The Southwest and High Plains will have weather conditions that could lead to wildfires through the Memorial Day weekend, while the central and eastern U.S. is pounded by severe thunderstorms.

Low humidity, gusty winds and dry vegetation in the Southwest could cause new fires to spread rapidly, the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said in a Saturday morning forecast. There are red flag warnings – denoting increased risk of fire – issued from southeast Arizona to West Texas and the western Oklahoma Panhandle.

In New Mexico, a blaze dubbed the Blue 2 Fire has already burned an estimated 3,300 acres in the remote White Mountain Wilderness, located west of Roswell. The fire began from a May 17 lightning strike in an area that previously burned, but wind and dry conditions are affecting firefighters’ response, said Amanda Fry, a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service at Lincoln National Forest, where the fire is burning.

Severe weather is affecting the central and eastern U.S. federal, forecasters said. A storm system is strengthening across the central and southern Plains, which could create thunderstorms with chances for intense tornadoes, giant hail and destructive winds.

After the storm system shifts eastward Sunday, there could be damaging winds as a complex of thunderstorms moves from Missouri through Kentucky, with potential for flash floods, hail and a few tornadoes.

Story Date: May 26, 2024