Yesterday was cool and mostly sunny in Rio Rancho.
This morning in Rio Rancho, the weather is mostly clear and cold. My weather station in Rio Rancho says:
The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecaster’s discussion says that dry, northwesterly air will dominate today as high pressure builds to our northwest. The cold, dry air will keep temperatures 15-25 F below normal and dry out any lingering moisture from melting snow or left over clouds. The strong pressure gradient will lead to windy conditions, including an increased risk of wildfires.
The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Rio Rancho, NM) a sunny day, with high temperature of 47 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 15-25 mph. This evening will be mostly clear with a low temperature of 23 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 15-20 mph, becoming northerly at 10-15 mph after midnight.
The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Socorro, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 59 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 5-15 mph. This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 26 F. The winds will be from the north at 10-15 mph.
The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Magdalena, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 51 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 10-20 mph. This evening will be mostly clear, with a low temperature of 22 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 5-15 mph, becoming northeasterly after midnight.
The NWS in Albuquerque, NM, forecasts (for Mountainair, NM) a sunny day, with a high temperature of 46 F. The winds will be from the west 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 16 F. The winds will be from the northwest at 15-20 mph, becoming northerly at 5-10 mph by midnight.
The NWS in Albuquerque has issued a Red Flag Warning for the eastern half of the state today. The NWS Watches and Warnings graphic is shown below:
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has also issued a Critical Fire Weather Risk for the eastern edge of the state today. They mention downslope winds slightly heating and drying the atmosphere, strong westerlies and a compact mid-level trough as contributing factors.
The visible satellite imagery shows a few lingering clouds over the southeastern and north central parts of the state.
The upper-level water vapor imagery shows drier air pushing southeasterly from Utah into an otherwise westerly-southwesterly flow pattern.
The 12Z upper air sounding from Albuquerque, NM, shows a cold, humid atmosphere. There was 0.15 inches of precipitable water present in the column this morning. There was no Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE), and no Convective Inhibition (CINH). The Lifted Condensation Level (LCL) was 1366 m. There was no thermal inversion and the 0-3 km lapse rate was 6.3 C/km. The hodograph shows that the low-level shear was 14 kts (due mostly to directional changes) and the deep-layer shear was 97 kts (due mostly to speed changes).
The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Surface Map shows cold, dry weather. The skies are sunny, with a few cloudy stations near the Colorado border (according to the sensors). The winds are light and variable.
The SPC Mesoscale Analysis Pressure Map shows no strong pressure systems or gradients over the state so far this morning. The RAP shows high pressure is expected to build over Utah, generating a strong northwesterly to southeasterly pressure gradient in the next six hours.
The NAM 250 mb chart shows very strong, 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 chart shows showers, snow showers and thunderstorms are not expected today. This chart, the precipitation charts and the snow charts have been excluded from today’s post.
The Nested NAM temperature chart shows the high temperatures are expected to reach into the upper 40s F.
The Nested NAM temperature chart also shows the low temperatures are expected to drop into the upper 20s F.
The Nested NAM dewpoint chart shows that the dewpoints will remain in the single digits.
The Nested NAM wind prediction chart shows strong winds are possible today.
The Nested NAM simulated infrared chart shows mostly sunny and clear skies. This chart has been excluded from today’s post.
Today will be sunny, cold and windy. Winter just keeps hanging on, mixing the cold with the wind from the spring. The high over Utah will factor into our weather for several days, setting up a strong pressure gradient and windy conditions until midweek.
I will commute to Socorro and Magdalena, 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.
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