Overview
- Red Flag Warnings and a High Wind Watch kept fire danger high Monday across much of New Mexico, with gusts near 40 mph and blowing dust complicating travel.
- The Seven Cabins Fire, which began Thursday after a medical plane crash in the Capitan Mountains, remained uncontained at about 8,971 acres with evacuations along State Highway 246 between Gap Road and Boy Scout Mountain.
- Smoke from the fire reduced visibility at times and could shift south as winds change through Tuesday, posing breathing issues for people with asthma or other respiratory problems.
- The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District said restrictions could start Monday, sending available water only to lands of the Six Middle Rio Grande Pueblos and pausing deliveries to non-Pueblo fields upstream of Isleta Pueblo, including parts of the Albuquerque area.
- Forecasts show winds easing over the next few days as a low-pressure system moves away, with a backdoor front bringing storm chances Wednesday in eastern New Mexico and a risk of isolated severe storms with damaging wind and hail.