127  
FXUS65 KABQ 222158  
AFDABQ  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM  
258 PM MST SAT FEB 22 2025  
   
..NEW SYNOPSIS, SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, FIRE WEATHER
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
UPDATED AT 248 PM MST SAT FEB 22 2025  
 
- WARMING TREND CONTINUES AREAWIDE THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. RECORD  
HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE CHALLENGED IN WESTERN AND NORTHERN NM  
ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY.  
 
- BREEZY NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CREATE ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER  
CONDITIONS IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS EACH AFTERNOON SUNDAY  
THROUGH TUESDAY.  
 
- THERE IS A LOW TO MODERATE CHANCE OF LIGHT MOUNTAIN SNOW AND  
VALLEY RAIN NEXT WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
ISSUED AT 248 PM MST SAT FEB 22 2025  
 
A WARMING TREND CONTINUES THIS WEEKEND THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK, WITH  
DRY WEATHER PREVAILING AROUND THE FORECAST AREA. BREEZY NORTHWEST  
WINDS WILL CREATE ELEVATED TO BRIEFLY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER  
CONDITIONS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH-CENTRAL HIGHLANDS EACH AFTERNOON  
SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THERE IS A LOW TO MODERATE CHANCE OF LOWER  
ELEVATION RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW NEXT WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM
 
 
(THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT)  
ISSUED AT 248 PM MST SAT FEB 22 2025  
 
THE LAST VESTIGES OF A 569DM H5 LOW CLOAKED IN IRRELEVANCE IS  
CENTERED OVER THE BOOTHEEL OF NM THIS HOUR, TRACKING EASTWARD ALONG  
THE BORDERLANDS. NO SENSIBLE WEATHER IMPACTS ARE EVIDENT FROM THIS  
FEATURE, ASIDE FROM THE BROKEN SKY COVER OVER THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF  
THE STATE. PLEASANT LATE FEBRUARY WEATHER REIGNS SUPREME OVER MUCH  
OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NM WITH LIGHT BREEZY WINDS THIS AFTERNOON.  
THESE BREEZY NORTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL PERSIST LONGEST THRU THE  
CENTRAL HIGHLANDS BETWEEN LAS VEGAS, MORIARTY, AND RUIDOSO TONIGHT  
ALLOWING OVERNIGHT LOWS TO TREND WARMER. VALLEY TEMPERATURE  
INVERSIONS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP ELSEWHERE THRU CENTRAL AND  
WESTERN NM ALLOWING FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF 10S FOR LOWS IN THESE  
VALLEY LOCATIONS.  
 
HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST SUNDAY WITH ANOTHER  
ROUND OF BREEZY WESTERLY TO NORTHWESTERLY WINDS. HIGHS CLIMB 5F TO  
10F MOST AREAS, 15F TO 20F THRU EAST-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN NM,  
WITH WIDESPREAD 60F TO 70F FOR HIGHS. SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BE EERILY  
SIMILAR TO TONIGHT WITH ITS OVERALL SETUP, ALLOWING MONDAY MORNING'S  
LOWS TO TREND WARMER 5F TO 10F.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM
 
 
(MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)  
ISSUED AT 248 PM MST SAT FEB 22 2025  
 
LOW-LEVEL NORTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL INTENSIFY MONDAY AFTERNOON IN THE  
WAKE OF THE EXITING LOW TO THE SOUTHEAST. GUSTY WINDS WILL BE  
CONFINED TO THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH-CENTRAL HIGHLANDS IN THE LEE OF  
THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN, BUT A BREEZE WILL ALSO DEVELOP OVER THE  
JEMEZ MOUNTAINS AND CONT. DIVIDE AS WELL. ZONAL FLOW TAKES OVER ON  
TUESDAY, RESULTING IN VERY LITTLE CHANGE TO HIGH TEMPS, WHICH WILL  
BE NEAR RECORD LEVELS IN PORTIONS OF WESTERN NM.  
 
A BACKDOOR FRONT WILL DIVE INTO EASTERN NM ON WEDNESDAY AS A  
POSITIVELY TILTED TROUGH ATTEMPTS TO DIG FURTHER SOUTH. THERE IS  
A VERY LOW CHANCE OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION ALONG THE CENTRAL  
MOUNTAIN CHAIN DUE TO UPSLOPE FLOW, BUT GIVEN HOW DRY THE  
ATMOSPHERE BEHIND THE FRONT APPEARS, ANYTHING MORE THAN A FEW  
SPRINKLES OR FLURRIES APPEARS UNLIKELY. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP IN  
THE EAST IN THE WAKE OF THIS FRONT, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE THE ARCTIC  
ORIGINS OF PREVIOUS COLD SNAPS SO THE COOLDOWN WILL BE MUCH LESS  
SEVERE. HEIGHTS RAPIDLY RISE ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY IN THE WAKE OF  
THIS TROUGH, SOARING TEMPS BACK WELL-ABOVE SEASONAL AVERAGES.  
 
STARTING ON THE 1ST DAY OF MARCH, THE OVERALL SYNOPTIC PATTERN WILL  
BEGIN TO SHIFT. A TROUGHING SIGNAL OVER THE WESTERN CONUS WILL  
INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT PACIFIC STORM SYSTEMS EMBEDDED WITHIN  
THE MOSTLY ZONAL SUBTROPICAL JET WILL BE ADVECTED IN FROM THE WEST,  
INCREASING THE CHANCES OF MOUNTAIN SNOW AND LOWER ELEVATION RAINFALL  
OVER THE WEEKEND. PRECIPITATION WILL FAVOR THE NORTHERN PORTION OF  
THE FORECAST AREA AND SNOW LEVELS WILL BE SEASONABLY HIGH (IN THE 7-  
8KFT RANGE). AN ACTIVE STORM TRACK LOOKS TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE  
FIRST WEEK OF MARCH, HOWEVER NEW MEXICO MAY END UP BEING ON THE  
SOUTHERN FRINGES OF THIS SYSTEMS, WITH THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS  
POTENTIALLY BEING THE ONLY BENEFICIARIES OF THIS MUCH NEEDED  
MOISTURE.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
 
(18Z TAFS)  
ISSUED AT 1004 AM MST SAT FEB 22 2025  
 
VFR PREVAILS TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH LIGHT AFTERNOON SOUTHERLY TO  
WESTERLY WINDS. BROKEN CEILINGS OVER SOUTHERN AREAS OF NM CLEAR  
OUT THRU THE DAY INTO TONIGHT.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
 
ISSUED AT 248 PM MST SAT FEB 22 2025  
 
HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST ALLOWING FOR A WARMING  
TREND TO CONTINUE THRU TUESDAY ALONGSIDE BREEZY WESTERLY TO  
NORTHWESTERLY WINDS EACH AFTERNOON. THESE WINDS WILL BE STRONGEST  
THRU THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS AREA WHERE ELEVATED TO SHORT-LIVED  
CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL BE PRESENT EACH AFTERNOON. A  
COLD FRONT BACKS THRU EASTERN NM WEDNESDAY BRINGING COOLER  
TEMPERATURES AND A NORTHEASTERLY TO EASTERLY WIND SHIFT. THIS WILL  
BRING AN END TO THE ELEVATED/CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THRU  
THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS. WESTERN AREAS WILL BE UNAFFECTED BY THIS COLD  
FRONT. TEMPERATURES TREND WARMER WITH LIGHTER WINDS THURSDAY AND  
FRIDAY.  
 

 
   
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS
 
 
FARMINGTON...................... 24 59 29 64 / 0 0 0 0  
DULCE........................... 13 56 18 61 / 0 0 0 0  
CUBA............................ 20 57 26 64 / 0 0 0 0  
GALLUP.......................... 14 64 21 69 / 0 0 0 0  
EL MORRO........................ 23 59 30 64 / 0 0 0 0  
GRANTS.......................... 14 63 22 69 / 0 0 0 0  
QUEMADO......................... 22 59 28 67 / 0 0 0 0  
MAGDALENA....................... 29 63 36 70 / 0 0 0 0  
DATIL........................... 26 60 31 67 / 0 0 0 0  
RESERVE......................... 15 70 22 75 / 0 0 0 0  
GLENWOOD........................ 20 74 26 78 / 0 0 0 0  
CHAMA........................... 16 51 22 56 / 0 0 0 0  
LOS ALAMOS...................... 28 56 35 63 / 0 0 0 0  
PECOS........................... 28 61 35 64 / 0 0 0 0  
CERRO/QUESTA.................... 24 54 30 60 / 0 0 0 0  
RED RIVER....................... 21 45 27 51 / 0 0 0 0  
ANGEL FIRE...................... 16 51 24 56 / 0 0 0 0  
TAOS............................ 17 56 23 63 / 0 0 0 0  
MORA............................ 24 61 31 64 / 0 0 0 0  
ESPANOLA........................ 22 64 27 71 / 0 0 0 0  
SANTA FE........................ 29 58 36 64 / 0 0 0 0  
SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 25 61 31 67 / 0 0 0 0  
ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 35 63 40 69 / 0 0 0 0  
ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 31 65 35 71 / 0 0 0 0  
ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 23 68 28 74 / 0 0 0 0  
ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 30 66 34 72 / 0 0 0 0  
BELEN........................... 18 68 22 74 / 0 0 0 0  
BERNALILLO...................... 28 67 32 73 / 0 0 0 0  
BOSQUE FARMS.................... 18 68 22 73 / 0 0 0 0  
CORRALES........................ 28 67 32 74 / 0 0 0 0  
LOS LUNAS....................... 19 67 23 73 / 0 0 0 0  
PLACITAS........................ 31 62 37 68 / 0 0 0 0  
RIO RANCHO...................... 29 66 33 72 / 0 0 0 0  
SOCORRO......................... 28 70 33 77 / 0 0 0 0  
SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 30 59 36 64 / 0 0 0 0  
TIJERAS......................... 30 59 36 65 / 0 0 0 0  
EDGEWOOD........................ 24 62 31 67 / 0 0 0 0  
MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 14 64 22 69 / 0 0 0 0  
CLINES CORNERS.................. 24 59 31 64 / 0 0 0 0  
MOUNTAINAIR..................... 24 61 30 67 / 0 0 0 0  
GRAN QUIVIRA.................... 26 61 32 67 / 0 0 0 0  
CARRIZOZO....................... 29 64 36 71 / 0 0 0 0  
RUIDOSO......................... 28 59 35 66 / 0 0 0 0  
CAPULIN......................... 26 60 31 65 / 0 0 0 0  
RATON........................... 22 66 28 69 / 0 0 0 0  
SPRINGER........................ 21 66 27 70 / 0 0 0 0  
LAS VEGAS....................... 25 64 31 67 / 0 0 0 0  
CLAYTON......................... 29 64 34 71 / 0 0 0 0  
ROY............................. 27 64 32 70 / 0 0 0 0  
CONCHAS......................... 27 67 30 76 / 0 0 0 0  
SANTA ROSA...................... 29 66 38 74 / 0 0 0 0  
TUCUMCARI....................... 25 64 29 74 / 0 0 0 0  
CLOVIS.......................... 29 68 34 75 / 0 0 0 0  
PORTALES........................ 27 69 33 77 / 0 0 0 0  
FORT SUMNER..................... 25 67 32 78 / 0 0 0 0  
ROSWELL......................... 29 73 34 82 / 0 0 0 0  
PICACHO......................... 32 69 36 77 / 0 0 0 0  
ELK............................. 30 71 35 77 / 0 0 0 0  
 

 
   
ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...24  
LONG TERM....16  
AVIATION...24  
 
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