Parts of N.M. under watch for blowing dust and high winds

The National Weather Service has issued another high wind watch Monday for parts of New Mexico along with a blowing dust advisory. Numerous power outages were reported Sunday across Albuquerque and other parts of the state due to extremely high winds.

The Public Service Company of New Mexico reported a handful of power outages outside of Santa Fe on Sunday afternoon, although they had all been fixed by Sunday evening. Most of the outages the company reported were in the Albuquerque area, with a few in the Alamogordo and Ruidoso areas as well. Santa Fe police and the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office reported no major incidents Sunday.

On Wednesday, a winter storm brought wind gusts of up to 85 mph in Santa Fe and toppled some trees and blew signs away.

Another storm system — this one moving east from Southern California and Arizona on Sunday — packed winds up to 50 mph along with some snow. The Weather Service said less than an inch of snow was expected to fall in Santa Fe with up to 3 feet in the New Mexico’s mountainous areas.

The storm is expected to exit the state Monday, but meteorologists said strong wind gusts are forecast to return Tuesday.

In Arizona, Flagstaff had highs only in the upper 20s on Sunday with up to a foot of new snow on the ground.

A low-pressure system brought widespread rain and snow in southern Nevada, according to the National Weather Service office in Las Vegas.

An avalanche warning was issued for the Sierra Nevada backcountry around Lake Tahoe, which straddles the California-Nevada border.