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Aside from preparing for potential evacuations due to wildfires, residents should be ready for plummeting air quality as smoke permeates the atmosphere. Air quality alerts have already been issued for parts of northern New Mexico due to smoke, and officials are warning those with respiratory conditions to avoid outdoor activities.
AccuWeather Global Weather Center – April 25, 2022 – After numerous fires broke out across Arizona and New Mexico and hundreds of residents were evacuated last week, dry, warm and breezy weather is expected to build across the Southwest and Four Corners region this week, keeping the wildfire threat high across the region.
“An area of high pressure is expected to develop as the week progresses, and temperatures are likely to build across the Southwest,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Courtney Travis. This will result in widespread warmth and little to no precipitation across the region.
“On Tuesday and Wednesday, temperatures are forecast to reach near 90 degrees in Las Vegas, while temperatures could near 100 degrees in Phoenix,” Travis said, adding that both are about 10 degrees above normal for late April.
 In this photo provided by the Coconino National Forest, the Tunnel Fire burns near Flagstaff, Ariz., on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. (Coconino National Forest via AP)
Coconino National Forest via AP
Another location that could flirt with 100 degrees this week is Tucson, Arizona, where the temperature is expected to approach the daily record of 99 from 2020.
Flagstaff, Arizona, not far from the sizable Tunnel Fire, is expected to have afternoon temperatures in the upper 60s and dry weather both days, several degrees above its average high of 61 F for late April. The Tunnel Fire has exploded in size since igniting on April 17 as a small fire. As of Monday morning, the Tunnel Fire has burned over 21,000 acres and is 3% contained.
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