High Wind Warnings and Wind Advisories in effect today as strong winds usher in a cool down
Blowing Dust Advisories issued for parts of southern New Mexico, difficult travel conditions likely
ALL RIGHT. WELL, THE VIEW FROM THE CREST THIS MORNING SHOWS ALBUQUERQUE ALL LIT UP AND LOOKING GOOD. WE’VE GOT STRONG WINDS IN THE MIX TODAY. BLOWING DUST AND A BIG COOL DOWN. IT’S AN ALERT WEATHER DAY FOR ALL OF THOSE REASONS. BUT THE BIG CONCERN IS THE POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. WE QUICKLY WARM UP. WE’LL BE CHALLENGING RECORDS AGAIN BY SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THERE ARE SOME SMALL RAIN CHANCES THAT WE DO NEED TO TALK ABOUT AS WE HEAD INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. FRONT SLID THROUGH OVERNIGHT. THOSE EAST WINDS JUST STARTING TO BLAST HERE OVER THE LAST 60 MINUTES, AND THEY’LL CONTINUE TO RAMP UP ITS STRENGTH PROBABLY RIGHT ON INTO 10:11 A.M. NOTE THE COOLER AFTERNOON HIGHS 50S AND 60S FOR EASTERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. WE’RE STILL IN THE 70S TO AROUND 80 DEGREES OUT WEST. WE’LL HAVE A DRY AND MOSTLY SUNNY SKY, BUT THE VISIBILITY COULD BE POOR AT TIMES DUE TO THE BLOWING DUST. HERE WE ARE AT 515 THIS MORNING AND YOU KNOW, WINDS ALREADY SWITCHED ON UP AND DOWN THE STATE LINE WITH TEXAS. WE’VE GOT THOSE WINDS BACKING INTO ALBUQUERQUE SIX SEVEN 8:00. AND HERE WE ARE AT 11. PEAK WIND GUSTS RIGHT AROUND 11 OR NOON TODAY. AND THEN THERE’S A SMALL DECREASE. BUT WE’LL KEEP THOSE GUSTS UP AROUND 50 RIGHT ON THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. AND THEN PROBABLY DROP THOSE WIND GUSTS INTO THE 40S AS WE APPROACH SUNSET AND CONTINUE TO SETTLE THOSE WINDS OVERNIGHT. LOOK AT ALL THE WIND ADVISORIES AND HIGH WIND WARNINGS UP AND DOWN EASTERN NEW MEXICO, AND ALSO UP AND DOWN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN WITH, YOU KNOW, ALBUQUERQUE UNDER HIGH WIND. WARNING. WE ONLY CATCH A COUPLE OF THESE PER YEAR BLOWING DUST ADVISORIES FOR SIGNIFICANT DUST IN THE AIR AND DIFFICULT TRAVEL CONDITIONS. THE I-10 CORRIDOR WEST OF DEMING LATER ON TODAY. BE AWARE OF THAT. AND ALSO IN SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO, THAT 25 HIGHWAY CORRIDOR THAT CAN FAMOUSLY DUST UP AS WELL THROUGH ARTESIA, DOWN THROUGH CARLSBAD. LOWS TONIGHT 20S AND 30S, NORTHERN NEW MEXICO. AND WE’LL BE DOWN AROUND 39, 40 DEGREES HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE. NOTICEABLY COOLER START TO OUR SATURDAY. BUT NOTE BY DAYBREAK TOMORROW MORNING THE WINDS ARE LIGHT FOR MOST OF US. SATURDAY WILL RIDE OUT THE COOL START AND THEN SEE A PARTLY CLOUDY SKY FOR THE AFTERNOON WITH TEMPERATURES RETURNING INTO THE 60S AND 70S NUMBERS CLOSE TO, BUT STILL SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THE TIME OF YEAR. SATURDAY AFTERNOON LOOKS OVERALL PRETTY WEATHER FRIENDLY AND PLEASANT, WITH LIGHT BREEZES, EXCEPT IN NORTHEAST MEXICO, WHERE WE’RE STILL PROBABLY CATCHING GUSTS IN THE 20 TO 30 MILE PER HOUR RANGE. AS WE LOOK AHEAD TOWARDS OUR SUNDAY NOTE, THE TEMPERATURES REBOUNDING. HERE WE ARE IN THE 70S AND 80S SPOTS IN SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO UP NEAR 90 DEGREES. LAS CRUCES AND CARLSBAD, A COUPLE OF ISOLATED GUSTY THUNDERSHOWERS JUST CAN’T BE RULED OUT. WE’LL HAVE THAT THREAT OF VIRGA EVAPORATING RAIN AND MAYBE A DRY LIGHTNING STRIKE, TOO. THAT COULD LEAD TO A WILDFIRE START. SO THAT IS A SUNDAY AFTERNOON CONCERN. OVERALL. BREEZY SUNDAY COMING IN LIGHT, EXCEPT NEAR WHERE WE’VE GOT THOSE SCATTERED SHOWERS TRYING TO POP. HERE’S YOUR FORECAST FOR NORTHWEST NEW MEXICO FOUR CORNERS AREA. WE ARE STILL GENERALLY IN THE UPPER HALF OF THE 70S, AND THAT’S WHERE WE STAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. MAYBE A SHOWER CHANCE SUNDAY. A LITTLE BETTER CHANCE MONDAY. THERE’S A STRONGER STORM NEXT WEEK. LOOKING LIKE IT WILL COME THROUGH ON WEDNESDAY WITH A COOL DOWN AND A REAL HIGH RAIN CHANCE FOR YOU IN NORTHWEST NEW MEXICO. HERE’S THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE STATE. HIGHS IN THE 70S TO AROUND 80 DEGREES. WE’RE DOWN TEN TOMORROW. WE GET ALL THOSE DEGREES BACK SUNDAY. MAYBE A SHOWER CHANCE. A LITTLE BETTER CHANCE. MONDAY. A STRONGER STORM COMES THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THAT ONE COULD WASH US AND BRING MAYBE A BETTER CHANCE AT A THUNDERSHOWER. HERE’S SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO. LOOK AT THE HIGH TEMPERATURES. WE’RE UP NEAR 100 DEGREES YESTERDAY. TODAY IT’S UPPER 50S TO AROUND 60. SO LIKE A 40 DEGREE DROP AFTERNOON TO AFTERNOON. NOTE ALAMOGORDO STILL UP AT 74 WITH A 69 TOMORROW. BACK INTO THOSE 80S ON SUNDAY. AND IT’S QUITE WARM AGAIN MONDAY. TUESDAY NEAR 90. THEN WE’VE GOT A SHOWER CHANCE AND SOME STRONG WINDS COMING ON WEDNESDAY. NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO. HERE WE ARE WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S TO AROUND 60 DEGREES. NOTICEABLY COOLER TODAY. WIND ADVISORY SPOTS OF HIGH WIND WARNINGS AS THE WINDS SETTLE THIS WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES REBOUNDED TO THE 70 AND 75 DEGREE RANGE. WE STAY IN THAT RANGE MONDAY TUESDAY, BUT THERE’S MORE WIND COMING OUR WAY TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, MAYBE EVEN A DECENT SHOT AT SOME RAIN WEDNESDAY. HERE’S NORTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. WE’RE STILL EXPECTING HIGHS IN THE 60S TO NEAR 70 DEGREES IN THE ESPANOLA VALLEY. WE’VE GOT ADVISORY CRITERIA WINDS THOUGH. SO IT’S AN IMPACT WEATHER DAY WEEKEND GENERALLY DRY AND QUIET. WE’LL WATCH MONDAY FOR A BETTER CHANCE OF A THUNDERSHOWER AND THEN AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY. HERE’S THE ALBUQUERQUE METRO. HIGHS UPPER 60S TODAY. SO NO LONGER CHALLENGING RECORDS. AND AGAIN WE’VE GOT A HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT. SO THIS IS AN ALERT LEVEL WEATHER DAY. JUST BEST TO STAY INDOORS NOT ONLY WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME WIND DAMAGE, BUT ALSO BECAUSE WE EXPECT POOR AIR QUALITY AND A LOT OF DUST AND POLLEN IN THE AIR. 39 TONIGHT BACK TO 73 TOMORROW FOR RECORD HIG
High Wind Warnings and Wind Advisories in effect today as strong winds usher in a cool down
Blowing Dust Advisories issued for parts of southern New Mexico, difficult travel conditions likely
A powerful cold front is moving though the state early this morning, and winds will quickly increase into the daybreak hour and stay powerful all day long, not relaxing until the evening or even into the overnight in some spots. High wind warnings for peak gusts to 60 or even 70 mph could result in wind damage and power outages, and for areas with wind advisories, those peak wind gusts could be 50-55 mph. Blowing dust, swirling pollen and poor air quality is probably going to be a problem for most of us, and blowing dust advisories for significant dust, reduced visibility and very difficult travel conditions have been issued for the southeast and southwest corners of the state. Highway 285 and also Interstate 10 could be very bad today.Temperatures will be noticeably cooler today, especially in eastern New Mexico, and tonight it will really be felt with a lot of spots dropping to freezing or below, and a dip into the upper 30s will likely be seen in Albuquerque. After the chilly start we expect Saturday to be dry and mild with breezes staying light, it should be a very nice afternoon to be outdoors and we will have a good chance to clean up the yard after all the debris and leaves blow around today.Looking ahead – Sunday and Monday will be warmer again; highs will be up near records for the end of March, but we will also be watching for the chance of isolated rain and thundershowers. As is typically the case this time of year, those rain chances come with the possibility of evaporating rain called virga that can result in strong wind gusts – and also the chance at seeing dry lightning strikes that can lead to new fire starts. Then later next week on Wednesday we could be in for a stronger storm with a better rain chance and another round of strong winds.
A powerful cold front is moving though the state early this morning, and winds will quickly increase into the daybreak hour and stay powerful all day long, not relaxing until the evening or even into the overnight in some spots. High wind warnings for peak gusts to 60 or even 70 mph could result in wind damage and power outages, and for areas with wind advisories, those peak wind gusts could be 50-55 mph. Blowing dust, swirling pollen and poor air quality is probably going to be a problem for most of us, and blowing dust advisories for significant dust, reduced visibility and very difficult travel conditions have been issued for the southeast and southwest corners of the state. Highway 285 and also Interstate 10 could be very bad today.
Temperatures will be noticeably cooler today, especially in eastern New Mexico, and tonight it will really be felt with a lot of spots dropping to freezing or below, and a dip into the upper 30s will likely be seen in Albuquerque. After the chilly start we expect Saturday to be dry and mild with breezes staying light, it should be a very nice afternoon to be outdoors and we will have a good chance to clean up the yard after all the debris and leaves blow around today.
Looking ahead – Sunday and Monday will be warmer again; highs will be up near records for the end of March, but we will also be watching for the chance of isolated rain and thundershowers. As is typically the case this time of year, those rain chances come with the possibility of evaporating rain called virga that can result in strong wind gusts – and also the chance at seeing dry lightning strikes that can lead to new fire starts. Then later next week on Wednesday we could be in for a stronger storm with a better rain chance and another round of strong winds.
