280  
FXUS65 KABQ 172325 AAA  
AFDABQ  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM  
425 PM MST TUE DEC 17 2024  
   
..NEW AVIATION  
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
UPDATED AT 422 PM MST TUE DEC 17 2024  
 
- A DRY AND UNSEASONABLY WARM WEATHER PATTERN WILL PERSIST FOR AT  
LEAST THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS, EXCEPT FOR SOME NEAR AVERAGE HIGHS  
ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS WEDNESDAY.  
 
 
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
ISSUED AT 140 PM MST TUE DEC 17 2024  
 
THE JET STREAM, A STRONG UPPER LEVEL WIND CURRENT, CONTINUES TO  
FLOW FROM WEST TO EAST ON A PATH FAR TO THE NORTH OF NEW MEXICO.  
THIS IS KEEPING ANY WINTER STORMS OR LARGE SCALE WEATHER  
DISTURBANCES NORTH OF NEW MEXICO. CONSEQUENTLY, DRY AND MOSTLY  
UNEVENTFUL WEATHER WILL CONTINUE TO PREVAIL THROUGH THE END OF THE  
WEEK AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL TEND TO STAY  
NEAR TO ABOVE AVERAGE FOR MID TO LATE DECEMBER WITH OCCASIONAL  
OSCILLATIONS AND FLUCTUATIONS OCCURRING IN THE EASTERN HALF OF THE  
STATE.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM  
 
(THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT)  
ISSUED AT 140 PM MST TUE DEC 17 2024  
 
A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL DROP OUT OF THE CENTRAL ROCKIES AND INTO  
THE SOUTHERN PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. THIS WILL DRAG AN  
ASSOCIATED SURFACE FRONT SOUTHWARD WHICH WILL INVADE NM. WITH THE  
SURFACE GRADIENT ORIENTED FROM NORTH-TO-SOUTH, ONLY A WEAK SEEPAGE  
OF NORTHEAST/EAST WINDS IS EXPECTED INTO THE CENTRAL VALLEYS WITH  
NO SIGNIFICANT GAP/CANYON WIND EXPECTED. TEMPERATURE CHANGES WITH  
THE FRONT WILL BE MOST PRONOUNCED OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF NM AND  
WILL BE MOST NOTICEABLE DURING THE DAYTIME WEDNESDAY WHEN HIGHS  
WILL RUN 8 TO 12 DEGREES COOLER THAN TODAY'S READINGS. SURFACE  
WINDS WOULD BE VEERING SOUTHERLY IN THE EASTERN PLAINS LATE WEDNESDAY  
AFTERNOON, BUT IT WON'T BE ENOUGH TO OVERCOME THE EARLIER COLD  
AIR ADVECTION. A WEAK LEE-SIDE SURFACE LOW WOULD THEN STAY PUT  
OVER NORTHEASTERN NM WEDNESDAY NIGHT, KEEPING SOME BREEZY  
CONDITIONS GOING OVER THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS AND EAST CENTRAL  
PLAINS WHICH WOULD KEEP OVERNIGHT LOWS FROM DROPPING TOO COLD INTO  
THURSDAY MORNING.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM  
 
(THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY)  
ISSUED AT 140 PM MST TUE DEC 17 2024  
 
ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL DROP OUT OF THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND  
INTO THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS ON A HEADING FOR THE GREAT LAKES BY  
THURSDAY. THIS WILL SEND YET ANOTHER DRY AND MILD FRONT INTO THE  
SOUTHERN PLAINS WHICH WILL BACK INTO EASTERN AND EVENTUALLY  
CENTRAL NM. COLD AIR ADVECTION WOULD BE VERY SUBDUED, AND DAYTIME  
HIGHS ON THURSDAY WILL ACTUALLY EXCEED WEDNESDAY'S BY A FEW TO  
SEVERAL DEGREES (3 TO 10 F) WITH THE MILD COOLING EFFECTS LAGGING  
UNTIL FRIDAY. AS FRIDAY ARRIVES, THE RIDGE BEHIND THE THURSDAY  
SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL BE SWELLING AND AMPLIFYING OVER THE  
ROCKIES WITH THE AXIS SET TO CROSS NM INTO SATURDAY. THIS WILL  
KEEP A LIGHT WIND FIELD IN PLACE WITH A DRY, SUBSIDENT AIRMASS  
ACCOMPANYING FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.  
 
INTO SUNDAY AND MONDAY OF NEXT WEEK, THE ZONAL FLOW STIFFENS.  
DETERMINISTIC MEMBERS INDICATE A SHORTWAVE MOVING OVER THE  
NORTHERN ROCKIES WITH LEE-SIDE CYCLOGENESIS ON SUNDAY, FOLLOWED BY  
A TRAILING SHORTWAVE TROUGH THAT WOULD SAG OVER THE SOUTHERN  
ROCKIES INTO MONDAY. NEITHER OF THESE FEATURES WOULD DRAW APPRECIABLE  
MOISTURE OR DYNAMICS TO NM, KEEPING THE DRY FORECAST GOING WITH  
JUST AN UPTICK IN BREEZY TO LOCALLY WINDY CONDITIONS (MAINLY OVER  
THE USUAL SUSPECTS OF THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS TO THE EAST CENTRAL  
PLAINS).  
 
THERE ARE SOME INDICATIONS FROM DETERMINISTIC MODEL RUNS FOR A  
CLOSED LOW TO TREK ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CONUS WEDNESDAY THROUGH  
FRIDAY OF NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER, A DEEPER DIVE INTO ENSEMBLE CLUSTERS  
REVEALS A WIDE RANGE OF SOLUTIONS WITH HIGH VARIANCE, SO THERE IS  
VERY LOW CONFIDENCE AT THIS POINT.  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
 
(00Z TAFS)  
ISSUED AT 422 PM MST TUE DEC 17 2024  
 
A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTHWARD ACROSS NM TONIGHT. A FEW  
HOURS OF NORTHERLY WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 15 AND 25KT ARE EXPECTED  
OVER EASTERN NM WHILE OTHER PARTS OF THE REGION CONTINUE TO SEE  
LIGHT WINDS. THICK CIRRUS CURRENTLY OVER NM WILL GRADUALLY THIN  
OVERNIGHT. WEDNESDAY WILL BE TRANQUIL WITH LIGHT WINDS AND MORE  
PATCHY HIGH CLOUDS.  
 
 
   
FIRE WEATHER  
 
ISSUED AT 140 PM MST TUE DEC 17 2024  
 
A VERY UNEVENTFUL STRETCH OF DRY AND VERY MILD WEATHER WILL  
PREVAIL THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH ONLY A FEW INSTANCES OF  
MODERATELY BREEZY CONDITIONS. AFTER TODAY'S BREEZES SUBSIDE,  
ANOTHER FRONT WILL CAUSE WINDS TO TURN BRIEFLY GUSTY THURSDAY WITH  
MORE PROLONGED BREEZY CONDITIONS FOLLOWING SUNDAY INTO EARLY NEXT  
WEEK. DESPITE THE WINDS ALOFT STRENGTHENING THESE DAYS, POOR  
MIXING AND SMOKE DISPERSION RATES WILL CONTINUE WITH IMPACTS TO  
PRESCRIBED BURNING. OTHER SENSIBLE CHANGES TO THE WEATHER WILL  
COME IN THE FORM OF TEMPERATURE OSCILLATIONS AS WEAK FRONTS  
PERIODICALLY INVADE NM WITH THE MOST NOTABLE CHANGES IMPACTING THE  
EASTERN ZONES. LOW WINTERTIME DEWPOINTS WILL KEEP HUMIDITY VALUES  
ALSO VERY LOW WITH DAYTIME MINIMUMS OFTEN DROPPING BELOW 15 TO 20  
PERCENT.  
 
 
   
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS  
 
FARMINGTON...................... 20 49 21 51 / 0 0 0 0  
DULCE........................... 12 51 15 56 / 0 0 0 0  
CUBA............................ 20 49 22 55 / 0 0 0 0  
GALLUP.......................... 14 55 15 57 / 0 0 0 0  
EL MORRO........................ 17 54 26 59 / 0 0 0 0  
GRANTS.......................... 16 52 17 58 / 0 0 0 0  
QUEMADO......................... 18 59 22 61 / 0 0 0 0  
MAGDALENA....................... 28 51 29 57 / 0 0 0 0  
DATIL........................... 22 53 26 59 / 0 0 0 0  
RESERVE......................... 19 64 20 67 / 0 0 0 0  
GLENWOOD........................ 31 66 32 68 / 0 0 0 0  
CHAMA........................... 15 47 18 54 / 0 0 0 0  
LOS ALAMOS...................... 28 47 30 52 / 0 0 0 0  
PECOS........................... 24 49 30 58 / 0 0 0 0  
CERRO/QUESTA.................... 21 46 24 52 / 0 0 0 0  
RED RIVER....................... 14 42 16 48 / 0 0 0 0  
ANGEL FIRE...................... 4 45 10 52 / 0 0 0 0  
TAOS............................ 14 47 16 54 / 0 0 0 0  
MORA............................ 20 52 28 59 / 0 0 0 0  
ESPANOLA........................ 20 52 22 58 / 0 0 0 0  
SANTA FE........................ 24 48 26 55 / 0 0 0 0  
SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 22 50 24 56 / 0 0 0 0  
ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 29 52 28 56 / 0 0 0 0  
ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 30 53 29 57 / 0 0 0 0  
ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 22 54 24 58 / 0 0 0 0  
ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 28 53 28 57 / 0 0 0 0  
BELEN........................... 22 55 21 58 / 0 0 0 0  
BERNALILLO...................... 26 54 27 58 / 0 0 0 0  
BOSQUE FARMS.................... 20 54 21 57 / 0 0 0 0  
CORRALES........................ 26 54 27 58 / 0 0 0 0  
LOS LUNAS....................... 22 54 23 57 / 0 0 0 0  
PLACITAS........................ 27 51 27 55 / 0 0 0 0  
RIO RANCHO...................... 28 52 28 57 / 0 0 0 0  
SOCORRO......................... 30 57 28 60 / 0 0 0 0  
SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 25 49 28 53 / 0 0 0 0  
TIJERAS......................... 28 50 30 54 / 0 0 0 0  
EDGEWOOD........................ 24 50 26 55 / 0 0 0 0  
MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 18 51 18 58 / 0 0 0 0  
CLINES CORNERS.................. 22 47 27 54 / 0 0 0 0  
MOUNTAINAIR..................... 24 52 26 57 / 0 0 0 0  
GRAN QUIVIRA.................... 24 53 26 58 / 0 0 0 0  
CARRIZOZO....................... 33 58 31 61 / 0 0 0 0  
RUIDOSO......................... 26 52 28 59 / 0 0 0 0  
CAPULIN......................... 18 44 28 52 / 0 0 0 0  
RATON........................... 19 47 24 58 / 0 0 0 0  
SPRINGER........................ 18 50 22 57 / 0 0 0 0  
LAS VEGAS....................... 23 49 28 59 / 0 0 0 0  
CLAYTON......................... 25 50 34 57 / 0 0 0 0  
ROY............................. 23 46 27 56 / 0 0 0 0  
CONCHAS......................... 26 54 28 62 / 0 0 0 0  
SANTA ROSA...................... 27 52 32 60 / 0 0 0 0  
TUCUMCARI....................... 26 52 30 60 / 0 0 0 0  
CLOVIS.......................... 31 54 33 62 / 0 0 0 0  
PORTALES........................ 29 55 31 63 / 0 0 0 0  
FORT SUMNER..................... 28 54 27 64 / 0 0 0 0  
ROSWELL......................... 36 57 30 64 / 0 0 0 0  
PICACHO......................... 32 55 32 69 / 0 0 0 0  
ELK............................. 30 53 31 69 / 0 0 0 0  
 
 
   
ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NONE.  
 
 
 
 
SHORT TERM...52  
LONG TERM....52  
AVIATION...42  
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