Central New Mexico Weather: 5/24/22

Tomorrow, I will begin posting about storm chasing, as I am 90% sure I will leave to pick up my crew in the Northern Plains.

Yesterday was cloudy, mild and breezy in Rio Rancho and Socorro. It was downright cool when I arrived back in Rio Rancho last night. There were even a few drops of rain in Belen along my commute.

This morning, the weather is cloudy, mild and still in Rio Rancho. My weather station in Rio Rancho says:

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Rio Rancho, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 74 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 5-10 mph, increasing to 15-20 mph in the afternoon. This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 43 F. The winds will be from the north at 15-20 mph, decreasing to 5-10 mph after midnight. Rio Rancho is under a Red Flag Warning from 1 PM until 8 PM.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Socorro, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 80 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 5-10 mph, increasing to 15-20 mph and gusting to 30 mph this afternoon. This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 46 F. The winds will be from the north at 15-20 mph, gusting to 30 mph but then decreasing to 5-10 mph by midnight. Socorro is under a Red Flag Warning from 1 PM until 8 PM.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Magdalena, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 71 F. The winds will be from the southwest at 10-15 mph, increasing to 20-25 mph and gusting to 35 mph in the afternoon. This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 42 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 20-25 mph, gusting to 35 mph, but then decreasing 10-15 mph after midnight. Magdalena is under an Air Quality Alert and a Red Flag Warning from 1 PM until 8 PM.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Mountainair, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 66 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 5-15 mph, increasing to 15-25 mph in the afternoon. This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 35 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 15-20 mph, gusting to 30 mph, becoming northeasterly at 5-10 mph after midnight.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, has issued several Air Quality Alerts as well as Fire Weather Watches posted for tomorrow. The NWS Watches and Warnings graphic is shown below:

The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has issued a Critical Fire Weather Risk for the western half of the state. Even though there was some increase in humidity, the weather is expected to dry out and be breezy this afternoon.

The visible satellite imagery is unavailable at this time. The enhanced infrared imagery shows mostly cloudy skies over the state this morning.

The upper-level water vapor imagery shows a stream of dry air pushing into the western half of the state.

The 12Z upper air sounding from Albuquerque, NM, is unavailable at this time.

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Surface Map shows cool, moderately humid weather, with a mix of sunny and cloudy skies (according to the sensors). The winds are light and variable.

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Pressure Map shows there is low pressure in the southeastern corner of the state, and slightly higher pressure east of the Colorado Rockies, placing us in a light pressure gradient. The RAP shows this trend will continue for at least the next six hours.

The NAM 250 mb chart shows moderate to strong, northerly flow over the state today.

The NAM 700 mb and 850 mb charts show no strong thermal advection over the state today. These charts have been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM simulated reflectivity shows numerous showers and thunderstorms developing over the eastern half of the state this afternoon.

The Nested NAM precipitation chart shows rain is possible over most of the eastern half of the state, though the total amounts are not as high as from yesterday’s storms.

The Nested NAM predicts that the high temperatures for the middle Rio Grande River Valley will reach the upper 70s F.

The Nested NAM shows the low temperatures are expected to drop into the mid 40s F.

The Nested NAM shows that the dewpoints will drop into the single digits in the western half of the state, tightening the dryline between them and the 30s and 40s F dewpoints in the east.

The Nested NAM shows winds will be breezy, with the strongest winds in the western half of the state.

The Nested NAM simulated infrared chart shows a mostly cloudy day for the eastern half of the state, but skies are expected to clear in the west.

Today will be mostly sunny, dry and windy west of the central mountain chain. In the east, the dryline will tighten, and there will be showers and thunderstorms.

I am prepping for storm chasing today by knocking out a few work-related items. I will set sail either tomorrow or early Thursday morning, I’m not sure which yet.

The forecasts from the National Weather Service are from The NWS Homepage. The upper air soundings and mesoscale analysis plots are from the Storm Prediction Center website. The satellite data, model data, and forecasted soundings are from College of DuPage – SATRAD

Weather Data: 5/16/22 – 5/22/22

Time for my 108th week of weather station data. I am using Ambient Weather’s interface.

The high temperature of 90.9 F occurred on Wednesday afternoon. We had a low temperature of 42.1 F on Sunday morning. The dewpoints ranged from 48 F to 9.1 F.

There was no precipitation this week. This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

The strongest winds and the strongest gust (27.3 mph) occurred on Friday afternoon.

The high pressure was 30.13 in Hg (~1020 mb) on Sunday, and the lowest pressure was on Friday morning, dropping down to 29.59 in Hg (~1002 mb).

The solar charts show mostly sunny skies this week. The peaks are low because the smoke blocked some of the solar radiation.

The air quality was the worst on Thursday, reaching 66 ug/m^3. This is likely due to the smoke in the air, though it is light here compared to other parts of the state.

Thank you for reading my post.

Central New Mexico Weather: 5/23/22

I will continue to post about New Mexico weather, as I won’t be chasing storms for several days at least.

Yesterday was sunny, warm and breezy in Rio Rancho.

This morning, the weather is cloudy, mild and still in Rio Rancho. My weather station in Rio Rancho says:

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Rio Rancho, NM) a mostly cloudy day, with a high temperature of 82 F. The winds will be from the southeast at 5-10 mph, becoming northwesterly at 15-20 mph in the afternoon. This evening will be mostly cloudy, with a low temperature of 49 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 15-20 mph, gusting to 30 mph, but then decreasing to 5-10 mph by midnight. Rio Rancho is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Socorro, NM) a mostly cloudy day, with a high temperature of 87 F. The winds will be from the south at 10-20 mph. This evening will be mostly cloudy, with some patchy smoke and a low temperature of 53 F. The winds will be from the north at 15-20 mph, becoming northwesterly at 5-10 mph by midnight. Socorro is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Magdalena, NM) a smoky, mostly cloudy day, with a high temperature of 79 F. The winds will be from the southwest at 5-15 mph. This evening will be mostly cloudy, with smoky and a low temperature of 47 F. The winds will be from the west at 10-20 mph, becoming northerly by midnight. Magdalena is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Mountainair, NM) a mostly cloudy day, with a high temperature of 77 F. The winds will be from the southwest at 10-20 mph. This evening will be mostly cloudy, with a low temperature of 45 F. The winds will be from the west at 10-15 mph, becoming northerly after midnight.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, has issued several Air Quality Alerts as well as Fire Weather Watches posted for tomorrow. The NWS Watches and Warnings graphic is shown below:

The visible satellite imagery is unavailable at this time. The enhanced infrared imagery shows mostly cloudy skies over the state this morning.

The upper-level water vapor imagery shows a low-amplitude trough to our north.

The 12Z upper air sounding from Albuquerque, NM, is unavailable at this time.

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Surface Map shows mild, moderately humid weather, with sunny skies (according to the sensors). A few stations are reporting clouds, along the eastern edge of the state.The winds are light and variable.

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Pressure Map shows we are under low pressure with no strong pressure gradients. The RAP shows this trend will continue as the center of the low pressure moves east over the next six hours.

The NAM 250 mb chart shows light to moderate, zonal to northwesterly flow over the state today. There is a low-amplitude trough approaching from the west.

The NAM 700 mb and 850 mb charts show no strong thermal advection over the state today. These charts have been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM simulated reflectivity shows a few thunderstorms developing, particularly near the eastern border of the state.

Heavy rainfall may be possible with the strongest of these storms, though they are nowhere near the large forest fires, unfortunately.

The Nested NAM predicts that the high temperatures for the middle Rio Grande River Valley will reach the lower 80s F.

The Nested NAM shows the low temperatures are expected to drop into the mid 50s F.

The Nested NAM shows that the dewpoints will rise from the 20s F to the 30s F.

The Nested NAM shows winds will be breezy, with some strong gusts near the strongest storms.

The Nested NAM simulated infrared chart shows a mostly cloudy day for the northern half of the state.

Today will be mostly cloudy, warm and breezy. I am intrigued by the storms in the eastern part of the state, but I’ve already made a commitment to go into work today, so I won’t be chasing them, unfortunately. I’m wondering if the NAM is overestimating the rainfall on the strongest cell, as it is calling for quite a bit (over 4 inches).

I will commute to and from Socorro today in the buses and trains, but will probably remain inside once I am there.

The forecasts from the National Weather Service are from The NWS Homepage. The upper air soundings and mesoscale analysis plots are from the Storm Prediction Center website. The satellite data, model data, and forecasted soundings are from College of DuPage – SATRAD

Central New Mexico Weather: 5/22/22

I will continue to post about New Mexico weather, as I won’t be chasing storms for several days at least.

Yesterday was sunny, warm and breezy in Rio Rancho.

This morning, the weather is sunny, mild and breezy in Rio Rancho. My weather station in Rio Rancho says:

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Rio Rancho, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 78 F. The winds will be from the southeast at 10-15 mph. This evening will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature of 54 F. The winds will be from the south at 10-20 mph.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Socorro, NM) a smoky day, with increasing clouds and a high temperature of 82 F. The winds will be from the east at 15-20 mph gusting to 30 mph, becoming southerly in the afternoon. This evening will be partly cloudy, with some patchy smoke and a low temperature of 54 F. The winds will be from the south at 20-25 mph, decreasing to 10-15 mph after midnight. Socorro is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Magdalena, NM) a smoky, sunny day, with a high temperature of 75 F. The winds will be from the south at 15-20 mph, gusting to 30 mph. This evening will be partly cloudy, with some patchy smoke and a low temperature of 51 F. The winds will be from the south at 15-20 mph, gusting to 30 mph, but then decreasing to 10-15 mph after midnight. Magdalena is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Mountainair, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 72 F. The winds will be from the east at 15-20 mph, becoming southerly in the afternoon. This evening will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature of 50 F. The winds will be from the south at 20-25 mph, gusting to 35 mph, decreasing to 15-20 mph after midnight. Mountainair is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, has issued several Air Quality Alerts. The NWS Watches and Warnings graphic is shown below:

The visible satellite imagery shows a few clouds over the eastern half of the state.

The upper-level water vapor imagery shows a small ridge over New Mexico.

The 12Z upper air sounding from Albuquerque, NM, shows a moderately humid atmosphere. There was 0.35 inches of precipitable water present in the column this morning. There was no Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE), no Convective Inhibition (CIN), and the Lifted Condensation Level (LCL) was 1007 m. There was several small thermal inversions near the surface and the 0-3 km lapse rate was 3.2 C/km. The hodograph shows that the low-level shear was 22 kts (due mostly to directional changes) and the deep-layer shear was 72 kts (due mostly to speed changes).

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Surface Map shows mild, dry weather, with sunny skies (according to the sensors). A few stations are reporting clouds, but some of that is likely smoke.The winds are light and variable.

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Pressure Map shows we are between the thermal low over western New Mexico and the high pressure over the Great Plains, with a steep gradient from east to west. The RAP shows we are expected to remain in the middle of this pressure gradient for at least the next six hours.

The NAM 250 mb chart shows light to moderate, zonal to southwesterly flow over the state today. The trough is expected to attenuate as it moves east.

The NAM 700 mb and 850 mb charts show no strong thermal advection over the state today. These charts have been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM simulated reflectivity shows little chance of showers and thunderstorms today. This, and the precipitation chart, have been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM predicts that the high temperatures for the middle Rio Grande River Valley will reach the upper 70s F.

The Nested NAM shows the low temperatures are expected to drop into the lower 50s F.

The Nested NAM shows that the dewpoints will remain in the 20s and 30s F.

The Nested NAM shows winds will be breezy, particularly this evening as the cold front passes.

The Nested NAM simulated infrared chart shows a few clouds over the southern half of the state.

Today will be sunny, mild and a little breezy. The backdoor cold front has washed out, but it will remain a little cooler today. In the evening, a few clouds will roll in.

I will stay home today, but will probably go for a walk and may play in my garden.

The forecasts from the National Weather Service are from The NWS Homepage. The upper air soundings and mesoscale analysis plots are from the Storm Prediction Center website. The satellite data, model data, and forecasted soundings are from College of DuPage – SATRAD

Satellite Image of the Week 2022 #21

This week, I chose an image over New Mexico earlier this week.

In this true color image, you can see several large plumes of smoke that are covering the skies over central New Mexico. The southernmost one is southwest of Magdalena, and there are several smaller fires burning through the state. The state’s largest fire is out of this frame.

Source:

RAMMB
College of DuPage – SATRAD

Central New Mexico Weather: 5/21/22

I will continue to post about New Mexico weather, as I won’t be chasing storms for several days at least.

Yesterday was sunny, warm and breezy. It was quite smoky in Socorro.

This morning, the weather is sunny, mild and breezy in Rio Rancho. My weather station in Rio Rancho says:

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Rio Rancho, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 81 F. The winds will be from the south at 15 mph. This evening will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature of 47 F. The winds will be from the southwest at 15-20 mph, becoming northeasterly after midnight. Rio Rancho is under a Wind Advisory from 9 PM until 6 AM tomorrow.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Socorro, NM) a smoky, sunny day, with a high temperature of 88 F. The winds will be from the south at 15-20 mph. This evening will be mostly clear, with some patchy smoke and a low temperature of 49 F. The winds will be from the south at 15-20 mph, decreasing to 10-15 mph after midnight. Socorro is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Magdalena, NM) a smoky, sunny day, with a high temperature of 80 F. The winds will be from the southwest at 15-20 mph. This evening will be mostly clear, with some patchy smoke and a low temperature of 46 F. The winds will be from the southwest 15-20 mph, becoming southerly at 10-25 mph after midnight. Magdalena is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Mountainair, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 76 F. The winds will be from the south at 15-20 mph, gusting to 30 mph. This evening will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature of 41 F. The winds will be from the south at 15-25 mph , becoming easterly after midnight. Mountainair is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, has issued several Air Quality Alerts and High Wind Watches. The NWS Watches and Warnings graphic is shown below:

The visible satellite imagery shows very few clouds over the state today. This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

The upper-level water vapor imagery shows a shallow trough to our north.

The 12Z upper air sounding from Albuquerque, NM, shows a moderately humid atmosphere. There was 0.43 inches of precipitable water present in the column this morning. There was no Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE), no Convective Inhibition (CIN), and the Lifted Condensation Level (LCL) was 2015 m. There was a tiny thermal inversion near the surface and the 0-3 km lapse rate was 6.2 C/km. The hodograph shows that the low-level shear was 31 kts (due mostly to directional changes) and the deep-layer shear was 66 kts (due mostly to speed changes).

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Surface Map shows mild, dry weather, with sunny skies (according to the sensors). A few stations are reporting clouds, but that is likely smoke.The winds are light and variable.

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Pressure Map shows we are between the thermal low over western New Mexico and the high pressure over the eastern Colorado, with a steep gradient from northeast to southwest. The RAP shows we are expected to remain under low pressure for at least the next six hours.

The NAM 250 mb chart shows light, zonal flow over the state today. The trough is expected to attenuate as it moves east.

The NAM 700 mb and 850 mb charts show Cold Air Advection (CAA) pushing into the state from the east this evening and into tomorrow morning.

The Nested NAM simulated reflectivity shows little chance of showers and thunderstorms today. This, and the precipitation chart, have been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM predicts that the high temperatures for the middle Rio Grande River Valley will reach the mid 80s F.

The Nested NAM shows the low temperatures are expected to drop into the lower 50s F.

The Nested NAM shows that the dewpoints will remain in the 10s and lower 20s F.

The Nested NAM shows winds will be breezy, particularly this evening as the cold front passes.

The Nested NAM simulated infrared chart shows a few clouds creeping in from the northeast due to the backdoor cold front.

Today will be sunny, hot and a little breezy. A potent backdoor cold front will push into the state, dropping temperatures unseasonably low, increasing the nighttime winds and bringing a few clouds. The northern mountains may see a little snow, but the NAM didn’t show a lot, so I excluded it from the post.

I will stay home today, but will probably go for a walk and may play in my garden.

The forecasts from the National Weather Service are from The NWS Homepage. The upper air soundings and mesoscale analysis plots are from the Storm Prediction Center website. The satellite data, model data, and forecasted soundings are from College of DuPage – SATRAD

Central New Mexico Weather: 5/20/22

I will continue to post about New Mexico weather, as I won’t be chasing storms for several days at least.

Yesterday was sunny, warm and breezy. It was quite smoky in Socorro. There were mostly cloudy skies in Rio Rancho by the evening, as high clouds drifted into the area.

This morning, the weather is partly cloudy, mild and breezy in Rio Rancho. My weather station in Rio Rancho says:

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Rio Rancho, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 89 F. The winds will be from the southwest at 10-20 mph, increasing to 20-30 mph and gusting to 40 mph this afternoon. This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 52 F. The winds will be from the west at 20-30 mph, gusting to 40 mph, but then decreasing to 10-20 mph after midnight. Rio Rancho is under a Red Flag Warning from 10 AM until 9 PM, and a Wind Advisory from 12 PM until 8 PM.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Socorro, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 93 F. The winds will be from the south at 5-15 mph, increasing to 20-30 mph and gusting to 40 mph this afternoon. This evening will be clear, with some patchy smoke and a low temperature of 54 F. The winds will be from the west at 20-30 mph, gusting to 40 mph, but then becoming southerly at 5-10 mph after midnight. Socorro is under an Air Quality Alert and a Red Flag Warning from 10 AM until 9 PM.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Magdalena, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 83 F. The winds will be from the southwest at 15-20 mph, increasing to 25-30 mph and gusting to 40 mph this afternoon. This evening will be mostly clear, with some patchy smoke and a low temperature of 49 F. The winds will be from the west 20-30 mph, gusting to 45 mph, but then decreasing to 10-20 mph after midnight. Magdalena is under an Air Quality Alert and a Red Flag Warning from 10 AM until 9 PM..

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Mountainair, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 84 F. The winds will be from the southwest at 15-20 mph, increasing to 25-30 mph and gusting to 40 mph in the afternoon. This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 43 F. The winds will be from the west at 20-30 mph and gusting to 40 mph, but then decreasing to 5-15 mph after midnight. Mountainair is under a Red Flag Warning from 10 AM until 9 PM..

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, has issued an Air Quality Alert for parts of central New Mexico. This is due to the wildfire smoke. There are also a few Fire Weather Watches and Red Flag Warnings, some of which are in place for tomorrow. The NWS Watches and Warnings graphic is shown below:

The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has issued a Critical Fire Weather Risk for most of the state today.

The visible satellite imagery is unavailable at this time. The enhanced infrared imagery shows a band of thick clouds running from southwest to northeast through the center of the state.

The upper-level water vapor imagery shows a trough poised to pass north of us.

The 12Z upper air sounding from Albuquerque, NM, is unavailable at this time.

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Surface Map shows mild, dry weather, with sunny skies (according to the sensors). A few stations are reporting clouds, but that is likely smoke.The winds are light and variable.

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Pressure Map shows we are under low pressure with no strong pressure gradients over the state. The RAP shows we are expected to remain under low pressure for at least the next six hours.

The NAM 250 mb chart shows light, zonal flow over the state today. There is a trough that will pass to our north.

The NAM 700 mb and 850 mb charts show a little cold air sagging south into the northeastern corner of the state today. It is more visible on the 850 mb chart, shown below:

The Nested NAM simulated reflectivity shows little chance of showers and thunderstorms today. This, and the precipitation chart, have been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM predicts that the high temperatures for the middle Rio Grande River Valley will reach the lower 90s F.

The Nested NAM shows the low temperatures are expected to drop into the lower 50s F.

The Nested NAM shows that the dewpoints will remain in the 10s and lower 20s F.

The Nested NAM shows winds will be breezy, adding to the fire weather threat.

The Nested NAM simulated infrared chart shows very few clouds over the state today. This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

Today will be sunny, hot and a little breezy. Once again, the fire weather risk today and tomorrow is the dominant weather feature. The clouds that we see ahead of the trough will move through the area in the morning, bringing with them no precipitation, unfortunately.

I will commute to Socorro and back, but will largely remain indoors today.

The forecasts from the National Weather Service are from The NWS Homepage. The upper air soundings and mesoscale analysis plots are from the Storm Prediction Center website. The satellite data, model data, and forecasted soundings are from College of DuPage – SATRAD

Central New Mexico Weather: 5/19/22

I will continue to post about New Mexico weather, as I won’t be chasing storms for several days at least.

Yesterday was sunny, warm and breezy. It was quite smoky in Socorro and Magdalena.

This morning, the weather is mostly sunny, mild and still in Rio Rancho. My weather station in Rio Rancho says:

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Rio Rancho, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 93 F. The winds will be from the west at 15-20 mph. This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 58 F. The winds will be from the west at 10-20 mph. Rio Rancho is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Socorro, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 95 F. The winds will be from the southeast at 5-15 mph This evening will be mostly clear, with some patchy smoke and a low temperature of 56 F. The winds will be from the west at 15-20 mph, gusting to 30 mph, but then decreasing to 10-15 mph after midnight. Socorro is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Magdalena, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 88 F. The winds will be from the west at 10-15 mph. This evening will be mostly clear, with some patchy smoke and a low temperature of 53 F. The winds will be from the west 15-20 mph, increasing to 20-25 mph and gusting to 35 mph after midnight. Magdalena is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Mountainair, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 87 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 5-10 mph, becoming westerly at 15-20 mph in the afternoon. This evening will be mostly clear, with patchy smoke and a low temperature of 53 F. The winds will be from the southwest 15-25 mph. Mountainair is under an Air Quality Alert and a Fire Weather Watch from 12 PM until 10 PM.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, has issued an Air Quality Alert for parts of central New Mexico. This is due to the wildfire smoke. There are also a few Fire Weather Watches and Red Flag Warnings, some of which are in place for tomorrow. The NWS Watches and Warnings graphic is shown below:

The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has issued a Critical Fire Weather Risk for most of the state today.

The visible satellite imagery shows very few clouds over the state today. This image has been excluded from today’s post.

The upper-level water vapor imagery shows no remarkable features.

The 12Z upper air sounding from Albuquerque, NM, is unavailable at this time.

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Surface Map shows mild, dry weather, with sunny skies (according to the sensors). A few stations are reporting clouds, but that is likely smoke.The winds are light and variable.

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Pressure Map shows we are under slightly lower pressure due to a low pressure system that is developing over the northern Great Plains. The RAP shows the low will deepen and strengthen the pressure gradient from southwest to northeast across the state over the next six hours.

The NAM 250 mb chart shows light, northerly flow over the state today.

The NAM 700 mb and 850 mb charts show no strong thermal advection over the state today. These charts have been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM simulated reflectivity shows little chance of showers and thunderstorms today. This, and the precipitation chart, have been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM predicts that the high temperatures for the middle Rio Grande River Valley will reach the lower 90s F.

The Nested NAM shows the low temperatures are expected to drop into the lower 50s F.

The Nested NAM shows that the dewpoints will remain in the 10s and lower 20s F.

The Nested NAM shows winds will be breezy, adding to the fire weather threat.

The Nested NAM simulated infrared chart shows very few clouds over the state today. This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

Today should be sunny, hot and a little breezy. Once again, the fire weather risk today and tomorrow is the dominant weather feature. As the low strengthens in the northern plains, it will help increase the pressure gradient force through the states, increasing the wind speeds over dry fuels and low humidity.

I will commute to Socorro and back, but will largely remain indoors today.

The forecasts from the National Weather Service are from The NWS Homepage. The upper air soundings and mesoscale analysis plots are from the Storm Prediction Center website. The satellite data, model data, and forecasted soundings are from College of DuPage – SATRAD

Central New Mexico Weather: 5/18/22

I will continue to post about New Mexico weather, as I won’t be chasing storms for several days at least.

Yesterday was sunny, warm and breezy. It was quite smoky in Socorro.

This morning, the weather is mostly sunny, mild and still in Rio Rancho. My weather station in Rio Rancho says:

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Rio Rancho, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 90 F. The winds will be from the southwest at 5-10 mph. This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 57 F. The winds will be from the southwest at 5-10 mph, becoming northerly after midnight. Rio Rancho is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Socorro, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 92 F. The winds will be from the north at 5-15 mph, becoming southerly in the afternoon This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 59 F. The winds will be from the south at 10-15 mph, becoming northwesterly after midnight. Socorro is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Magdalena, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 86 F. The winds will be from the southwest at 5-15 mph. This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 55 F. The winds will be from the west 10-15 mph. Magdalena is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Mountainair, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 85 F. The winds will be from the east at 5-15 mph. This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 53 F. The winds will be from the southwest 5-15 mph. Mountainair is under an Air Quality Alert and a Fire Weather Watch from 12 PM until 8 PM. Mountainair is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, has issued an Air Quality Alert for parts of central New Mexico. This is due to the wildfire smoke. There are also a few Fire Weather Watches in place later this week. The NWS Watches and Warnings graphic is shown below:

The visible satellite imagery shows very few clouds over the state today. This image has been excluded from today’s post.

The upper-level water vapor imagery shows a low amplitude trough moving east through California and Arizona.

The 12Z upper air sounding from Albuquerque, NM, is unavailable at this time.

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Surface Map shows mild, dry weather, with sunny skies (according to the sensors). A few stations are reporting clouds, but that is likely smoke.The winds are light and variable.

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Pressure Map shows no strong pressure systems or gradients. The RAP shows this trend will continue for at least the next six hours.

The NAM 250 mb chart shows light, zonal flow over the state today.

The NAM 700 mb and 850 mb charts show no strong thermal advection over the state today. These charts have been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM simulated reflectivity shows little chance of showers and thunderstorms today. This, and the precipitation chart, have been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM predicts that the high temperatures for the middle Rio Grande River Valley will reach the lower 90s F.

The Nested NAM shows the low temperatures are expected to drop into the mid 50s F.

The Nested NAM shows that the dewpoints will remain in the 10s and 20s F, with a dryline running through the eastern third of the state.

The Nested NAM shows winds will be breezy, but not damaging. This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM simulated infrared chart shows very few clouds over the state today. This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

Today should be sunny, hot and a little breezy. There may be a few showers and thunderstorms in the northeastern corner of the state, as there is a Marginal Risk for severe weather in this area. However, it will be the exception, and the rest of the state will be hot, dry and potentially smoky.

I will commute to Magdalena and back, but will largely remain indoors today.

The forecasts from the National Weather Service are from The NWS Homepage. The upper air soundings and mesoscale analysis plots are from the Storm Prediction Center website. The satellite data, model data, and forecasted soundings are from College of DuPage – SATRAD

Central New Mexico Weather: 5/17/22

I will continue to post about New Mexico weather, as I won’t be chasing storms for several days at least.

Yesterday was sunny, warm and breezy. It was quite smoky in Socorro.

This morning, the weather is mostly sunny, mild and still in Rio Rancho. My weather station in Rio Rancho says:

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Rio Rancho, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 89 F. The winds will be from the south at 5-15 mph. This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 57 F. The winds will be from the west at 10-15 mph, becoming southwesterly at 5-10 mph after midnight.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Socorro, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 93 F. The winds will be from the south at 5-10 mph. This evening will be mostly clear, with areas of smoke, and a low temperature of 56 F. The winds will be from the southwest at 10-15 mph, becoming northerly after midnight. Socorro is under an Air Quality Alert.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Magdalena, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 85 F. The winds will be from the west at 10-15 mph. This evening will be mostly clear, with areas of smoke, and a low temperature of 54 F. The winds will be from the southwest 10-15 mph.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Mountainair, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 85 F. The winds will be from the west at 5-15 mph. This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 54 F. The winds will be from the west 10-15 mph. Mountainair is under an Air Quality Alert and a Fire Weather Watch from 12 PM until 8 PM.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, has issued an Air Quality Alert for parts of central New Mexico. This is due to the wildfire smoke. There are also a few Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches in place. The NWS Watches and Warnings graphic is shown below:

The visible satellite imagery shows very few clouds over the state today. This image has been excluded from today’s post.

The upper-level water vapor imagery shows a low amplitude trough moving through northern Mexico.

The 12Z upper air sounding from Albuquerque, NM, is unavailable at this time.

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Surface Map shows mild, dry weather, with sunny skies (according to the sensors). A few stations are reporting clouds, but that is likely smoke.The winds are light and variable.

The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Pressure Map shows no strong pressure systems or gradients. The RAP shows this trend will continue for at least the next six hours.

The NAM 250 mb chart shows light, northwesterly flow over the state today.

The NAM 700 mb and 850 mb charts show no strong thermal advection over the state today. These charts have been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM simulated reflectivity shows little chance of showers and thunderstorms today. This, and the precipitation chart, have been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM predicts that the high temperatures for the middle Rio Grande River Valley will reach the lower 90s F.

The Nested NAM shows the low temperatures are expected to drop into the lower 60s F.

The Nested NAM shows that the dewpoints will drop into the single digits this afternoon.

The Nested NAM shows winds will be breezy, but not damaging. This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM simulated infrared chart shows very few clouds over the state today. This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

Today should be sunny, hot and breezy. It will be drier than yesterday, with dewpoints dropping sharply later this morning.

I will drove to Socorro this morning, but will largely remain indoors. I will commute back on the bus and train.

The forecasts from the National Weather Service are from The NWS Homepage. The upper air soundings and mesoscale analysis plots are from the Storm Prediction Center website. The satellite data, model data, and forecasted soundings are from College of DuPage – SATRAD