NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – While rain-free conditions with relatively low temperatures are the big weather story this morning once again, slightly more mountain thunderstorms will fire off this afternoon, but most across the region will be very sunny with even higher afternoon temperatures than yesterday. All storms in northwestern areas dissipated, leaving only behind some trails of clouds around The Four Corners with a high pressure system aloft which will only drift slowly to the south-southeast ahead as soon-to-be Hurricane Francine in The Gulf of Mexico drifts northward then eventually northeastward while strengthening. So, stubbornly stagnant weather this morning in New Mexico with dry air, as well as light winds, have allowed for temperatures to drop around the freezing mark in the high elevations, while most other areas are starting off in the 40’s, 50’s, and lower 60’s.
As temperatures across the region rise from the morning school commute into the high 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and low 90 degrees by the afternoon, moisture from the northwest, along with daytime heating, will lead to slightly more areas across the viewing areas receiving doses of rainfall. More-widespread storms will most likely form in The San Juan Mountains, The Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and The Zuni Mountains, while a few showers are possible in The Southern Mountains. Burn-scar flash flooding will still be unlikely despite the slow-moving storms because they will be relatively sporadic in coverage, but flooding will be a little bit more likely than yesterday. Within the areas that will rain, small hail, gusty winds, and some lightning strikes are possible.
Relatively light upper-level winds, generally from the northwest, will push the storms slowly to the southeast this evening, but then as a high pressure system eventually weakens around The Four Corners later this week, moisture beneath it will slowly drift southeast for some later this week. However, where areas will remain mostly sunny, the sinking air-mass will allow temperatures to rise a bit above normal as drier air will come in fuller force late this week with persistent southwesterly winds before the next weather pattern change this weekend.