Temperatures about to soar with highs challenging records later this week
Breezy to windy conditions develop putting concerns about fire danger in play
DEADLY CRASH. ALL RIGHT, LET’S GET OVER TO ERIC NOW WITH A CHECK OF YOUR FORECAST. ALL RIGHT. A VERY FRIENDLY FINAL WEEK OF FEBRUARY IS EXPECTED HERE. ONE THAT WILL HAVE US CONCERNED ABOUT FIRE DANGER. THOUGH TEMPERATURES ARE GOING TO SOAR WILL BE CHALLENGING RECORD HIGHS LATER ON THIS WEEK. BUT WE’VE GOT A BREEZY, WINDY STRETCH TO RIDE OUT AND THERE WILL BE AREAS OF RED FLAG WARNINGS AND CRITICALLY DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER TO TALK ABOUT. THE JET STREAM HERE HAD A BIG DIP IN IT, KEEPING THE COLD AIR VERY WELL ESTABLISHED. IT’S ABOUT TO FLATTEN OUT AND GO WESTERLY, AND WHEN THESE PACIFIC WESTERLIES BECOME PREVALENT, NOT ONLY DO WE TREND MUCH WARMER, BUT WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS FOR STRONGER WINDS BUILDING INTO THE STATE. THAT WILL BE A COLD FRONT THAT APPROACHES AND KIND OF BACKS ON THROUGH. ON WEDNESDAY, IT LOOKS LIKE TODAY THE TEMPERATURE TREND IS UP. MAY NOT BE GOOD FOR 60S IN THOSE COOLER SPOTS IN FAR NORTHERN NEW MEXICO, BUT MOST OF US WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S KNOCKING ON THE DOOR OF 70 DEGREES IN THOSE WARMER SPOTS IN THE SOUTH, CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST PART OF THE STATE. SUNSHINE SHOULD BE THE STORY. IT’S JUST GOING TO BE A VERY PLEASANT WEATHER DAY OUT THERE. GOT TO WAIT OUT THE MORNING WARM UP THOUGH AS WE HEAD INTO THE OVERNIGHT HERE. YOU CAN SEE WE’VE GOT THE BREEZES IN EASTERN NEW MEXICO FOR THE AFTERNOON, BUT THEY’LL SETTLE QUICKLY THIS EVENING. AND IT’S A A DIP BELOW FREEZING FOR THE WEST AND NORTH. BUT I THINK ALBUQUERQUE PROBABLY DOES HOLD ABOVE FREEZING AND NUMBERS WILL BE IN THE UPPER 30S TO AROUND 40 DEGREES AS WE KICK OFF FOR TUESDAY. AND SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO TOMORROW. BIG STEP OVER WHERE WE TOP OUT TODAY. IN FACT, THAT WILL BE ALBUQUERQUE’S FIRST 70 OF 2026 LOOK AT IN SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO. WE ALREADY JUMP INTO THE LOWER 80S IN THE WARMEST SPOTS. THESE NUMBERS, AIDED BY SOME PRETTY STRONG WINDS OUT IN EASTERN NEW MEXICO. BREEZES FOR THE CENTRAL AND WEST. BUT I THINK TOMORROW AFTERNOON AND EASTERN NEW MEXICO, THE STRONGEST WIND SPOTS WILL HAVE GUSTS UP AROUND 40 OR MAYBE EVEN SLIGHTLY ABOVE 40. AND THESE FIRE WEATHER WATCHES WILL LIKELY BE TURNED INTO FIRE WEATHER WARNINGS UP AND DOWN EASTERN NEW MEXICO. SO WE WILL HAVE THOSE EXTREME DANGER FIRE CONCERNS NOW AS WE LOOK AHEAD TOWARDS WEDNESDAY, WE HAVE THIS FRONT BACKING ON THROUGH. IT’S A FAIRLY WEAK COLD FRONT HERE, MAY NOT EVEN RESULT IN LOWER TEMPERATURES AROUND THE STATE. IN FACT, ROSWELL, YOUR 87 WILL BE A RECORD BREAKER. ALBUQUERQUE I THINK OUR RECORD HIGH TOMORROW IS UP AT 78, SO THAT’S OUT OF REACH. BUT WE’RE UP AT 74. WE ACTUALLY SEE STRONGER WINDS FOR THE CENTRAL AND WEST ON WEDNESDAY THAN ON TUESDAY. BUT IN EASTERN NEW MEXICO, WINDS MAY NOT QUITE MATCH THOSE TUESDAY SPEEDS. THEY’LL BE CLOSE THOUGH, SO WE’LL STILL PROBABLY HAVE SOME FIRE DANGER CONCERNS AROUND A GOOD CHUNK OF THE STATE. HERE’S NORTHWEST, NEW MEXICO AND FOUR CORNERS. YOUR FORECAST TODAY. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S AND LOWER 60S FOR GALLUP AND GRANTS. THE TEMPERATURE TREND IS UP INTO WEDNESDAY. THEN WE DROP A COUPLE THURSDAY FRIDAY AND THEN JUMP AGAIN FOR THE UPCOMING WEEKEND CHALLENGE RECORDS ON BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AS WE HEAD OUT OF FEBRUARY AND INTO MARCH. SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO, LOWER 60S, SILVER CITY, UPPER 60S. OFF THE MOUNTAIN. SILVER CITY HIT 70 BY WEDNESDAY, AND THEN IT’S 70 DEGREE HIGH TEMPERATURES INTO AND THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. HERE’S SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO. IT’S ONLY LOW AND MID 60S TODAY. NUMBERS VERY CLOSE TO LATE FEBRUARY. AVERAGES. WE DO HOLD ABOVE FREEZING TONIGHT, BUT JUST BARELY AT 36 IN ROSWELL. AND THEN LOOK AT TOMORROW WE JUMP TO 82. 87 WOULD BREAK THE RECORD BY TWO. WE DROP OFF A LITTLE BIT FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND THEN JUMP A LITTLE BIT FURTHER INTO THE 80S AGAIN ON SATURDAY. HERE’S NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO, LOOK FOR HIGHS IN THE LOWER 60S TODAY. LOOK AT THE TEMPERATURE TREND. WE HIT 70 BY WEDNESDAY. BACK DOWN TO THE MID 60S THURSDAY. AND THEN KIND OF FLIRT WITH THAT 70 DEGREE MARK AGAIN ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. NORTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO HIGHS WELL INTO THE 50S AND LOWER 60S IN THE ESPANOLA VALLEY. WE’RE JUST BELOW FREEZING TONIGHT IN SANTA FE, 64 TOMORROW NEAR 70 WEDNESDAY. THEN WE’RE A LITTLE LOWER THURSDAY. FRIDAY BEFORE WE’RE BACK APPROACHING 70 AGAIN ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FOR THE ALBUQUERQUE METRO. THAT 64 IS, I BELIEVE, EIGHT DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THE TIME OF YEAR. WE DO JUMP EVEN FURTHER UP THE THERMOMETER TOMORROW, HITTING 70 FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH AN AFTERNOON BREEZE. I THINK OUR WINDIEST DAY GOING FORWARD IN THE NEXT SEVERAL IS GOING TO BE WEDNESDAY. THAT 78 DEGREE RECORD IS OUT OF REACH BY FOR NOW. THURSDAY WE DROP A COUPLE. WE START TO TREND BACK UP FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WE ARE WITHIN ONE OF THE RECORDS BELOW
Temperatures about to soar with highs challenging records later this week
Breezy to windy conditions develop putting concerns about fire danger in play
We have not completely shed that lingering chill from the weekend; it is cold this morning with most spots down around freezing or below as we get going early today. The afternoon will be a quiet one with lots of sunshine and light winds for most, except for some breeziness out in eastern New Mexico. High temperatures will climb back up above average for late February and jump well into the 60s for most.Tomorrow afternoon will be a step warmer again, but also with stronger winds so we will probably have red flag warnings issued up and down eastern New Mexico for extremely dangerous fire weather conditions. Some of the stronger gusts out in eastern New Mexico could be above 40 mph! Wednesday could be even windier for parts of the state and another afternoon with the fire danger concerns.Winds will back off later this week and temperatures will drop slightly for Thursday and Friday, but another jump up for the weekend will have us challenging record highs on both Saturday and Sunday! We are still looking bone dry through the weekend, but the longer-range computer models are suggesting that the next potential storm and chance for rain and mountain snow could come by the middle of next week on Wednesday or maybe into Thursday.
We have not completely shed that lingering chill from the weekend; it is cold this morning with most spots down around freezing or below as we get going early today. The afternoon will be a quiet one with lots of sunshine and light winds for most, except for some breeziness out in eastern New Mexico. High temperatures will climb back up above average for late February and jump well into the 60s for most.
Tomorrow afternoon will be a step warmer again, but also with stronger winds so we will probably have red flag warnings issued up and down eastern New Mexico for extremely dangerous fire weather conditions. Some of the stronger gusts out in eastern New Mexico could be above 40 mph! Wednesday could be even windier for parts of the state and another afternoon with the fire danger concerns.
Winds will back off later this week and temperatures will drop slightly for Thursday and Friday, but another jump up for the weekend will have us challenging record highs on both Saturday and Sunday! We are still looking bone dry through the weekend, but the longer-range computer models are suggesting that the next potential storm and chance for rain and mountain snow could come by the middle of next week on Wednesday or maybe into Thursday.
