420
FXUS65 KABQ 032318 AAA
AFDABQ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
518 PM MDT FRI APR 3 2026
..NEW AVIATION
KEY MESSAGES
UPDATED AT 516 PM MDT FRI APR 3 2026
- DRY AND GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS THIS AFTERNOON WILL CREATE
HAZARDOUS CROSSWINDS FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES AND A HIGHER RISK
FOR RAPID FIRE SPREAD, ESPECIALLY OVER EASTERN NEW MEXICO.
- A WIDESPREAD HARD FREEZE WILL IMPACT MUCH OF NORTHERN AND
WESTERN NEW MEXICO TONIGHT, INCLUDING THE FARMINGTON AND SANTA
FE AREAS. FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED IN VALLEY
LOCATIONS OF THE ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA AND NORTHEAST NEW
MEXICO. FOLKS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO PROTECT PLANTS, PETS, AND
PIPES FROM A DAMAGING FREEZE EVENT.
- SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES WITH CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS NEXT
EARLY NEXT WEEK. MAIN HAZARDS WILL BE GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS
AND DRY LIGHTNING, WHICH COULD LEAD TO FUTURE FIRE STARTS. LOW
CONFIDENCE IN WETTING RAINFALL.
SHORT TERM
(THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT)
ISSUED AT 125 PM MDT FRI APR 3 2026
A PACIFIC FRONT IS CURRENTLY PUSHING THROUGH NORTHERN AND CENTRAL
NM. THE BACKDOOR FRONT PORTION OF THE SYSTEM HAS PUSHED THROUGH FAR
NORTHEAST NM, INCLUDING CLAYTON, THIS MORNING. MUCH DRIER AIR WITH
DEWPOINTS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO MID TEENS ALONG WITH GUSTY
NORTHWEST WINDS OF 30 TO 45 MPH WILL BE OBSERVED BEHIND THE PACIFIC
FRONT THIS AFTERNOON. THESE WINDS COMBINED WITH LOW MINIMUM RELATIVE
HUMIDITY VALUES AND VERY DRY FUELS WILL RESULT IN A LONGER PERIOD OF
CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS EAST CENTRAL NM. POTENTIAL
FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF CRITICAL FIRE CONDITIONS FROM FARMINGTON TO
ALBUQUERQUE AND SANTA FE, BUT RAINFALL FROM WEDNESDAY'S STORM SHOULD
HELP LIMIT THE RISK. GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS BEHIND THE BACKDOOR FRONT
WITH PEAK GUSTS AROUND 30 MPH. TEMPERATURES FOR MOST LOCATIONS TODAY
WILL BE SLIGHTLY COOLER BY AROUND 5 TO 10 DEGREES THAN YESTERDAY,
EXCEPT FOR THE EAST CENTRAL PLAINS AND SOUTHERN NM WHERE
TEMPERATURES WILL BE SIMILAR TO YESTERDAY.
THE BACKDOOR FRONT ACROSS FAR NORTHEAST NM MOVES THROUGH THE REST OF
EASTERN NM AND THE MIDDLE AND LOWER RGV THIS EVENING INTO THE
OVERNIGHT HOURS. NORTH WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH EXPECTED ALONG AND
JUST BEHIND THE BACKDOOR FRONT. LIGHTER WINDS, VERY DRY AIR, AND CAA
BEHIND THE FRONTS WILL ALLOW FOR TEMPERATURES TO COOL EFFICIENTLY
OVERNIGHT ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NM. A HARD FREEZE
EXPECTED FOR VALLEY LOCATIONS ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND WESTERN NM.
DUE TO VEGETATION ALREADY BLOOMING AND GROWING AFTER A RECORD WARM
MARCH BY A LARGE MARGIN, A FREEZE WARNING FOR THE SAN JUAN RIVER
VALLEY, ESPANOLA VALLEY, SANTA FE METRO, ESTANCIA VALLEY AND VALLEY
LOCATIONS OF THE ABQ METRO.
WINDS ACROSS MOST OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN NM GRADUALLY TAPER OFF
DURING THE MORNING HOURS AND TURN SOUTHERLY BY THE AFTERNOON AS A
NEGATIVELY TILTED UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE PACIFIC COAST GRADUALLY
SLIDES EAST. A TRANQUIL SATURDAY IS EXPECTED WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES
IN THE 60S TO NEAR 70 ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS, AROUND TO SLIGHTLY
BELOW AVERAGE FOR EARLY APRIL. TEMPERATURES SUNDAY MORNING WILL NOT
BE AS COLD AS SATURDAY MORNING DUE TO SLIGHTLY HIGHER MOISTURE
MOVING IN FROM THE SOUTH AND EAST.
LONG TERM
(SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)
ISSUED AT 125 PM MDT FRI APR 3 2026
NEAR AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND GENERALLY LIGHT WINDS SUNDAY THROUGH
TUESDAY NEXT WEEK. SURFACE EAST AND SOUTHEAST FLOW BRINGS HIGHER
MOISTURE ACROSS SOUTHERN AND WESTERN AREAS SUNDAY RESULTING IN THE
SOME HIGH BASED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED DRY STORMS. GUSTY AND ERRATIC
WINDS OF UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE THE MAIN HAZARDS FROM THIS ACTIVITY.
SOME WETTING PRECIPITATION COULD BE OBSERVED ACROSS THE GILA
MOUNTAINS. WEAK DISTURBANCES EMBEDDED IN THE RIDGE MOVES ACROSS THE
DESERT SOUTHWEST MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. THIS WEAK DISTURBANCE COMBINED
WITH ELEVATED MID AND UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE IN PLACE WILL RESULT IN
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL
NM MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF THE
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MAIN HAZARDS WILL
BE GUSTY AND ERRATIC WIND GUSTS OF UP TO 50 MPH ALONG WITH POTENTIAL
DRY LIGHTNING, WHICH COULD LEAD TO FUTURE FIRE STARTS. CONFIDENCE IN
WETTING RAINFALL ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS FROM THIS SHOWER AND STORM
ACTIVITY IS LOW DUE TO UNCERTAINTY IN OVERALL AVAILABLE SURFACE
MOISTURE. LONG RANGE AND NBM GUIDANCE FAVORS DRIER AND WARMER
CONDITIONS FOR WEDNESDAY WITH UPPER LEVEL ZONAL FLOW. HOWEVER, A FEW
GUSTY SHOWERS/ DRY STORMS CANNOT BE RULED OUT ACROSS THE CENTRAL
HIGH TERRAIN AND NEARBY LOWER ELEVATIONS OF CENTRAL NM DUE TO
ANOTHER WEAK DISTURBANCE EMBEDDED IN THE ZONAL FLOW. BREEZY
SOUTHWEST WINDS RETURN THURSDAY AS A SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE PACIFIC
COAST. SOME GUIDANCE SHOWS A POTENTIAL DRYLINE AND ASSOCIATED
CONVECTION SETTING UP ALONG THE TEXAS BORDER THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND
EVENING.
AVIATION
(00Z TAFS)
ISSUED AT 516 PM MDT FRI APR 3 2026
VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL AND ARE FORECAST TO PERSIST THROUGH THE
TAF PERIOD. GUSTY NORTH-NORTHWEST WINDS BEHIND A COLD FRONT WILL
GRADUALLY SUBSIDE OVERNIGHT, WITH MUCH LIGHTER WINDS FORECAST ON
SATURDAY. THE COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO RESULT IN A WIND SHIFT AT
KROW AT 02Z THIS EVENING, WITH NORTHERLY WINDS INCREASING AND
GETTING GUSTY BY 04Z.
FIRE WEATHER
ISSUED AT 125 PM MDT FRI APR 3 2026
CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ALONG THE I-40 CORRIDOR OF EAST
CENTRAL NEW MEXICO FROM CLINES CORNERS TO THE TEXAS BORDER THIS
AFTERNOON. A BRIEF PERIOD OF CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS FROM
FARMINGTON TO ALBUQUERQUE AND SANTA FE THIS AFTERNOON, THOUGH HIGHER
FUEL MOISTURE FROM WEDNESDAY'S RAIN SHOULD LIMIT THE THREAT.
GENERALLY LIGHT TO LOCALLY BREEZY WINDS ALONG WITH HIGHER MINIMUM
RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL HELP LIMIT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER
CONDITIONS THIS WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK. SHOWER AND STORM
CHANCES WILL FAVOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL AREAS SUNDAY, WESTERN
AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO MONDAY AND AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF THE
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TUESDAY. SOME DRY STORMS AS WELL, ESPECIALLY
ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS. CONFIDENCE IN WETTING RAINFALL ACROSS LOWER
ELEVATIONS FROM THIS SHOWER AND STORM ACTIVITY IS LOW DUE TO
UNCERTAINTY IN OVERALL AVAILABLE SURFACE MOISTURE.
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS
FARMINGTON...................... 23 64 32 72 / 0 0 0 0
DULCE........................... 17 64 25 68 / 0 0 0 5
CUBA............................ 23 61 31 65 / 0 0 0 5
GALLUP.......................... 16 65 25 69 / 0 0 0 20
EL MORRO........................ 25 62 32 64 / 0 0 0 30
GRANTS.......................... 16 64 28 67 / 0 0 0 20
QUEMADO......................... 24 67 36 67 / 0 0 0 40
MAGDALENA....................... 31 64 38 64 / 0 0 0 20
DATIL........................... 28 62 34 62 / 0 0 0 40
RESERVE......................... 25 72 34 71 / 0 0 0 40
GLENWOOD........................ 33 77 37 75 / 0 0 0 30
CHAMA........................... 19 58 26 61 / 0 0 0 10
LOS ALAMOS...................... 33 59 37 62 / 0 0 0 10
PECOS........................... 26 60 31 62 / 0 0 0 10
CERRO/QUESTA.................... 26 59 28 62 / 0 0 0 10
RED RIVER....................... 19 49 25 53 / 0 0 0 10
ANGEL FIRE...................... 13 56 20 58 / 0 0 0 10
TAOS............................ 15 62 25 65 / 0 0 0 10
MORA............................ 24 60 29 61 / 0 0 0 5
ESPANOLA........................ 26 67 33 71 / 0 0 0 5
SANTA FE........................ 29 61 36 64 / 0 0 0 10
SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 25 63 35 67 / 0 0 0 5
ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 38 68 44 71 / 0 0 0 5
ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 34 69 43 72 / 0 0 0 5
ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 31 71 40 75 / 0 0 0 5
ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 36 69 41 73 / 0 0 0 5
BELEN........................... 30 70 37 74 / 0 0 0 10
BERNALILLO...................... 34 70 39 74 / 0 0 0 5
BOSQUE FARMS.................... 28 70 37 75 / 0 0 0 5
CORRALES........................ 34 70 40 75 / 0 0 0 5
LOS LUNAS....................... 31 70 37 74 / 0 0 0 10
PLACITAS........................ 35 65 41 69 / 0 0 0 5
RIO RANCHO...................... 35 70 41 73 / 0 0 0 5
SOCORRO......................... 38 73 42 73 / 0 0 0 20
SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 32 62 38 65 / 0 0 0 5
TIJERAS......................... 34 63 39 67 / 0 0 0 5
EDGEWOOD........................ 27 63 34 67 / 0 0 0 5
MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 21 65 28 67 / 0 0 0 5
CLINES CORNERS.................. 29 59 32 62 / 0 0 0 0
MOUNTAINAIR..................... 29 64 34 67 / 0 0 0 10
GRAN QUIVIRA.................... 31 63 35 65 / 0 0 0 10
CARRIZOZO....................... 39 67 40 66 / 0 0 0 20
RUIDOSO......................... 35 59 36 57 / 0 0 0 20
CAPULIN......................... 24 58 28 62 / 10 0 0 0
RATON........................... 23 62 26 66 / 5 0 0 5
SPRINGER........................ 24 64 26 67 / 0 0 0 5
LAS VEGAS....................... 26 60 30 62 / 0 0 0 0
CLAYTON......................... 31 62 36 68 / 10 0 0 0
ROY............................. 29 61 32 64 / 0 0 0 0
CONCHAS......................... 34 68 35 73 / 0 0 0 0
SANTA ROSA...................... 34 65 35 66 / 0 0 0 0
TUCUMCARI....................... 36 69 37 73 / 0 0 0 0
CLOVIS.......................... 42 69 39 72 / 0 0 0 0
PORTALES........................ 41 70 37 72 / 0 0 0 0
FORT SUMNER..................... 37 69 37 70 / 0 0 0 0
ROSWELL......................... 45 70 44 68 / 0 0 0 10
PICACHO......................... 39 65 40 62 / 0 0 0 20
ELK............................. 36 65 36 60 / 0 0 5 30
ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
FREEZE WARNING FROM 2 AM TO 8 AM MDT SATURDAY FOR NMZ201-217>219-
222.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR NMZ125-126.
SHORT TERM...71
LONG TERM....71
AVIATION...11
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page