NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Wednesday morning is dry and cool. Temperatures are in the 40s in the northern and western high terrain, with 50s in most of northern New Mexico. These cool morning temperatures are typical this time of year, so you will start to need the jacket on a daily basis in northern NM. Central and southern NM are starting in the 60s and 70s. Wednesday will be another mostly sunny and dry day. Clouds and virga will develop in the west central high terrain and Socorro County. There will be a better chance for storms in the southern high terrain on Thursday, Friday and the weekend. Another heat wave will bring record heat to the state Thursday through Saturday, thanks to a strong area of high pressure moving over New Mexico.

Forecast Continues Below

This heat wave comes after an anomalously hot summer season. The average temperatures from June 1st to August 31st, in most main cities in the region, were the hottest on record, or within the top 10 hottest on record. It was also one of the driest summers on record in these same spots. Only the northeast highlands, near Raton and Clayton, saw wet summer weather. This heat and dry pattern continues through the first week of September. However, relief is in sight for the second week of September, as a strong backdoor cold front is forecast to arrive, bringing higher moisture for storms, as well as near and below average temperatures to the central and eastern half of the state.