The National Weather Service has taken the unusual step of issuing a Red Warning Flag, two days in advance, for the Fire Peak Hermits/Canyon Calf area, located 21 miles east of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The prediction is for gusting winds from the southwest and west, exceeding 30 mph. Similar conditions are expected on Thursday for the Trap and Black Fires in southwestern New Mexico.
Last updated at 12:10 p.M. MDT on May 18, 2022.
On Wednesday, the northern half of New Mexico is under a Red Flag Warning due to predicted isolated dry thunderstorms in portions of Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico.
Red Flag Warnings Wednesday. Chance for isolated dry thunderstorms in portions of NM, CO, & TX. From the NWS: “Thunderstorms are expected across portions of the central Rockies this afternoon. Storms should be dry with the potential for new lightning induced fire starts.” pic.twitter.com/kT4KwlJC27
— Wildfire Today ? (@wildfiretoday) May 18, 2022
There was a very small amount of significant activity between Mora and Las Vegas, but on Tuesday, there was active activity on the west side of Santa Fe, NM – 21 miles east of Santa Fe, in the Hermits Peak – Calf Canyon.
In the early hours of Wednesday, a single significant heat signature was detected solely by a satellite. Subsequent days have elapsed without any significant expansion, and on Tuesday, the Cerro Pelado Fire, located 25 miles to the west of Santa Fe, remained relatively subdued.
The NIFC database does not display any significant history of the incident in the East, but over the past 20 years, wildfires and fuel treatments have occurred, and 21,000 acres have been added, spreading slowly to the north and west, with another large run made on Tuesday to the east or northwest-west, covering an additional 28 miles (see the map above). This is the consequence of the Black Fire Truth.
Over the past few days, the majority of the propagation has taken place in the southwestern region, where the fire is encompassed by fuel treatments and planned controlled fires on all sides except the southwest. On Tuesday night, the fire was recorded to cover an area of 15,215 acres and it extended towards the southwest. The Bear Trap Fire, a different fire in the southwestern part of New Mexico, is located 34 miles southwest of Socorro.
5:10 p.M. Mountain Daylight Time on May 17, 2022.
The intense heat and extremely dry air on Tuesday kept the majority of the major wildfires in New Mexico highly active.
Calf Canyon – Hermits Peak Fire.
In the late afternoon, the moisture level decreased to 10 percent. The breeze blew forcefully from the northwest, west, and southwest at 25 mph while a substantial smoke column was once again rising on Tuesday. In May of 2012 in Southwest New Mexico, the Calf Canyon – Hermits Peak Fire surpassed the previous record set by the Whitewater and Baldy Fires, which burned together and covered an area of 297,845 acres. The Calf Canyon – Hermits Peak Fire has now become the largest fire in the documented past of New Mexico, spanning 299,565 acres.
Cerro Pelado Blaze.
On Tuesday, the Satellite image below captured from the Calf Canyon – Hermits Peak Fire reveals that the fire, located 25 miles west of Santa Fe, was emitting significantly less smoke compared to the 45,605-acre Cerro Pelado Fire. The majority of the fire’s activity was observed on the northwest and southeast sides on Monday.
Keep reading “Latest information on four massive wildfires in New Mexico”.