New Mexico is in for a windy Easter Sunday

Pack up those grills.

New Mexico is in for a windy end of the month, the National Weather Service reported Friday, possibly culminating in high-speed gusts in some parts of the state on Easter Sunday.

“We do have some fire concerns, obviously, with wind like that,” meteorologist Clay Anderson told the Journal.

Anderson said that with such concerns, the agency advises that people take proper fire precautions this weekend, such as avoiding outdoor activities with open flames.

That could include grilling on Easter Sunday, Anderson said.

In Albuquerque, the agency is expecting wind gusts as high as 40 mph on Sunday afternoon. Those are expected to be coupled with a high temperature of 69 degrees.

The wind could also result in some blowing dust, he added, especially on the far west side of the city.

Anderson said the strongest winds in New Mexico on Sunday are expected along and east of the state’s central mountains, and he expects wind advisories — for sustained winds from 31 to 39 mph and/or gusts from 46 to 57 mph — in areas such as Las Vegas and Harding and San Miguel counties.

Because those winds will be coupled with low humidity, the agency issued a red flag warning throughout much of the eastern half of New Mexico, as well as in the lower Rio Grande valley, including Albuquerque. That warning was set to extend into Saturday, Anderson said.

To prevent wildfires, the National Weather Service is also recommending people keep vehicles off dry grass, put out cigarettes and avoid power equipment that creates sparks.

“I think the main weather story across eastern New Mexico this weekend is going to be the critical fire weather conditions that we’re forecasting,” Anderson said. “... That’s probably the bigger threat.”