textproduct: Albuquerque

KEY MESSAGES

Issued at 1111 PM MDT Tue Oct 13 2026

- The first notable cold front of the season will move through Wednesday, bringing breezy to windy conditions and cooler temperatures.

- The first freeze of the season for the upper Rio Grande Valley, including Taos, is forecast late Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

- A backdoor cold front will sweep west across the area Thursday, creating strong east canyon/gap winds into the Rio Grande and Upper Tularosa Valleys through Thursday night.

SHORT TERM

(This evening through Wednesday night) Issued at 221 PM MDT Tue Oct 13 2026

An upper low is currently over southern Nevada, southwest Utah and northwest Arizona bringing some light showers and low clouds to northwest and west central NM. Elsewhere, mostly clear to partly cloudy skies with breezy southwest winds will prevail. Temperatures will be 5 to 10 degrees below average across western NM due to clouds, near normal across central NM, and 5 to 10 degrees above normal across eastern NM due to the downsloping winds. Southwest winds mostly taper off around sunset. The upper low moves across northern AZ tonight into Wednesday morning before being over the Four Corners midday Wednesday. A line of showers will move across northwest, west central and north central NM Wednesday morning ahead and along the Pacific cold front. Low chance for some storms along the NM/TX border late Wednesday morning and early Wednesday afternoon before drier air moves in from the west. Overall rainfall amounts will be around 0.1 to 0.3 inches with the highest amounts near the CO border. The Pacific cold front will move through the state during the day Wednesday as the upper low moves across the Colorado Rockies. This will result in breezy to gusty southwest to west winds across most areas with peak gusts of 45 to 50 mph across the northeast highlands. Winds taper off overnight setting the stage for the coldest temperatures of the season so far. Temperatures Thursday morning will dip below freezing across west central and far north central valley areas marking the end of the growing season. A Freeze Watch remains in effect for the Upper Rio Grande Valley, including Taos and Questa. This will be upgraded to a warning in the next forecast package to two, so those with agricultural and gardening interests should bring any plants indoors.

LONG TERM

(Thursday through Monday) Issued at 221 PM MDT Tue Oct 13 2026

On Thursday, the main upper low opens up into a trough across the northern and central Great Plains. However, lower heights retrograde southwest of the state closing off into a low across southern California by Thursday evening. The initial upper level trough will send a backdoor front through eastern NM during the day Thursday resulting in north wind gusts of 40 to 55 mph. Cooler with high temperatures slightly below average behind the backdoor front. A few Wind Advisories will likely need to be issued across northeast and east central NM in subsequent forecast packages. The upper low over southern California will help pull the backdoor front through the gaps of the central mountain chain across central and western NM Thursday evening into Friday morning. This along with a 1043 mb surface high over eastern Colorado will result in a very strong east canyon wind event for canyon openings across central NM. Easterly 700 mb winds and cross sections showing some elevated instability over Albuquerque show low potential for a mountain overtopping event Thursday night into early Friday morning. With increasing confidence for wind gusts > 60 mph, a High Wind Watch has been issued for the ABQ Metro, south central highlands, upper Tularosa Valley and lower Rio Grande Valley, including Socorro.

Gusty east winds will continue across western and central NM during the day on Friday as the surface pressure gradient behind the backdoor front slowly relaxes and easterly 700 mb winds slowly weaken. It will be a cool and crisp mid October day areawide with high temperatures in the mid 50s to low 60s across lower elevations. Could have a few showers across far southern areas due to higher moisture pooling across the part of the state. Freeze watches and warnings may be needed for more northern and central highlands and valley locations, excluding the RGV, Friday night into Saturday morning due to temperatures at to slightly below freezing. Cool temperatures on Saturday as the upper low over southern California opens up during the afternoon hours. This will result in some showers across western NM late Saturday into early Sunday. Guidance has the trough moving across the state Sunday resulting in a few showers across the western and north central high terrain. Warmer with highs in the 60s to mid 70s across the lower elevations. Even milder Monday as shortwave ridging to upper level southwest flow moves overhead.

AVIATION

(06Z TAFS) Issued at 1111 PM MDT Tue Oct 13 2026

Deterioration to IFR is forecast overnight at KFMN and KGUP, with areas of mountain obscurations across western NM. Low probabilities for MVFR conditions exist at KROW though the early morning hours, but too low to include in TAF at this time. Otherwise, VFR conditions prevail and are forecast to persist. Gusty southwest winds will be replaced with gusty west or northwest winds behind a cold front Wednesday afternoon/evening.

FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 221 PM MDT Tue Oct 13 2026

No critical fire weather concerns are expected through late next week. Light showers across west central and northwest NM this evening and early Wednesday moving across north central NM midday Wednesday. Cooler mid to late this week as Pacific and backdoor fronts move through the state Wednesday through early Friday. Some shower chances across far southern areas Friday, western areas Saturday afternoon into early Sunday and the west central and north central high terrain Sunday afternoon. Milder and more seasonable temperatures return early next week as upper level ridging move overhead.

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

Farmington...................... 46 54 35 61 / 90 50 0 0 Dulce........................... 36 54 28 63 / 90 90 5 0 Cuba............................ 43 56 31 61 / 40 60 0 0 Gallup.......................... 38 54 27 57 / 90 20 0 0 El Morro........................ 39 54 26 60 / 60 30 0 0 Grants.......................... 43 59 30 61 / 50 20 0 0 Quemado......................... 43 60 30 64 / 40 10 0 0 Magdalena....................... 49 67 38 62 / 0 0 0 0 Datil........................... 44 62 31 61 / 10 5 0 0 Reserve......................... 43 66 33 71 / 40 5 0 0 Glenwood........................ 48 69 38 76 / 50 20 0 0 Chama........................... 38 49 26 55 / 80 90 10 0 Los Alamos...................... 47 59 35 60 / 20 30 0 0 Pecos........................... 44 63 36 64 / 0 10 0 0 Cerro/Questa.................... 43 58 31 59 / 10 60 5 0 Red River....................... 34 50 24 50 / 10 50 5 0 Angel Fire...................... 26 57 19 55 / 0 20 0 0 Taos............................ 40 60 29 61 / 5 40 0 0 Mora............................ 39 62 32 59 / 0 5 0 0 Espanola........................ 47 67 36 68 / 10 20 0 0 Santa Fe........................ 48 63 38 64 / 5 20 0 0 Santa Fe Airport................ 46 65 36 65 / 5 20 0 0 Albuquerque Foothills........... 54 70 43 71 / 5 20 0 0 Albuquerque Heights............. 53 71 42 72 / 5 10 0 0 Albuquerque Valley.............. 52 73 42 74 / 5 10 0 0 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 54 70 42 71 / 5 20 0 0 Belen........................... 51 75 42 72 / 0 0 0 0 Bernalillo...................... 52 71 41 72 / 5 20 0 0 Bosque Farms.................... 50 74 41 73 / 0 10 0 0 Corrales........................ 53 72 41 73 / 5 20 0 0 Los Lunas....................... 52 74 42 73 / 0 5 0 0 Placitas........................ 53 68 42 69 / 5 20 0 0 Rio Rancho...................... 53 70 41 71 / 5 20 0 0 Socorro......................... 52 78 45 72 / 0 0 0 0 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 47 63 36 63 / 0 20 0 0 Tijeras......................... 49 65 38 66 / 0 20 0 0 Edgewood........................ 46 67 36 65 / 0 5 0 0 Moriarty/Estancia............... 44 69 34 67 / 0 0 0 0 Clines Corners.................. 47 66 38 62 / 0 0 0 0 Mountainair..................... 47 68 36 65 / 0 0 0 0 Gran Quivira.................... 47 67 37 65 / 0 0 0 0 Carrizozo....................... 54 72 45 72 / 0 0 0 0 Ruidoso......................... 48 66 41 67 / 0 0 0 0 Capulin......................... 44 62 37 52 / 0 20 10 5 Raton........................... 41 67 35 58 / 0 10 10 0 Springer........................ 41 70 35 62 / 0 5 5 0 Las Vegas....................... 44 65 36 60 / 0 0 0 0 Clayton......................... 52 66 47 62 / 0 40 20 0 Roy............................. 49 69 41 63 / 0 5 0 0 Conchas......................... 56 80 48 72 / 0 5 0 0 Santa Rosa...................... 54 78 47 69 / 0 0 0 0 Tucumcari....................... 57 81 51 73 / 0 20 5 0 Clovis.......................... 60 83 53 74 / 10 30 10 0 Portales........................ 61 83 54 75 / 20 30 5 5 Fort Sumner..................... 57 83 51 74 / 0 5 0 0 Roswell......................... 60 87 54 79 / 10 0 0 0 Picacho......................... 54 81 47 74 / 0 0 0 0 Elk............................. 52 78 45 74 / 0 0 0 0

ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

High Wind Watch from Thursday evening through Friday morning for NMZ219-220-224-225.

Freeze Watch from late Wednesday night through Thursday morning for NMZ216.