886
FXUS65 KABQ 142335 AAA
AFDABQ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
535 PM MDT TUE APR 14 2026
..NEW AVIATION
KEY MESSAGES
UPDATED AT 535 PM MDT TUE APR 14 2026
- HAZARDOUS CROSSWINDS WILL CREATE DIFFICULT TRAVEL FOR LARGE AND
HIGH-PROFILE VEHICLES THROUGH SUNSET AND AGAIN THURSDAY AND
FRIDAY MAINLY ACROSS EASTERN NM.
- CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL INCREASE THE THREAT FOR
RAPID FIRE SPREAD FROM ANY NEW FIRES THROUGH SUNSET. THESE
CONDITIONS RETURN THURSDAY ACROSS NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL NM,
AS WELL AS A MAJORITY OF THE STATE FRIDAY.
- A HARD FREEZE IS FORECAST FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING
ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL, WESTERN AND NORTHERN NM. TAKE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT EARLY BLOOMING PLANTS.
SHORT TERM
(THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT)
ISSUED AT 122 PM MDT TUE APR 14 2026
STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL SLOWLY DECREASE THIS EVENING
ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. AS THE PARENT STORM SYSTEM
SLIDES EASTWARD ACROSS COLORADO THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, AN
ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL BRING COOLER TEMPERATURES TO NM. ON
AVERAGE, LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE AROUND 10 DEGREES COOLER THAN
LAST NIGHT. IN ADDITION TO MOUNTAIN AREAS AND COMMON COLDER
LOCATIONS ACROSS WEST CENTRAL NM, A FEW OTHER LOWER ELEVATION
AREAS, INCLUDING FARMINGTON, THE SANTA FE METRO, AND MORIARTY WILL
SEE TEMPERATURES FALL BELOW FREEZING FOR AN HOUR OR TWO EARLY
WEDNESDAY MORNING.
A TRAILING TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO CROSS THE STATE ON WEDNESDAY.
THOUGH THIS WILL PASS WITH LITTLE FANFARE, BREEZY WESTERLY WINDS
WILL RETURN TO EAST CENTRAL NM WITH GUSTS NEAR 25 OR 30 MPH. HIGH
TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR TO JUST SHY OF NORMAL. WINDS WILL TAPER
OFF WEDNESDAY EVENING.
LONG TERM
(THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY)
ISSUED AT 122 PM MDT TUE APR 14 2026
FLOW WILL BACK TO THE SOUTHWEST ON THURSDAY IN ADVANCE OF AN
STRONG UPPER LEVEL TROUGH DIVING SOUTHWARD TOWARD UT. H7 FLOW WILL
INCREASE TO BETWEEN 25 AND 30KT BY THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS AND
H5 FLOW WILL ONLY BE MARGINALLY STRONGER. NONETHELESS, STRONG
MIXING AND A DEEPENING LEE SIDE TROUGH WILL ALLOW SURFACE WINDS
TO INCREASE AREAWIDE WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 25 AND 40 MPH. HIGH TEMPS
WILL WARM 5 TO 10 DEGREES AREAWIDE. ON FRIDAY, THE SYSTEM WILL
CROSS THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ROCKIES WITH THE BASE OF THE TROUGH
CROSSING NORTHERN NM. THE NAM APPEARS TO BE THE OUTLIER SHOWING A
SLOWER PROGRESSION. H7 WINDS WILL INCREASE TO BETWEEN 40 AND 50KT
WHILE A SURFACE LOW DEEPENS NEAR THE CO/OK/NM BORDER. THIS WILL
BRING STRONG WINDS TO MUCH OF THE AREA ONCE AGAIN, WITH THE
STRONGEST WINDS ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST NM.
ADDITIONALLY, A PACIFIC COLD FRONT WILL RACE FROM WEST TO EAST,
AND THE STRONGEST GUSTS OF THE DAY ARE MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR WITH
THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. TEMPERATURES WILL COOL QUICKLY BEHIND THE
FRONT. AREAS ACROSS NW NM WILL BE UPWARDS OF 20 DEGREES COOLER ON
FRIDAY THAN ON THURSDAY. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST MAY DEVELOP,
ESPECIALLY IN AREAS THAT HAVE RECEIVED LITTLE RAINFALL AS OF LATE.
AFTER THE WINDS DECREASE FRIDAY EVENING, EXCELLENT RADIATIONAL
COOLING WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO DROP LIKE A ROCK. A HARD FREEZE
(<=28 DEGREES) IS ON TAP FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN NM,
PLUS AREAS AROUND MORIARTY AND CLINES CORNERS. THIS WOULD BE A
DAMAGING FREEZE FOR ANY BUDDING OR BLOOMING PLANTS. HOWEVER, EVEN
AREAS ACROSS THE ALBUQUERQUE METRO WILL SEE LOW TEMPERATURES FALL
NEAR OR JUST BELOW THE FREEZING MARK.
QUIETER CONDITIONS WITH WEAK RIDGING WILL BE THE RULE ON SATURDAY.
SURFACE WINDS WILL VEER AROUND TO THE SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH, SLOWLY
DRAWING UP GULF MOISTURE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. AT LEAST FOR
NOW, NOTHING MORE THAN SPRINKLES IS EXPECTED FOR SUNDAY. INSTEAD,
SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE SUNDAY AND BREEZY TO WINDY
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF EASTERN NM DURING THE
AFTERNOON. THOUGH THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN IS UNCERTAIN ON MONDAY,
IT APPEARS THAT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO CREEP IN FROM
THE SOUTH, THOUGH STORMS STILL LOOK TO BE SCARCE.
AVIATION
(00Z TAFS)
ISSUED AT 535 PM MDT TUE APR 14 2026
GUSTY SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS ACROSS THE AIRSPACE TAPER OFF AROUND
SUNSET. LOW AND MID LEVEL CLOUDS DISSIPATE DURING THE EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES BY SUNRISE WEDNESDAY.
LIGHTER WEST AND SOUTHWEST WINDS WEDNESDAY COMPARED TO TODAY WITH
PEAK GUSTS AROUND 15 TO 25 KTS. SOME SCATTERED MID LEVEL CLOUDS
ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN HIGH TERRAIN DURING THE AFTERNOON
HOURS.
FIRE WEATHER
ISSUED AT 122 PM MDT TUE APR 14 2026
CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH EARLY
EVENING ACROSS EASTERN NM. LIGHTER WINDS ARE EXPECTED ON
WEDNESDAY, THOUGH LOCALLY CRITICAL CONDITIONS REMAIN ON TAP FOR
THE CLINES CORNERS AREA. CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL
RETURN FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. A DRY SLOT WILL CROSS THE STATE ON
THURSDAY, AND STRONG MIXING WILL BRING THE DRIER AIR AS WELL AS
STRONGER WINDS TO THE SURFACE. SEVERAL HOURS OF SINGLE DIGIT RH,
GENERALLY BETWEEN 5 AND 10 HOURS, ARE EXPECTED ACROSS ALL BUT THE
HIGH TERRAIN. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL NOT BE AS STRONG AS TODAY, BUT
WILL BE ABOVE CRITICAL THRESHOLDS, ESPECIALLY ACROSS EASTERN NM. A
FIRE WEATHER WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF NORTHEAST AND EAST
CENTRAL NM FOR THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WIND AND RH
THRESHOLDS ARE ALSO BEING MET NEAR GALLUP/WESTERN PORTIONS OF ZONE
105, BUT THIS AREA JUST RECEIVED WETTING RAINFALL AND ERC VALUES
ARE QUITE MARGINAL, SO HAVE HELD OFF ON A WATCH. WINDS WILL TURN
MORE WESTERLY AND NORTHWESTERLY ON FRIDAY AND INCREASE AS THE BASE
OF AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CROSSES NORTHERN NM. AN ASSOCIATED COLD
FRONT WILL ALSO CROSS THE STATE, DROPPING TEMPERATURES AND INCHING
RH VALUES UPWARD. CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL BE FAVORED
ACROSS EASTERN NM, BUT A FEW HOURS OF CRITICAL CONDITIONS WILL
ALSO IMPACT PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN NM. QUIETER CONDITIONS
ON SATURDAY, BUT CRITICAL CONDITIONS LOOK TO RETURN TO NORTHEAST
NM ON SUNDAY AS STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS RETURN. LESS CONFIDENCE
EXISTS FOR MONDAY AS MOISTURE WILL BE INCREASING, BUT NEAR-
CRITICAL CONDITIONS ARE NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION FOR NORTHEAST NM.
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS
FARMINGTON...................... 31 65 33 73 / 0 0 0 0
DULCE........................... 23 61 22 67 / 5 0 0 0
CUBA............................ 28 61 31 68 / 5 0 0 0
GALLUP.......................... 24 64 25 69 / 5 0 0 0
EL MORRO........................ 28 60 30 66 / 0 0 0 0
GRANTS.......................... 26 65 26 71 / 0 0 0 0
QUEMADO......................... 31 61 30 67 / 0 0 0 0
MAGDALENA....................... 36 65 37 71 / 0 0 0 0
DATIL........................... 32 61 33 67 / 0 0 0 0
RESERVE......................... 30 68 28 70 / 0 0 0 0
GLENWOOD........................ 34 73 32 76 / 0 0 0 0
CHAMA........................... 23 53 25 60 / 0 5 0 0
LOS ALAMOS...................... 36 60 40 67 / 0 5 0 0
PECOS........................... 30 61 35 67 / 5 0 0 0
CERRO/QUESTA.................... 28 58 33 63 / 0 10 0 0
RED RIVER....................... 24 48 26 53 / 0 10 0 0
ANGEL FIRE...................... 22 54 21 61 / 0 5 5 0
TAOS............................ 25 62 25 68 / 0 5 0 0
MORA............................ 29 61 33 67 / 0 0 0 0
ESPANOLA........................ 34 68 33 73 / 0 5 0 0
SANTA FE........................ 34 62 37 68 / 5 5 0 0
SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 33 66 34 71 / 0 0 0 0
ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 41 68 43 74 / 5 0 0 0
ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 42 70 42 76 / 5 0 0 0
ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 38 72 39 79 / 5 0 0 0
ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 40 71 40 77 / 5 0 0 0
BELEN........................... 37 73 34 79 / 5 0 0 0
BERNALILLO...................... 39 70 40 77 / 5 0 0 0
BOSQUE FARMS.................... 35 73 34 78 / 5 0 0 0
CORRALES........................ 40 72 40 78 / 5 0 0 0
LOS LUNAS....................... 36 72 36 78 / 5 0 0 0
PLACITAS........................ 39 66 41 72 / 5 0 0 0
RIO RANCHO...................... 41 71 41 76 / 5 0 0 0
SOCORRO......................... 42 74 40 80 / 0 0 0 0
SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 37 63 39 68 / 5 0 0 0
TIJERAS......................... 37 64 39 70 / 5 0 0 0
EDGEWOOD........................ 35 65 34 71 / 5 0 0 0
MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 29 66 27 73 / 5 0 0 0
CLINES CORNERS.................. 33 62 35 69 / 5 0 0 0
MOUNTAINAIR..................... 33 65 35 71 / 5 0 0 0
GRAN QUIVIRA.................... 35 64 36 71 / 5 0 0 0
CARRIZOZO....................... 41 67 41 72 / 5 0 0 0
RUIDOSO......................... 38 61 41 67 / 10 0 0 0
CAPULIN......................... 29 61 31 69 / 0 5 0 0
RATON........................... 29 67 30 74 / 0 10 0 0
SPRINGER........................ 30 67 29 75 / 0 0 0 0
LAS VEGAS....................... 31 64 34 70 / 0 0 0 0
CLAYTON......................... 40 68 41 79 / 0 0 0 0
ROY............................. 35 67 36 75 / 0 5 0 0
CONCHAS......................... 39 76 39 82 / 0 0 0 0
SANTA ROSA...................... 40 71 39 79 / 0 0 0 0
TUCUMCARI....................... 42 78 43 85 / 5 0 0 0
CLOVIS.......................... 45 77 44 83 / 10 0 0 0
PORTALES........................ 45 78 42 83 / 10 0 0 0
FORT SUMNER..................... 42 76 39 82 / 0 0 0 0
ROSWELL......................... 47 81 43 86 / 5 0 0 0
PICACHO......................... 42 73 41 79 / 0 0 0 0
ELK............................. 38 71 37 76 / 5 0 0 0
ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR NMZ104-123-125-
126.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR NMZ223-226>236-240.
FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY
EVENING FOR NMZ104-123-125-126.
SHORT TERM...34
LONG TERM....34
AVIATION...71
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