Weather conditions raise potential for wildfires

Recent weather conditions have made eastern New Mexico and the rest of the region and state a prime breeding ground for wildfires.

"Unless something changes before March, we're looking at a prolonged wildfire period throughout much of the state really," National Weather Service Meteorologist Clay Anderson said on Friday.

Anderson said a pair of cold fronts coming in will limit the chances for wildfires over the next several days, but the NWS is expecting dry and windy conditions in eastern New Mexico as soon as Thursday that could spark wildfire growth.

Anderson said almost all of Curry and Roosevelt counties have experienced just 5 to 10 percent of normal precipitation over the past 90 days, with no relief in sight.

He said predictions show the eastern portion of New Mexico is expected to have below-average rainfall over at least the next month, with the same being true statewide until March.

"All of New Mexico has moderate drought but it is spreading east with time so our drought status is changing and setting into more significant drought with time due to lack of precipitation," Anderson said.

Portales Fire Battalion Chief Lance Hill said due to high levels of precipitation last year that led to above-average vegetation growth - and low rainfall recently that dried the plants out - the department does see a potential danger for wildfires.

Hill offered a number of tips for preventing wildfires and what to do if one does break out.

He said anyone smoking in their car should have a method to extinguish the cigarette inside their vehicle, such as an ashtray or a can, rather than throwing the cigarette butt out the window, which has been known to cause wildfires.

Hill also advised anyone conducting a controlled burn should do so in a controlled area with a water source ready to extinguish the fire if it gets out of hand, as well as check weather updates to keep an eye on potential for strong winds, another cause of wildfires.

He said if you do spot a wildfire, tune in to local radio news broadcasts, which will have information about an evacuation if necessary.

Hill also said drivers should seek a secondary route to avoid driving past a fire, but if that's not possible, make sure to allow plenty of space for the firefighters and their trucks to battle the blaze.