Photo by Photos.com.By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist
Mar 17, 2012; 1:08 PM ET
The combination of strong winds and unseasonable warmth has significantly raised the fire danger from Arizona to the High Plains this St. Patrick's Day weekend.
The highest fire danger expands from Arizona to southeastern Colorado and West Texas today, then will encompass the corridor from New Mexico to West Texas and South Dakota on Sunday.
The strongest winds within these zones will gust between 40 and 60 mph, especially during the afternoon and evening hours. Locally higher gusts cannot be ruled out.
The winds are howling ahead of the potent storm barreling through the Southwest with soaking rain, low-elevation snow and hail-producing thunderstorms.
The strength of the winds could cause damage, create blowing dust and overturn semi-trucks and campers.
Conditions are also prime for the winds rapidly spread fires with unseasonably warm and dry air in place.
Worsening the situation is the fact that the Desert Southwest and High Plains have not received significant rain or snow recently, meaning vegetation is now like a matchstick waiting for a spark to start burning.
Residents should use extreme caution with cigarette butts, campfires and sparks to prevent an uncontrollable fire from igniting.
Cities that lie in the high fire danger today include Phoenix, Ariz., Albuquerque, N.M., El Paso and Amarillo, Texas, and Trinidad, Colo.
Albuquerque, El Paso, and Amarillo will remain at risk on Sunday. Other cities that will join them include Pueblo and Denver, Colo., Scottsbluff, Neb., and Rapid City, S.D.
The high fire danger will persist into Monday across the southern High Plains. Despite the return of noticeably cooler air, strong winds and dry air will still be in place.
East of the fire danger, the rest of the southern Plains are bracing for severe and drenching thunderstorms early next week.
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