New Mexico
Forecast: Reduced wildfire risk in New Mexico in August, as much of the West burns
The National Interagency Fire Center predicts New Mexico will have typical wildfire risk in August, but it could increase in September and October. (Photo courtesy NIFC)
New Mexico’s respite from wildfires will likely continue through August, according to a new forecast, but experts warn the already long fire season here could stretch into September and October.
The National Interagency Fire Center publishes monthly fire risk outlooks across the country. Early monsoon rains in early July blunted what forecasters had predicted would be elevated wildfire risk across the state, particularly in the central mountain chain and in southern New Mexico.
But the new forecast released Aug. 1 shows that average temperatures and substantial precipitation mean New Mexico won’t have high fire risk for August, either. But that doesn’t mean New Mexico is out of the woods.
“An uptick in large fire activity very well could re-emerge by late August or early September, then linger much longer than usual,” forecasters wrote in their predictions for the Southwest area.
Fire season in the Southwest typically lasts until monsoon season. The forecasts this year have said hot, dry conditions might persist well into October, bucking that typical trend.
At the moment in New Mexico, there are two active fires, according to the Southwest Coordination Center, including the Tanques Fire in the Southwest Fire, which has burned about 6,500 acres. In the Gila National Forest, the Ridge Fire has burned about 4,200 acres.
The forecast is released as major wildfires burn elsewhere in the West. There are 94 large, uncontained wildfires across the country, according to the NIFC.
Four fires that began last month in Oregon and California each have burned more than 100,000 acres, including the Park Fire in northern California that has reached nearly 400,000 acres. That’s already bigger than New Mexico’s biggest-ever wildfire, which burned about 340,000 acres, and it’s just 24% contained, according to the NIFC.
So far in New Mexico this year, 580 wildfires have been detected that burned more than 84,000 acres.
New Mexico leaders are backing a bipartisan bill after 12 confirmed U.S. screwworm cases, including one case in a Lea County dog.
SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico leaders are backing a bipartisan bill after 12 confirmed U.S. screwworm cases, including one case in a Lea County dog.
New Mexico State Veterinarian Dr. Samantha Holeck said the parasite has spread to New Mexico, though officials say they have not found any human cases.
“This is also not a political issue this is a nationwide issue that we all need to address because it affects all warm blooded animals including humans,” Holeck said.
U.S. Reps. Gabe Vasquez and Teresa Leger Fernandez support the Protect America’s Herds Act.
The bill would create a grant program to train people to identify, treat, prevent and report screwworm. It would also support more livestock inspections and education for ranchers.
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez said she heard concerns from tribal leaders about the cost of protecting cattle herds.
“I spoke with one of our tribal leaders today and they have cattle operation and they’re worried, and they’re talking about how much more money they’re having to pay to go make sure they check on their herds and there are extra costs,” Leger Fernandez said.
Funding would prioritize states and tribal communities most at risk for screwworm outbreaks.
State health officials said screwworm is not a food safety issue. They also said ranchers should stay alert but not alarmed.
New Mexico isn’t done with Meta yet. After the second phase of a landmark trial, the state is asking a judge to make the company pay almost $1 billion to address harm done to young people in New Mexico, SourceNM reports. In a court filing, attorneys with the New Mexico Department of Justice argue that Meta’s addictive design features and recommendation algorithms “substantially contributed to the increase and severity” of problems including depression and eating disorders. The state wants a judge to order Meta to pay $953 million into a fund for public education and behavioral health programs, reports Fox News.
- After the first phase of the trial in March, a jury found the company endangered children and misled the public about its platforms’ safety. Meta was ordered to pay $375 million in damages, $5,000 for each violation.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has argued Meta executives prioritized profit over minors’ safety, ignored internal warnings, and misrepresented what they knew about harms to young users. In the second phase, First Judicial District Court Chief Judge Bryan Biedscheid heard arguments on whether the company’s actions created a public nuisance, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. Final filings in that phase of the trial were submitted Friday. Beyond potential financial penalties, Biedscheid will also rule on the state’s request for Meta to make changes including stricter age controls and “safer algorithms” that “do not prioritize engagement over well being.”
Meta says New Mexico is overreaching, warning that the proposed mandates are “impractical and ill-considered” and “would risk leaving teens less safe, infringe on parental rights, and stifle free expression.” Meta argues that New Mexico hasn’t proven that its platforms affect mental health outcomes. In court filings, Meta has claimed that the state is seeking $3.7 billion, not $953 million, but Chief Deputy Attorney General James Grayson says the higher figure is an expert’s estimate of the cost to fund all child mental health interventions in the state. “We’re not trying to hold Meta responsible for mental health harms in general in New Mexico, only for what social media has cost,” Grayson tells the New Mexican.
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