Central New Mexico Weather: 12/6/19

Yesterday, the weather in Socorro and Magdalena was sunny, mild and a bit breezy.

This morning, the weather in Rio Rancho and Albuquerque is mostly sunny, cold and still.

From the NWS in Albuquerque, NM:  Yesterday’s storm passed through the area and we are now under a small ridge of high pressure.  Precipitation and hazardous weather are unlikely today.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Rio Rancho, NM) a partly sunny day, with a high temperature of 47 F.  The winds will be from the north at 5 mph, becoming west in the afternoon.  This evening will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature of 27 F. The winds will be from the north at 5 mph.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Socorro, NM) a partly sunny day, with a high temperature of 51 F.  The winds will be from the north at 5 mph, becoming west in the afternoon.  This evening will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature of 30 F.  The winds will be from the west at 5 mph, becoming north in the evening.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Magdalena, NM) a partly sunny day, with a high temperature of 49 F.  The winds will be from the northwest at 5 mph, becoming southeast in the afternoon.  This evening will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature of 31 F. The winds will be from the west at 5 mph.

The visible satellite imagery is unavailable at this time.  The enhanced infrared imagery shows a few thicker clouds, especially over the northwestern part of the state.

The 12Z upper air sounding from Albuquerque, NM, shows a drier atmosphere than yesterday.  There was 0.24 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 429 m.  There was a tiny thermal inversion near the surface and the 0-3 km lapse rate was 2.4 C/km.  The hodograph shows that the low-level shear was 4 kts (due mostly to directional changes) and the deep-layer shear was 57 kts (due mostly to speed changes).

The surface observations chart (from the SPC Mesoscale Analysis Map) shows cold temperatures and high surface humidity.  The skies are a sunny (according to the sensors) and the winds are light and variable.

The surface pressure chart (from the SPC Mesoscale Analysis Map) shows that we are under high pressure, but no strong gradients so far this morning.  The RAP shows that this trend is expected to continue throughout the next six hours.

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

The NAM 850 mb chart shows no strong thermal advection over the state today.  This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM simulated reflectivity chart shows showers are unlikely today.  This, and the Nested NAM 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 peak in the upper 40s F.

The low temperatures are expected to drop into the lower 30s F right before sunrise tomorrow morning.

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

The Nested NAM shows strong winds are unlikely today.  This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM predicts some clouds still passing over the state this morning.  The skies will become clear throughout the day.

Today will be a little cooler than yesterday, but not as windy.  I welcome NOT having the wind!  It wasn’t bad in Socorro and Magdalena, but it was windy in Rio Rancho.

Thank you for reading my post.

Sources:
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: 12/5/19

Yesterday, the weather in Socorro and Magdalena was cloudy, cool and still.

This morning, the weather in Rio Rancho and Albuquerque is mostly cloudy, cold and still.

From the NWS in Albuquerque, NM:  An upper-level shortwave trough and associated storm system will move east, moving right along the NM/CO border today.  Some winter weather is possible at the higher elevations with this storm.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Rio Rancho, NM) a cloudy morning, becoming a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 50 F.  The winds will be from the southwest at 5-10 mph, becoming northwest at 15-20 mph, gusting to 30 mph in the afternoon.  This evening will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature of 26 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 5-10 mph.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Socorro, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 55 F.  The winds will be from the southwest at 5-15 mph, becoming northwest in the afternoon.  This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 28 F.  The winds will be from the north at 5-10 mph.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Magdalena, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 52 F.  The winds will be from the northwest at 10-20 mph.  This evening will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature of 28 F. The winds will be from the west at 5-10 mph.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, has issued a few Winter Weather Advisories and Wind Advisories as a winter storm passes through the northern tier of counties.  The NWS Watches and Warnings graphic is shown below:

The visible satellite imagery is unavailable at this time.  The enhanced infrared imagery shows light cloud cover over the center of the state.

The 12Z upper air sounding from Albuquerque, NM, shows a damp boundary layer, with nearly-saturated conditions below 550 mb.  There was 0.52 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 190 m.  There was a tiny thermal inversion near the surface and the 0-3 km lapse rate was 5.7 C/km.  The hodograph shows that the low-level shear was 25 kts (due mostly to directional changes) and the deep-layer shear was 75 kts (due mostly to speed changes).

The surface observations chart (from the SPC Mesoscale Analysis Map) shows cold temperatures and high surface humidity.  The skies are a partly sunny (according to the sensors) and the winds are light and variable.

The surface pressure chart (from the SPC Mesoscale Analysis Map) shows that we are under no strong pressure systems or gradients so far this morning.  The RAP shows that this trend is expected to continue throughout the next six hours.

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

The NAM 850 mb chart shows some weak Cold Air Advection (CAA) in the form of a back door cold front punching into the northeastern corner of the state this evening.

The Nested NAM simulated reflectivity chart shows the storm system passing through the northern part of the state.  It is expected to weaken as it travels east.

The Nested NAM precipitation chart shows that rain and snow will be largely confined to the northern part of the state, and will trickle off by this afternoon.

The Nested NAM predicts that the high temperatures for the middle Rio Grande River Valley will peak in the mid 50s F.

The low temperatures are expected to drop into the lower 30s F right before sunrise tomorrow morning.

The Nested NAM shows that the dewpoints will remain in the mid to upper 30s F.

The Nested NAM shows strong winds are possible today, particularly east of the central mountain chain.

The Nested NAM predicts some clouds in the northern part of the state as the storm system passes.

Today will be pleasant, but cool. I mostly appreciate that it isn’t expected to be very windy. Even so, I’ll probably remain indoors for most of the day.

Thank you for reading my post.

Sources:
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: 12/4/19

Yesterday, the weather in Socorro and Magdalena was sunny, cool and still.

This morning, the weather in Rio Rancho and Albuquerque is cloudy, cold and still.

From the NWS in Albuquerque, NM:  Showers are moving in from the west.  They will remain rain, expect at the high elevations until this evening.  As temperatures drop, the snow levels will drop.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Rio Rancho, NM) scattered rain showers becoming more isolated in the afternoon.  Mostly cloudy skies will become partly cloudy skies, and the temperatures will rise into the upper 40s F.  This evening will be mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 30s F.  Isolated showers are possible, becoming scattered snow showers after midnight.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Socorro, NM) scattered rain showers becoming more isolated in the afternoon.  Mostly cloudy skies will become partly cloudy skies, and the temperatures will rise into the lower 50s F.  The winds will be from the southwest at 10-15 mph.  This evening will be partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 30s F.  Isolated showers are possible, becoming isolated snow showers after midnight.  The winds will be from the southwest at 10-15 mph.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Magdalena, NM) scattered rain showers becoming more isolated in the afternoon.  Mostly cloudy skies will become partly cloudy skies, and the temperatures will rise into the upper 40s F.  The winds will be from the southwest at 10-15 mph.  This evening will be partly cloudy, with lows in the lower 30s F.  Isolated showers are possible, becoming scattered snow showers after midnight.  The winds will be from the southwest at 10-15 mph.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, has issued a few Winter Weather Advisories in the mountains this afternoon and evening.  The NWS Watches and Warnings graphic is shown below:

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

The 12Z upper air sounding from Albuquerque, NM, shows a thick, nearly-saturated layer above 650 mb.  There was 0.57 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 634 m.  There was a small thermal inversion near the surface and the 0-3 km lapse rate was 3.7 C/km.  The hodograph shows that the low-level shear was 17 kts (due mostly to directional changes) and the deep-layer shear was 74 kts (due mostly to speed changes).

The surface observations chart (from the SPC Mesoscale Analysis Map) shows cold temperatures and moderate surface humidity.  The skies are a cloudy (according to the sensors) and the winds are light and variable.

The surface pressure chart (from the SPC Mesoscale Analysis Map) shows that we are under no strong pressure systems or gradients over the state today.  The RAP shows that this trend is expected to continue for at least the next six hours.

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

The NAM 850 mb chart shows no strong thermal advection over the state today.  This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM simulated reflectivity chart shows morning showers, but all of the precipitation is expected to clear out by the afternoon.  Another wave will be possible overnight.

The Nested NAM precipitation chart does not show much precipitation in the Rio Grande River Valley.

The Nested NAM predicts that the high temperatures for the middle Rio Grande River Valley will peak in the lower 50s F.

The low temperatures are expected to drop into the upper 30s F right before sunrise tomorrow morning.

The Nested NAM shows that the dewpoints will rise into the upper 30s F by this afternoon.

The Nested NAM shows a few pockets of gusty winds east of the central mountain chain.

The Nested NAM predicts cloudy skies in the morning.  The skies are expected to clear by this afternoon.

I don’t know if I buy the NAM’s low precipitation, low cloud cover output.  It looks cloudier outside right now than the NAM shows, so I think it may be underestimating the moisture.

Thank you for reading my post.

Sources:
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: 12/3/19

Yesterday, the weather in Socorro and Magdalena was sunny, cool and still.

This morning, the weather in Rio Rancho and Albuquerque is mostly sunny, cold and still.

From the NWS in Albuquerque, NM:  We are still sitting under an upper-level ridge, bringing us sunny skies and still conditions.  There is a Pacific Low moving in from the west that will start to be an issue Wednesday afternoon.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Rio Rancho, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 52 F.  The winds will be from the northwest at 5-10 mph.  This evening will be mostly cloudy, with a low temperature of 31 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 5 mph.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Socorro, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 55 F.  The winds will be from the north at 5-10 mph.  This evening will have increasing clouds, with a low temperature of 34 F.  The winds will be from the north at 5 mph.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Magdalena, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 53 F.  The winds will be from the northwest at 5-10 mph.  This evening will be mostly cloudy, with a low temperature of 35 F. The winds will be from the west at 5 mph.

 

The visible satellite imagery shows light cloud cover over the center of the state.  Most of the white reflections in this image are snow.

The 12Z upper air sounding from Albuquerque, NM, shows variable moisture in the atmosphere, with several more humid layers, though no layer is near saturation.  There was 0.29 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 575 m.  There was a large thermal inversion near the surface and the 0-3 km lapse rate was 2.0 C/km.  The hodograph shows that the low-level shear was 29 kts (due mostly to directional changes) and the deep-layer shear was 82 kts (due mostly to speed changes).

The surface observations chart (from the SPC Mesoscale Analysis Map) shows cold temperatures and moderate surface humidity.  The skies are a sunny (according to the sensors) and the winds are light and variable.

The surface pressure chart (from the SPC Mesoscale Analysis Map) shows that we are under slightly higher pressure, with only a weak pressure gradient in the north.  The RAP shows that the pressure will decrease with diurnal heating.

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

The NAM 850 mb chart shows no strong thermal advection over the state today.  This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM simulated reflectivity chart shows no further precipitation is expected 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 peak in the lower 50s F.

The low temperatures are expected to drop into the mid 30s F right before sunrise tomorrow morning.

The Nested NAM shows that the dewpoints will rise into the upper 30s F by this afternoon.

The Nested NAM shows strong winds have passed.  This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM predicts clear skies through the morning, but some clouds start to drift in from the west this afternoon and evening.

Today will be pleasant, but cool. I mostly appreciate that it isn’t expected to be very windy. Even so, I’ll probably remain indoors for most of the day.

Thank you for reading my post.

Sources:
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: 12/2/19

Yesterday, the weather in Rio Rancho was sunny, cold and still.

The weather in Rio Rancho is sunny, cold and still.

From the NWS in Albuquerque, NM:  New Mexico is sitting in the middle of an upper-level ridge.  Cirrus clouds are expected to increase throughout the day, but warmer and drier conditions are expected.  A surface low may develop near the NM/CO border, slightly increasing the wind speeds east of the central mountain range.  Poor mixing will prevent our wind speeds from increasing significantly.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Rio Rancho, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 45 F.  The winds will be from the north at 5 mph, becoming calm in the afternoon.  This evening will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature of 26 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 5 mph.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Socorro, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 49 F.  The winds will be from the north at 5-10 mph.  This evening will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature of 28 F.  The winds will be from the north at 5-10 mph.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Magdalena, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 49 F.  The winds will be from the west at 5 mph, becoming north in the afternoon.  This evening will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature of 29 F. The winds will be from the west at 5-10 mph.

The visible satellite imagery is unavailable at this time.  The enhanced infrared imagery shows a large patch of thick clouds over northwestern New Mexico, but clear skies for the rest of the state.

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

The surface observations chart (from the SPC Mesoscale Analysis Map) shows cold temperatures and moderate surface humidity.  The skies are a sunny (according to the sensors) and the winds are light and variable.

The surface pressure chart (from the SPC Mesoscale Analysis Map) shows that we are under high pressure, with no strong pressure gradients.  The RAP shows that this trend will continue for at least the next six hours.

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

The NAM 850 mb chart shows no strong thermal advection over the state today.  This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM simulated reflectivity chart shows no further precipitation is expected 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 peak in the mid 40s F.

The low temperatures are expected to drop into the lower 30s F right before sunrise tomorrow morning.

The Nested NAM shows that the dewpoints will peak in the mid 30s F by this afternoon.

The Nested NAM shows strong winds are not expected today.  This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM predicts a few clouds over the central part of the state this evening.

Today should be more pleasant weather than we’ve seen in a week.  It will still be cool, but mostly sunny skies and still winds are nice to see, after the past week.  Too bad I’m back at work now…

Thank you for reading my post.

Sources:
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: 12/1/19

Yesterday, the weather in Rio Rancho was sunny, cold and windy.

The weather in Rio Rancho is sunny, cold and still.

From the NWS in Albuquerque, NM:  The cold front and winter storms have passed for a few days.  An upper-level ridge is building over New Mexico, causing it to warm up and dry out.  The winds will be much lighter today, as compared to the past few days.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Rio Rancho, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 40 F.  The winds will be from the north at 5 mph.  This evening will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature of 21 F. The winds will be from the north at 5 mph.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Socorro, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 43 F.  The winds will be from the north at 5-10 mph.  This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 24 F.  The winds will be from the north at 5 mph.

The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Magdalena, NM) a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of 42 F.  The winds will be from the west at 5 mph, becoming north in the afternoon.  This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 24 F. The winds will be from the west at 5 mph.

 

The visible satellite imagery shows light cloud cover over the center of the state.  Most of the white reflections in this image are snow.

The 12Z upper air sounding from Albuquerque, NM, shows variable moisture in the atmosphere, with several more humid layers, though no layer is near saturation.  There was 0.22 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 622 m.  There was a large thermal inversion near the surface and the 0-3 km lapse rate was 0.7 C/km.  The hodograph shows that the low-level shear was 19 kts (due mostly to directional changes) and the deep-layer shear was 70 kts (due mostly to speed changes).

The surface observations chart (from the SPC Mesoscale Analysis Map) shows cold temperatures and low surface humidity.  The skies are a sunny (according to the sensors) and the winds are light and variable.

The surface pressure chart (from the SPC Mesoscale Analysis Map) shows that we are under high pressure, with no strong pressure gradients.  The RAP shows that this trend will continue for at least the next six hours.

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

The NAM 850 mb chart shows no strong thermal advection over the state today.  This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM simulated reflectivity chart shows no further precipitation is expected 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 peak in the upper 30s F.

The low temperatures are expected to drop into the upper 20s F right before sunrise tomorrow morning.

The Nested NAM shows that the dewpoints will rise into the upper 30s F by this afternoon.

The Nested NAM shows strong winds have passed.  This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

The Nested NAM predicts clear skies for the rest of the day.  This chart has been excluded from today’s post.

Today will be the beginning of drying out and warming up.  Thankfully, the winds have died down.  It will still be cold, but we are done with precipitation and wind for the time being.

Thank you for reading my post.

Sources:
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 2019 #48

This week’s satellite image was taken a few days ago over New Mexico.

This radar loop shows the snow melting. There are clouds moving west to east, but notice how the white patches slowly dissolve away; they don’t move one direction or another, they just shrink. You are watching the snow melt over time.

I lied. I’ll play with more of the real color images next week.

Thank you for reading this post!

Source:  College of DuPage – Meteorology