textproduct: Albuquerque

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 528 PM MDT Wed Jul 15 2026

- Widespread storms each day this week will focus over northern and western New Mexico, with lesser coverage across the east. Small hail, gusty outflow winds, and localized flash flooding may occur with stronger storms during the afternoon and evening hours.

- There is a low risk of flash flooding over the Ruidoso area burn scars through Thursday, then at least a low to moderate risk from Friday through the weekend.

SHORT TERM

(This evening through Thursday night) Issued at 200 PM MDT Wed Jul 15 2026

A complex weather pattern evolving across the western U.S. will make for a tricky convective forecast over the next several days. The main axis of monsoon moisture stretches from south to north across AZ and western NM while a broad area of upper level dry air is wedged along the Front Range. Meanwhile, a series of easterly waves are stacked from the southern Baja into south TX and OK. The large-scale flow pattern will undergo a squeeze play across NM as the easterly waves move northwestward and a new upper level high center begins to form around northern CO. This squeeze play is already resulting in a speed max strengthening to near 50kt along the central mt chain. Low level moisture is also deepening across the region with southeasterly flow building to near 700mb over southeast NM. The deeper moisture, improving lift, daytime heating, and orographics will allow showers and storms to continue around the high terrain today. Storms will move south to southwest into nearby highlands and valleys on convective outflows thru late this evening. Another gap wind will develop in the RGV this evening with gusts near 40 mph likely. 24-hr LPMM QPF from ensemble CAMs shows locally heavy rainfall >1" over the northern and western high terrain. The upper level dry air and subsidence over eastern NM is capping convection east of the central mt chain. This dry air aloft will spread west tonight and be positioned more over central NM Thursday. There is also a 20-30% chance of low stratus to develop westward into southeast NM late tonight as richer low level moisture advects into the area.

There is conflicting guidance on storm coverage Thursday depending on exactly where the aforementioned dry wedge lines up over the area. The easterly wave over south TX may have made enough progress to the northwest to allow for showers and storms to increase over southeast NM while the main storm axis focuses from the northern mountains down the Cont Divide to the Gila region. 24-hr LPMM QPF from ensemble CAMs does indicate a downtick in storm footprints >1". Storm motions Thursday may also be slower and more erratic from northeast to southwest as the upper level wind field becomes more deformed over the region.

LONG TERM

(Friday through Tuesday) Issued at 200 PM MDT Wed Jul 15 2026

By Friday and Saturday, low level moisture will continue deepening over the area while 700-500mb layer flow starts to veer southward and the Baja shortwave trough drifts north toward southwest AZ. PWATs are shown increasing to near 1.1" at KABQ and near 1.5" at KEPZ. Steering flow is likely to weaken over the region and become more east/west Friday thru Saturday. The main focus for storms is most likely to center over northern and western NM again. WPC QPF favors this area and NBM 90th percentile QPF shows daily bullseyes >1". Northeast NM and perhaps parts of central NM may remain under the pocket of drier and more stable upper level dry air so storm coverage will depend on how that evolves.

Model agreement falls off considerably Sunday and Monday as the H5 high center over the central Rockies begins to drift southeast into the Great Plains. The GFS shows a broad area of dry and stable upper level air over the central U.S. building southwest into NM for most of next week with hotter temps. However, the ECMWF and NBM continue to favor the axis of monsoon moisture along and west of the central mt chain thru early next week with locally heavy rainfall still possible.

AVIATION

(00Z TAFS) Issued at 528 PM MDT Wed Jul 15 2026

Cluster of showers and storms should be impacting the ABQ metro terminals the next hour or two with other activity off to the NW with this cluster. The western fringes of this activity should reach KGUP in the next couple of hours. TAFs maintain mention of TSRA for KAEG and KABQ but the activity has weakened as it has moved into the area. There may not be much TS but more SHRA. KFMN and KSAF should be done with convection for the night.

Tomorrow chances of storms at the terminals looks less so there was a more conservative approach to the later periods of the TAFS given lower confidence. KROW could be on the edges of some MVFR decks in the morning but less than a 20 percent chance so will not include in the TAF. KSAF, KFMN and KGUP look like the areas with the higher chances of TSRA but even that is low confidence.

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FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 200 PM MDT Wed Jul 15 2026

There is no critical fire weather expected for the next two weeks. Showers and storms with locally heavy rainfall will develop over the high terrain each day then move into nearby highlands and valleys thru the evening hours. Steering flow will be generally northeast to southwest thru Thursday, more east to west Friday thru Sunday, then eventually south to north thru next week. Min humidity each day will average 20 to 30% with good to excellent overnight recoveries.

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

Farmington...................... 63 90 62 90 / 50 20 50 30 Dulce........................... 49 86 48 86 / 70 60 50 70 Cuba............................ 56 82 55 82 / 30 30 50 60 Gallup.......................... 54 84 52 82 / 60 40 60 60 El Morro........................ 55 79 54 78 / 80 40 50 60 Grants.......................... 56 83 55 83 / 60 40 50 50 Quemado......................... 57 79 55 79 / 80 60 40 60 Magdalena....................... 62 81 61 82 / 50 40 20 50 Datil........................... 58 76 57 77 / 70 60 30 60 Reserve......................... 56 83 52 84 / 60 60 30 70 Glenwood........................ 58 87 54 88 / 40 60 30 60 Chama........................... 48 78 47 78 / 60 70 50 70 Los Alamos...................... 62 81 61 81 / 50 30 40 60 Pecos........................... 54 81 54 82 / 40 50 20 80 Cerro/Questa.................... 55 79 54 80 / 60 70 40 60 Red River....................... 43 75 42 76 / 60 70 40 70 Angel Fire...................... 41 75 40 75 / 50 70 40 70 Taos............................ 52 81 50 82 / 40 50 30 60 Mora............................ 51 77 51 79 / 40 60 30 70 Espanola........................ 60 88 60 89 / 40 30 30 50 Santa Fe........................ 60 82 60 82 / 40 40 20 70 Santa Fe Airport................ 58 85 58 85 / 40 30 20 60 Albuquerque Foothills........... 66 88 66 89 / 40 40 30 50 Albuquerque Heights............. 63 89 63 90 / 40 30 30 40 Albuquerque Valley.............. 63 91 63 92 / 30 30 30 40 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 66 90 66 91 / 40 20 30 40 Belen........................... 62 91 62 91 / 30 20 20 30 Bernalillo...................... 65 91 64 91 / 40 30 30 40 Bosque Farms.................... 60 90 60 91 / 30 30 20 30 Corrales........................ 65 91 65 92 / 40 20 30 40 Los Lunas....................... 62 90 62 91 / 30 20 20 30 Placitas........................ 65 87 65 87 / 40 30 30 40 Rio Rancho...................... 65 90 65 91 / 40 20 30 40 Socorro......................... 68 92 67 93 / 30 5 10 20 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 59 82 59 83 / 40 50 30 60 Tijeras......................... 57 86 57 86 / 40 40 30 60 Edgewood........................ 54 86 54 86 / 30 30 20 60 Moriarty/Estancia............... 52 86 52 86 / 20 30 10 50 Clines Corners.................. 54 81 54 81 / 30 20 10 50 Mountainair..................... 56 85 56 85 / 20 30 20 60 Gran Quivira.................... 57 82 57 83 / 20 30 10 60 Carrizozo....................... 62 85 61 85 / 20 30 10 60 Ruidoso......................... 55 78 54 77 / 10 40 10 70 Capulin......................... 53 80 53 81 / 5 10 10 10 Raton........................... 54 84 53 86 / 10 5 10 20 Springer........................ 56 85 55 86 / 5 5 10 20 Las Vegas....................... 54 80 54 81 / 30 20 10 50 Clayton......................... 61 87 60 88 / 5 0 5 5 Roy............................. 59 83 58 84 / 5 0 10 20 Conchas......................... 63 91 63 91 / 5 0 10 20 Santa Rosa...................... 61 85 61 86 / 5 0 10 20 Tucumcari....................... 63 91 63 91 / 5 0 5 10 Clovis.......................... 62 87 62 87 / 5 0 10 20 Portales........................ 62 88 62 88 / 5 0 10 20 Fort Sumner..................... 63 89 63 89 / 10 0 10 10 Roswell......................... 66 89 65 90 / 10 5 20 20 Picacho......................... 60 85 59 85 / 10 5 10 40 Elk............................. 55 83 55 83 / 10 10 10 70

ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.