New Mexico continues to heat up this afternoon. Above average temperatures expected to continue through early next week.
A backdoor cold front moved through northeastern New Mexico last night. This front knocked down temperatures in the northeast this afternoon. Clayton is forecasted to be nearly 10 degrees cooler today than yesterday. Despite this cooldown, the northeast is still well above seasonable averages. As is the rest of New Mexico this afternoon.
Forecast Continues Below
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Temperatures across the state will continue to warm up even further on Friday. Winds will also pick up in the northeast throughout the day on Friday. Wind gusts in the northeast will begin around 20 mph on Friday morning. By the afternoon gusts could reach upwards of 40 mph. A combination of the warm temperatures, strong winds, and dry air is leading to an elevated fire risk for portions of northeast New Mexico. The National Weather Service has issued a Fire Watch for portions of northeast New Mexico. This Watch will go into effect on Friday February 7th.
On Saturday, the upper level westerly winds will increase over New Mexico. This will result in increased wind gusts at the surface. Temperatures across most of the state will also remain on the warm side for this time of year.
Also on Saturday, a backdoor front will begin to move its way into New Mexico. The front will cool off temperatures in the northeast. The larger cooldown will come Sunday and into early next week. The backdoor cold front will push further into New Mexico Saturday night. Drawing in cooler air with it. The cooler air will affect temperatures across the state starting Sunday.
Early next week an upper air disturbance will move across northern New Mexico. This disturbance will bring more locally windy conditions to the surface. Additionally, the disturbance could bring precipitation back to New Mexico. A wintry mix will likely begin in the northern mountains on Monday. Rain for the rest of the state becomes more uncertain. The European Model has rain chances being brought to central New Mexico on Tuesday. Whereas the American Model doesn’t bring rain until Wednesday of next week. As this forecast is nearly a week out, it could change.