Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Albuquerque, NM

Home |  Current Version |  Previous Version |  Text Only |  Print | Product List |  Glossary On
Versions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43
271
FXUS65 KABQ 232352 AAA
AFDABQ

Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
452 PM MST Sat Nov 23 2024

...New AVIATION...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 437 PM MST Sat Nov 23 2024

 - Breezy to windy conditions in many locations Sunday when gusts
   will reach up to 55 mph along the east slopes of the Sangre de
   Cristo Mountains southward to around Vaughn.

 - Rain and mainly mountain snow showers mostly over northern
   areas Monday night through Wednesday night with a few to
   several inches of snow possible in the northern mountains.

 - Breezy to windy conditions return Tuesday through Wednesday,
   then cool on Thanksgiving Day.

&&

.SYNOPSIS...
Issued at 227 PM MST Sat Nov 23 2024

Breezy to windy conditions will develop on Sunday. Temperatures
will trend cooler Sunday and especially Monday, when highs will
vary from around 8 degrees above 1991-2020 averages over southwest
areas to around 8 degrees below the averages northeast. After
rebounding temperatures Tuesday, readings will fall again
Wednesday through Thursday night. A series of disturbances will
bring rain and mainly mountain snow mostly to northern areas
Monday night through Wednesday night. The northern mountains may
accumulate a few to several inches of snow with the greatest
amounts in the Tusas Mountains where over a foot of snow looks
increasingly likely.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(This evening through Sunday night)
Issued at 227 PM MST Sat Nov 23 2024

The eastern Pacific jet will continue to strengthen tonight into
Sunday, turning more zonal. Winds aloft over NM will strengthen in
response with some mountain wave activity likely developing
near/downwind of the Sangre de Cristos into Sunday. Moisture will
also increase over the state with batches of high cirrus tonight
into Sunday before more top-down moistening ensues Sunday night
onward. The stronger winds aloft tonight will leave some gusts
persisting on high exposed ridges and peaks while inhibiting the
development of strong temperature inversions in some areas.
Sheltered areas will still see these strong inversions, posing
challenges for the overnight temperature forecast. Overall, have
trended higher on guidance for tonights lows, with the increase in
cirrus also expected to impede radiational cooling. Pressure heights
will lower into Sunday as the flow aloft orients itself more
westerly which may cause temperatures to remain a couple degrees
lower than todays readings, but downsloping into lower elevations
will likely overcome this Sunday afternoon. Daytime highs should
still be 5 to 15 degrees above average Sunday afternoon. Winds aloft
will not relent much Sunday night with more cirrus streaming in, and
this will keep minimum temperatures milder than they otherwise would
be. The exception to this generalization will be in northeastern NM
(mainly Colfax and Union counties) where a backdoor cold front will
be entering Monday morning.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Monday through Friday)
Issued at 227 PM MST Sat Nov 23 2024

In the wake of Sunday`s cold fronts, high temperatures will cool
a few to around 23 degrees on Monday with the greatest temperature
drop on the eastern plains. Winds will also weaken considerably as
a low amplitude ridge of high pressure crosses.

An upper level trough will cross northern and eastern NM from the
northwest mid week with a few to several inches of snow
accumulation in the northern mountains. Rain showers and mainly
mountain snow showers will begin as early as Monday night along
and west of the northern mountains due to a series of preceeding
shortwave troughs that will track eastward along the CO/NM border.

The system will also strengthen winds with breezy to windy
conditions mostly along the Sangre de Cristo Mountains Tuesday,
then across most of our high terrain as well as east central
areas Tuesday night and Wednesday. The potential exists for west wind
gusts to reach 55 mph in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains Tuesday
night, then along the east slopes of the central mountain chain
from Las Vegas southward Wednesday.

After rebounding temperatures Tuesday and Tuesday night, readings
will fall Wednesday through Thursday night. Highs will bottom out
on Thursday from near 30-year averages over southwest areas to as
much as 12 degrees below the averages elsewhere. High temperatures
will begin to rebound some under dry northwest flow aloft on
Friday.

&&

.AVIATION...
(00Z TAFS)
Issued at 437 PM MST Sat Nov 23 2024

VFR will occur the next 24 hrs at all terminals. Localized wind
gusts of 20 to 30KT near the higher terrain late this afternoon
will continue overnight while another batch of cirrus develops
from west to east. LLWS will increase for KGUP and KLVS given the
stronger winds aloft after sunset. Strong southwest and west
winds will develop after 11am Sunday with gusts of 30 to 40KT
common for the high terrain, western NM, and the eastern plains.
Thicker cirrus and patchy mid level clouds will also overspread
the region Sunday.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 227 PM MST Sat Nov 23 2024

After a stretch of widespread poor smoke dispersion and ventilation,
increasing winds aloft are starting to create a few pockets of
better mixing today. These areas of improved mixing and ventilation
will increase more into Sunday, but will start to decline Monday.
After breezy conditions in a few areas today, stronger winds aloft
will mix down to the surface on a more widespread basis Sunday with
gusts of 25 to 35 mph being more common (and locally up to 40 to 50
mph near the Sangre de Cristos and central highlands). Many areas
will observe minimum humidity of 15 to 25 percent on Sunday, leading
to elevated or marginally critical conditions, particularly over the
highlands and at the interface with the high plains. A cold front
will then back into NM from the northeast Monday, leading to lighter
winds (and less mixing and smoke ventilation), but this respite will
be short-lived with stronger winds redeveloping Tuesday.
Fortunately, humidity will be increasing substantially into Monday
and Tuesday as Pacific moisture seeps in from the west, so no
critical fire weather concerns are expected. Breezy to windy
conditions will resume Wednesday with an upper level disturbance
also bringing a quick shot of rain and mountain snow to northern
areas of NM. Drier and less windy weather looks to prevail
Thanksgiving Day through Friday and Saturday with minimum humidity
remaining at or above 30 percent each day.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Farmington......................  29  57  29  53 /   0   0   0   0
Dulce...........................  21  54  22  51 /   0   0   0   0
Cuba............................  28  57  26  50 /   0   0   0   0
Gallup..........................  25  59  23  55 /   0   0   0   0
El Morro........................  24  56  27  53 /   0   0   0   0
Grants..........................  25  61  26  58 /   0   0   0   0
Quemado.........................  26  63  29  58 /   0   0   0   0
Magdalena.......................  36  63  36  59 /   0   0   0   0
Datil...........................  29  61  32  58 /   0   0   0   0
Reserve.........................  24  65  28  66 /   0   0   0   0
Glenwood........................  35  67  38  68 /   0   0   0   0
Chama...........................  23  49  22  45 /   0   5   0   5
Los Alamos......................  36  55  33  49 /   0   0   0   0
Pecos...........................  34  57  31  50 /   0   0   0   0
Cerro/Questa....................  30  51  28  46 /   0   5   0   0
Red River.......................  28  45  27  39 /   0   0   0   0
Angel Fire......................  30  48  29  42 /   0   5   0   0
Taos............................  23  55  25  48 /   0   5   0   0
Mora............................  34  59  29  50 /   0   0   0   0
Espanola........................  29  62  31  56 /   0   0   0   0
Santa Fe........................  32  55  34  50 /   0   0   0   0
Santa Fe Airport................  30  58  32  52 /   0   0   0   0
Albuquerque Foothills...........  34  60  37  56 /   0   0   0   0
Albuquerque Heights.............  36  62  39  58 /   0   0   0   0
Albuquerque Valley..............  30  64  32  60 /   0   0   0   0
Albuquerque West Mesa...........  33  63  35  58 /   0   0   0   0
Belen...........................  30  65  33  60 /   0   0   0   0
Bernalillo......................  33  63  34  58 /   0   0   0   0
Bosque Farms....................  28  64  31  60 /   0   0   0   0
Corrales........................  32  62  33  59 /   0   0   0   0
Los Lunas.......................  29  63  32  60 /   0   0   0   0
Placitas........................  33  60  36  54 /   0   0   0   0
Rio Rancho......................  34  61  35  58 /   0   0   0   0
Socorro.........................  35  68  38  65 /   0   0   0   0
Sandia Park/Cedar Crest.........  35  56  34  50 /   0   0   0   0
Tijeras.........................  36  58  36  53 /   0   0   0   0
Edgewood........................  33  58  32  54 /   0   0   0   0
Moriarty/Estancia...............  25  61  27  55 /   0   0   0   0
Clines Corners..................  34  57  31  50 /   0   0   0   0
Mountainair.....................  34  61  34  55 /   0   0   0   0
Gran Quivira....................  33  61  34  56 /   0   0   0   0
Carrizozo.......................  40  65  41  62 /   0   0   0   0
Ruidoso.........................  40  62  39  59 /   0   0   0   0
Capulin.........................  30  56  24  41 /   0   0   0   0
Raton...........................  30  63  25  48 /   0   0   0   0
Springer........................  29  60  25  46 /   0   0   0   0
Las Vegas.......................  37  62  30  47 /   0   0   0   0
Clayton.........................  42  69  30  46 /   0   0   0   0
Roy.............................  35  66  29  45 /   0   0   0   0
Conchas.........................  39  73  34  52 /   0   0   0   0
Santa Rosa......................  39  69  37  52 /   0   0   0   0
Tucumcari.......................  41  72  34  50 /   0   0   0   0
Clovis..........................  42  73  38  55 /   0   0   0   0
Portales........................  39  73  39  55 /   0   0   0   0
Fort Sumner.....................  39  74  39  55 /   0   0   0   0
Roswell.........................  40  75  44  64 /   0   0   0   0
Picacho.........................  45  74  46  65 /   0   0   0   0
Elk.............................  46  72  45  66 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Wind Advisory from 11 AM to 6 PM MST Sunday for NMZ215-223-229-
233.

&&

$$

SHORT TERM...52
LONG TERM....44
AVIATION...42