Major wildfires burning across the West have consumed tens of thousands of acres and forced evacuations in at least three states. In New Mexico, one particular wildfire exploded in size on Thursday. Dry conditions are hampering firefighting efforts in a region that’s expected to see dangerous and potentially deadly heat over the weekend and into early next week.
“Humidity values less than 15 percent and dew points as low as the single digits will be present and persistent across a large portion of the Southwest through at least Sunday,” said weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Belles. The most extreme heat in the coming days will be in the Desert Southwest where highs could climb to near 120 degrees, including in Phoenix, where it hasn’t been that hot in more than 20 years. FULL REPORT
