FXUS64 KEPZ 141805 AFDEPZ Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service El Paso TX/Santa Teresa NM 1205 PM MDT Tue Apr 14 2026 ...New DISCUSSION, AVIATION, FIRE WEATHER... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 1205 PM MDT Tue Apr 14 2026 - Windy conditions again this afternoon, with some patchy blowing dust possible. - Breezy again Thursday into Friday with elevated to critical fire weather conditions. - The weekend will be cooler with a slight chance for rain on Sunday and Monday. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 1205 PM MDT Tue Apr 14 2026 Plenty of mid/high level moisture still streaming across the CWA with the sub-tropical jet. Main upper trough extending from SW Arizona through NW New Mexico will continue sweeping east and eventually clear the moisture/clouds late this evening. In the mean time, a moderate lee-side low will form over SE Colorado next few hours and help increase winds across our area this afternoon. Expect west winds of 15-25 mph with gusts to 40 mph. Blowing dust producing has been unreliable all season, but trajectories today would bring any dust into the El Paso metro area. As mentioned above, upper trough coming through tonight should clear the skies and usher in a period of dry west/southwest flow aloft into the weekend. Next upper low/trough just off the British Columbia coast will sweep across the northern and central Rockies Thursday and Friday. Very few in any clouds with this feature but it does produce decent lee-side troughs each day, creating breezy conditions Thu/Fri. This trough will eventually push a side door cool front through the area Saturday morning for a cooler weekend. Looking further out...a new Pacific low drops down off the NoCal coast Sunday, increasing southerly flow aloft. Lower level winds turn southeast, with the Gulf of America moisture seeping toward our area. As usual, models differ significantly on amount of moisture (dewpoint) moving up, with the GFS/CMC most bullish and ECMWF more bearish on pcpn. So slight chances of rain in the grids for Sun/Mon. The east push bringing the moisture in will also bring quite breezy east winds in on Sunday. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1205 PM MDT Tue Apr 14 2026 VFR conditions expected through the period. SCT150 BKN-OVC250 through about 03Z, then becoming SKC-SCT250 overnight. Surface winds west 18-23G35 knots through 01Z, diminishing to west/northwest AOB 8 knots through the late evening. Patchy 3-5SM BLDU possible between 20Z-23Z along southern counties bordering the International Border. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 1205 PM MDT Tue Apr 14 2026 Elevated fire conditions again today as we see afternoon winds of west 15-25 mph with gusts to 40 mph, combined with min RHs in the 15-23% range. Remaining dry through at least Saturday, with breezy afternoons again Thu/Fri, and back to elevated to near-critical fire conditions with much lower humidity. Min RH: Lowlands 7-12% through Saturday, increasing to 18-28% Sunday and Monday. Mountains 8-18% through Saturday, increasing to 20-35% Sunday/Monday. Vent rates very-excellent through Friday, then fair-good Saturday. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... El Paso 52 78 50 83 / 10 0 0 0 Sierra Blanca 49 76 46 82 / 10 0 0 0 Las Cruces 43 75 44 80 / 10 0 0 0 Alamogordo 42 74 42 79 / 10 0 0 0 Cloudcroft 31 52 34 60 / 10 0 0 0 Truth or Consequences 45 75 46 79 / 0 0 0 0 Silver City 36 66 41 71 / 0 0 0 0 Deming 41 77 42 82 / 0 0 0 0 Lordsburg 38 73 41 79 / 0 0 0 0 West El Paso Metro 52 77 52 82 / 10 0 0 0 Dell City 47 79 41 83 / 10 0 0 0 Fort Hancock 52 83 48 88 / 10 0 0 0 Loma Linda 48 72 48 77 / 10 0 0 0 Fabens 51 80 48 86 / 10 0 0 0 Santa Teresa 46 76 45 82 / 10 0 0 0 White Sands HQ 50 77 51 82 / 10 0 0 0 Jornada Range 39 76 40 80 / 10 0 0 0 Hatch 40 79 39 83 / 0 0 0 0 Columbus 47 79 45 84 / 0 0 0 0 Orogrande 44 74 41 80 / 10 0 0 0 Mayhill 37 66 37 73 / 10 0 0 0 Mescalero 34 63 36 71 / 10 0 0 0 Timberon 36 61 37 68 / 10 0 0 0 Winston 30 68 34 73 / 0 0 0 0 Hillsboro 41 74 44 77 / 0 0 0 0 Spaceport 38 75 38 79 / 0 0 0 0 Lake Roberts 32 69 36 72 / 0 0 0 0 Hurley 34 69 38 75 / 0 0 0 0 Cliff 36 74 38 78 / 0 0 0 0 Mule Creek 32 70 35 74 / 0 0 0 0 Faywood 38 71 42 75 / 0 0 0 0 Animas 39 75 42 79 / 0 0 0 0 Hachita 39 74 40 80 / 0 0 0 0 Antelope Wells 40 76 44 80 / 0 0 0 0 Cloverdale 40 70 46 73 / 0 0 0 0 && .EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. NM...None. && $$ FORECASTER...17-Hefner