Much of the El Paso region, far West Texas and southern New Mexico could face "extreme fire danger" on Monday, including the Gila and Lincoln national forests, the National Weather Service warned.

The National Weather Service office for El Paso has issued a "red flag warning" for the region in place from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, March 3.

A "high-wind warning" — with the potential for damaging winds and dust storms — is also in place from noon to 8 p.m. Monday for the El Paso-Las Cruces region, the Tularosa Basin and the Sacramento Mountains, the weather service said.

On Sunday, most of West Texas was under a "red flag warning" stretching from Lubbock, Odessa and San Angelo west to Hudspeth County.

Strong winds combined with low humidity, warm temperatures and dry conditions could create "critical fire weather conditions" with the potential risk of wildfires on Monday in southern New Mexico and far West Texas, the NWS warning stated.

Winds are forecast from the west at 25 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph combined with a relative humidity as low as 6 percent, the NWS warning stated. Winds are forecast to be lighter on Tuesday, but strong winds could return Thursday and Friday.

The "red flag warning" for Monday includes parts of El Paso County and Hudspeth County in Texas and the Las Cruces region, Gila National Forest, Lincoln National Forest and the Sacramento Mountains in New Mexico.

In Mexico, the Juárez civil protection department issued an alert for Monday for residents to take precautions due to the potential for strong winds, dust storms and low visibility.

Southern New Mexico forests face fire dangers

In New Mexico, the Gila National Forest near Silver City and the Lincoln National Forests near Alamogordo are experiencing "a dryness component more comparable to peak fire season than early March," the warning stated.

The U.S. Forest Service listed the fire danger as "high" on Sunday in the Lincoln National Forest, which covers 1.1 million acres including the Sacramento, Guadalupe and Capitan mountain ranges. The Gila National Forest was at a "very high" fire danger level on Sunday.

"Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended," the NWS cautioned in the "red flag warning" for Monday.

Last June, the Ruidoso and Mescalero area was devastated by the South Fork and Salt forest fires that killed at least two people and destroyed more than 1,400 buildings. In July, the area was damaged further by flash floods after rain flowed down from wildfire scars.

USA Today reported that about 3,400 employees of the U.S. Forest Service (about 10% of its workforce) were laid off recently by President Donald Trump's administration through Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at [email protected] and @BorundaDaniel on X.