002
FXUS64 KEPZ 262349
AFDEPZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM
449 PM MST MON JAN 26 2026
..NEW AVIATION
KEY MESSAGES
UPDATED AT 355 PM MST MON JAN 26 2026
- ANOTHER VERY COLD MORNING OVER THE SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS,
SURROUNDING OTERO LOWLANDS, AND NORTHEASTERN HUDSPETH HIGHLANDS
FOR TUESDAY MORNING.
- DRY CONDITIONS, COOL TO SEASONAL TEMPERATURES, AND LIGHT WINDS
TO PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEK AHEAD.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 1138 AM MST MON JAN 26 2026
AFTER A MORNING OF QUITE COLD TEMPERATURES AND AREAS OF FOG EAST
OF THE RIO GRANDE, WE ARE SEEING A NICE, BUT CHILLY POST-STORM
AFTERNOON UNFOLD, AS WE SIT IN A DEEP AND DRY NW FLOW PATTERN.
MUCH DRIER AIR HAS MOVED IN ON THAT FLOW, BUT WE ARE SEEING SOME
THIN HIGH-LEVEL CLOUDS STREAM IN FROM THE WEST. FOG AND LOW CLOUD
HAS DISSIPATED GIVING A GOOD SATELLITE VIEW OF THE SNOW SHIELD
LEFT BEHIND. THE TULAROSA BASIN IS HOLDING SNOW, AS IT THE BLACK
RANGE, BALDYS, SACS, EASTERN OTERO, AND OTERO MESA, AND MUCH OF
HUDSPETH COUNTY. THOSE AREAS WILL REMAIN COOLER TODAY, AND HAVE
ANOTHER BIG DROP IN TEMPERATURES AGAIN TONIGHT. THUS, WE HAVE
ISSUED ANOTHER COLD WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THOSE LOCATIONS (MINUS
THE WESTERN AREAS) FOR TONIGHT AND TOMORROW MORNING. WE EXPECT
MORE SINGLE-DIGIT TEMPS IN THE SACS, AND NEAR 10 ACROSS OUR
EASTERN LOWLANDS.
FOR THIS WEEK, WE REMAIN IN A FAIR WEATHER PATTERN, AS HIGH
PRESSURE SLOWLY MOVES IN/OVER FROM THE WEST. THIS KEEPS STORMS OUT
OF OUR REGION, AND ALLOWS FOR CONTINUED DRYING OF OUR REGION. WITH
RELAXED PRESSURE GRADIENTS, WE WILL HAVE LIGHT AND GENERALLY
VARIABLE WINDS THROUGH THE WEEK. WE WILL SEE MODIFICATION OF OUR
AIRMASS, WHICH MEANS DAILY WARMING, BUT IT WILL BE SLOW AND
LIMITED, WITH HIGHS THROUGH THE WEEK STAYING BELOW THE DAILY
NORMAL. DESPITE THE DRY AIR, WE WILL SEE SOME HIGH CLOUDS THROUGH
THE WEEK.
LATE WEEK, THE RIDGE BREAKS DOWN, AS A MINOR WEST COAST RIDGE
PASSES, AND WE SEE A SLIGHTLY MORE PROGRESSIVE AND ACTIVE UPPER
LEVEL PATTER. HOWEVER, MOISTURE APPEARS TO BE LACKING, SO DRY,
FAIR, AND BENIGN WEATHER LOOK TO CONTINUE.
AVIATION
(00Z TAFS)
ISSUED AT 445 PM MST MON JAN 26 2026
VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH SCT150 BKN-OVC250, BECOMING
SKC-SCT250 AFTER 15Z. SURFACE WINDS EAST/NORTHEAST 6-9 KNOTS,
BECOMING WEST 7-10 KNOTS AFTER 18Z.
FIRE WEATHER
ISSUED AT 1138 AM MST MON JAN 26 2026
THE WINTER WEATHER STORM SYSTEM IS GONE, AND WE ARE SETTLING INTO
A WEEK OF TRANQUIL WEATHER, WITH A DRY FLOW PATTERN BACK IN PLACE
ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE EXITING UPPER TROUGH. TO OUR WEST WE HAVE
A BUILDING RIDGE, WHICH WILL TRANSLATE EAST AND OVER THE REGION
BY MIDWEEK. A DEEP DRY NW FLOW WILL SLOW DAILY WARMING, DESPITE
GAINS IN DAILY HIGHS AND LOWS EACH DAY. WE WILL BE BACK TO DRY,
WITH QUITE LOW DAILY MINRH OVER THE GILA REGION, BUT WITH MINRH
STAYING IN THE 25-35 PERCENT RANGE ELSEWHERE. NIGHTLY MAXRH
RECOVERIES WILL BE GOOD TO VERY GOOD. NO PRECIPITATION OF ANY TYPE
IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEK, DESPITE A LATE WEEK UPPER TROUGH
PASSING BY. IT IS WEAK, QUICK, AND NEVER SEEMS TO PICK UP ANY
MOISTURE. THUS WE ONLY SEE PERIODS OF MOSTLY HIGH CLOUDS STREAMING
OVER THROUGH THE WEEK. WINDS WILL BE QUITE VARIABLE IN DIRECTION,
BUT WITH RELAXED PRESSURE GRADIENTS SPEEDS WILL BE MOSTLY LIGHT,
AND TERRAIN DOMINATED. FOR THE ENTIRE WEEK, MIXING HEIGHTS WILL BE
QUITE LOW, DUE TO THE COOL SURFACE TEMPERATURES (2-4KFT), WITH
LIGHT TRANSPORT WINDS. THIS MEANS POOR VENTILATIONS, WITH A FEW
BRIEF PERIODS OF FAIR TO POOR OVER THE GILA.
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS
EL PASO 27 51 29 54 / 0 0 0 0
SIERRA BLANCA 21 46 24 49 / 0 0 0 0
LAS CRUCES 24 51 26 53 / 0 0 0 0
ALAMOGORDO 16 48 21 51 / 0 0 0 0
CLOUDCROFT 15 37 20 39 / 0 0 0 0
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 26 51 29 54 / 0 0 0 0
SILVER CITY 25 53 29 55 / 0 0 0 0
DEMING 26 55 28 57 / 0 0 0 0
LORDSBURG 24 54 25 56 / 0 0 0 0
WEST EL PASO METRO 30 51 32 54 / 0 0 0 0
DELL CITY 13 41 13 44 / 0 0 0 0
FORT HANCOCK 24 54 25 58 / 0 0 0 0
LOMA LINDA 23 42 27 46 / 0 0 0 0
FABENS 24 52 24 56 / 0 0 0 0
SANTA TERESA 25 51 26 54 / 0 0 0 0
WHITE SANDS HQ 26 50 29 53 / 0 0 0 0
JORNADA RANGE 19 51 20 54 / 0 0 0 0
HATCH 23 56 23 58 / 0 0 0 0
COLUMBUS 28 54 29 56 / 0 0 0 0
OROGRANDE 18 44 20 48 / 0 0 0 0
MAYHILL 16 50 22 53 / 0 0 0 0
MESCALERO 14 46 21 49 / 0 0 0 0
TIMBERON 16 43 24 45 / 0 0 0 0
WINSTON 18 52 21 54 / 0 0 0 0
HILLSBORO 26 54 29 56 / 0 0 0 0
SPACEPORT 19 52 21 55 / 0 0 0 0
LAKE ROBERTS 22 54 26 56 / 0 0 0 0
HURLEY 23 54 26 56 / 0 0 0 0
CLIFF 21 59 24 61 / 0 0 0 0
MULE CREEK 24 56 26 58 / 0 0 0 0
FAYWOOD 27 52 31 54 / 0 0 0 0
ANIMAS 24 54 25 58 / 0 0 0 0
HACHITA 23 52 24 56 / 0 0 0 0
ANTELOPE WELLS 24 55 28 57 / 0 0 0 0
CLOVERDALE 29 54 34 55 / 0 0 0 0
EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
TX...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM MST TUESDAY FOR SALT
BASIN.
NM...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM MST TUESDAY FOR EAST
SLOPES SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS BELOW 7500 FEET-OTERO MESA-
SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 7500 FEET-WEST SLOPES SACRAMENTO
MOUNTAINS BELOW 7500 FEET.
FORECASTER...17-HEFNER
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