Morning temperatures are a solid 10-20° cooler than Friday morning with some spots north and west of Albuquerque below freezing. Taos is in the lower 20s under clear skies. Expect below average highs all across the state with the ABQ metro reaching into the middle 60s. But the breezy northwest winds won’t be messing around with gusts 35-45 mph. The peak winds will set up over northern NM. The far northeast plains could see a few isolated sprinkles this afternoon as a backdoor front passes through. Highs will only reach into the middle 50s here for Clayton, Raton, and Las Vegas. We’re also looking at improving conditions for the Jemez as flooding will not be a major issue this weekend.
Sunday will by far be the best day in the weekend with warming temps, sunny skies, and lighter southerly breezes. Some stronger gusts are likely for southwest NM into the Gila. But we’ll climb above average and begin our warming trend. We’ll be back in the lower 70s in the Rio Grande Valley and 80s south. Come Monday clouds begin increasing as well as breezier conditions statewide. This brings widespread 80° temperatures for all of southern and eastern New Mexico. The windiest days next week will be Tuesday and Wednesday as a scraper storm system brushes our state. We all stay dry, but we’ll see stronger winds with increasing fire danger.
