BASIN-WEST CENTRAL TULAROSA  
BASIN/WHITE SANDS-WEST SLOPES SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS BELOW  
7500 FEET.  
 
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR EAST CENTRAL  
TULAROSA BASIN/ALAMOGORDO-EAST SLOPES SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS  
BELOW 7500 FEET-LOWLANDS OF THE BOOTHEEL-NORTHERN DONA ANA  
COUNTY-OTERO MESA-SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 7500 FEET-  
SIERRA COUNTY LAKES-SOUTHEAST TULAROSA BASIN-SOUTHERN DONA  
ANA COUNTY/MESILLA VALLEY-SOUTHWEST DESERT/MIMBRES BASIN-  
UPLANDS OF THE BOOTHEEL-WEST CENTRAL TULAROSA BASIN/WHITE  
SANDS-WEST SLOPES SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS BELOW 7500 FEET.  
 
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR CAPITAN AND  
SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS/LINCOLN NF/LNZ- SOUTH CENTRAL LOWLANDS  
AND SOUTHERN RIO GRANDE VALLEY/BLM/GLZ- SOUTHWEST DESERTS  
AND LOWLANDS/LAS CRUCES BLM/GLZ.  
 

 
 

 
 
FORECASTER...39-ARONSON  
 
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