Red Flag Warnings issued for parts of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Colorado as critical fire weather spreads on March 15
Strong winds and very dry air behind a powerful storm system are creating critical fire weather across parts of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Colorado on March 15, 2026, prompting Red Flag Warnings across multiple forecast areas. Wind gusts may reach 105 km/h (65 mph), while relative humidity is forecast to fall as low as 6 to 15 percent in some areas, supporting rapid fire growth and spread.
Image credit: Cal Fire
Strong winds and very dry air behind a powerful storm system are creating critical fire weather across parts of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Colorado on March 15, prompting Red Flag Warnings across multiple forecast areas. Many of the March 15 warnings remain in effect through the evening.
Parts of South Texas are expected to remain under critical fire weather conditions beyond March 15, with later Red Flag Warnings in some forecast areas running from late Sunday night into Monday evening.
Wind gusts across the affected region may reach 105 km/h (65 mph) while relative humidity values are forecast to drop to between 6 and 20 percent.
As of 10:00 UTC on March 15, Red Flag Warnings were in effect across multiple forecast areas in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Colorado, with warning timing varying by location from daytime Sunday into Monday evening in parts of South Texas.
Texas and Oklahoma
A Red Flag Warning is in effect from 12:00 to 19:00 LT on March 15 across western North Texas and much of western and central Oklahoma. North winds of 55–75 km/h (35–45 mph) with gusts up to 105 km/h (65 mph) are forecast while relative humidity may fall to around 20 percent. Temperatures are forecast to reach around 20°C (68°F), creating conditions favorable for rapid fire spread.
In the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles, the NWS office in Amarillo issued a Red Flag Warning valid from 07:00–20:00 LT on March 15.
North winds of 55–75 km/h (35–45 mph) with gusts up to 105 km/h (65 mph) are forecast while relative humidity may drop to around 15 percent. Fuels across parts of the region are reported in the 70th–89th percentile of dryness, indicating elevated wildfire potential.
The far southern Texas Panhandle, the South Plains, and the Rolling Plains are under a Red Flag Warning from 07:00 to 21:00 LT on March 15. Northwesterly winds becoming north at 55–70 km/h (35–45 mph), with gusts up to 105 km/h (65 mph), are forecast while relative humidity may fall to near 15 percent.
A Red Flag Warning has been issued for western parts of North and Central Texas, primarily near and west of the I-35 corridor, from 12:00 to 21:00 LT on March 15. Northwest winds of 40–55 km/h (25–35 mph) with gusts up to 80 km/h (50 mph) are forecast while relative humidity may fall to around 20 percent with temperatures reaching approximately 30°C (86°F).
West Texas and southeast New Mexico
A Red Flag Warning remains in effect from 12:00 LT on March 15 to 21:00 LT the same day for southeast New Mexico and parts of west Texas. West to northwest winds of 40–55 km/h (25–35 mph), with gusts of 70–90 km/h (45–55 mph), are forecast to shift north to northeast during the afternoon, while relative humidity may fall as low as 7 percent.
Further south, the NWS office in Corpus Christi issued a Red Flag Warning from 22:00 LT on March 15 to 19:00 LT on March 16. North winds of 30–50 km/h (20–30 mph) with gusts up to 70 km/h (45 mph) are forecast across much of South Texas, while relative humidity may fall to around 9–10 percent.
The NWS office in Brownsville issued a Red Flag Warning for inland and coastal areas of Deep South Texas from 22:00 LT on March 15 through 19:00 LT on March 16. Northerly winds of 30–50 km/h (20–30 mph), with gusts up to 55–70 km/h (35–45 mph), are forecast while relative humidity may fall as low as 10 percent in the driest areas. Fire weather concerns in the region are further heightened by ongoing severe drought conditions and abundant cured fuels.
New Mexico and Colorado
The NWS office in Albuquerque issued Red Flag Warnings covering the northern and central parts of the state from 09:00–20:00 LT on March 15. Northwest to north winds of 40–70 km/h (25–45 mph) with gusts between 70 and 105 km/h (45–65 mph) are forecast, while relative humidity could fall between 6 and 15 percent across much of the region.
Additional warnings from the NWS office in El Paso/Santa Teresa cover far west Texas and portions of southern New Mexico from 11:00–20:00 LT on March 15. Winds of 25–40 km/h (15–25 mph) with gusts up to 65 km/h (40 mph) are forecast while relative humidity may fall to about 7 percent.
Meanwhile, a Red Flag Warning is in effect for the San Luis Valley, Colorado, from 11:00 to 20:00 LT on March 15. Northwest winds of 50–65 km/h (30–40 mph), with gusts up to 90 km/h (55 mph), combined with relative humidity near 10 percent, are expected to support elevated wildfire danger and rapid fire spread.
References:
1 Red Flag Warning – NWS – March 15, 2026
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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