Windy weather to raise risk of wildfire in south-western US

Analysis: Thousands of people have already been evacuated from New Mexico, and a low-pressure trough in the Rockies will not help

A critical fire risk has been put in place for south-western parts of the US this week. An upper-level trough of low pressure will deepen across the Rocky Mountains on Tuesday, which will cause surface pressure to fall. That means that surface winds across Arizona and New Mexico will pick up even more. These areas are currently experiencing a mere 5-15% relative humidity, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has deemed critical in exacerbating wildfire risk. Yet more dry, westerly winds will continue to affect these areas through this week, bringing further fire concern.

This is not the first time that these areas have been affected by wildfires recently. New Mexico has already seen fires cover more than 39,000 hectares (97,000 acres) since mid-April, with thousands of people already evacuated. As a result, more than 950 firefighters have been deployed in these regions already.