Dust storms and strong winds rage across New Mexico as transit authorities close major highways

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Dust storms, strong gusts and at least two brush fires descended on New Mexico on Tuesday, snarling highway traffic, knocking out power and setting buildings ablaze.

The National Weather Service pushed an emergency alert to cellphones that warned of zero-visibility conditions and adverse health consequences for infants and the elderly. And in some parts of the state, gusts have reached as high as 70 mph (113 kph).

The state is being hit by strong winds off an area of low pressure directly over Kansas on Tuesday evening, while extremely dry conditions over the last few months have created prime conditions for fire threat and dust storms, said Marc Chenard, meteorologist for the weather service.

Dry, dusty weather reduced visibility to almost zero in some instances amid gusts of up to 50 mph (80 kph) along the Albuquerque-Santa Fe corridor and high plains communities in Torrance County, including towns along Interstate 40. Interstate 25 was opened after a brief closure near Cochiti Pueblo due to dust, wind and poor visibility.

Blinding dust prompted New Mexico’s transportation department to close a 130-mile stretch of Interstate 10, from the Arizona state line to the outskirts of Las Cruces, along with state highways near Deming.

High winds also led to road closures in the state's oil-producing region near Roswell and Carlsbad.

“Motorists should not drive into a dust storm. Pull aside and stay alive,” the National Weather Service said in a dust-storm warning.

More than 39,000 customers were without power by Tuesday evening, according to PowerOutage.us. The utility PNM said on X that it was responding to several outages due to high winds and suggested its customers prepare for the possibility of more outages.

Authorities also warned of extreme conditions in the event of wildfire, in the aftermath of a grasslands fire that prompted evacuations Friday on the outskirts of Wagon Mound.

A brush fire ignited in Bosque Farms, a village just south of Albuquerque, temporarily closing part of Highway 47, according to Albuquerque TV station KOAT. The Valencia County Fire Department said in a social media post that the fire has "burned structures," though the number of buildings that sustained damage was not immediately clear.

Beyond New Mexico, dust storms last week resulted in a pileup in western Kansas on Interstate 70 involving dozens of cars and trucks that left eight people dead.