textproduct: Albuquerque

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 1232 AM MDT Fri Mar 20 2026

- An unprecedented heatwave for the month of March today and Saturday will produce a risk of heat-related illness for those most sensitive to heat. Additional record high temperatures look increasingly likely Tuesday through Thursday.

- Critical fire weather conditions will produce a risk of rapid fire spread across the eastern plains on Sunday.

- East wind gusts below canyons opening into the central valley Sunday night will produce crosswinds up to 40 mph on north-to- south roads from Santa Fe to Albuquerque, including I-25.

SHORT TERM

(Today through Saturday night) Issued at 1232 AM MDT Fri Mar 20 2026

Unprecedented heat is forecast across northern and central NM today and Saturday as high temperatures climb around 21-31 degrees above 1991-2020 averages. Not only will many daily high temperature records be smashed by sizable margins today and Saturday, all time record high March and April temperatures are forecast. Albuquerque should reach 90 F on Saturday, breaking the previous record earliest 90 F day set on May 3, 1943 and 1947. Clayton's high of 92 degrees on Saturday should also eclipse the previous record earliest 90(+) F day set on April 20, 1989. This will likely be the story in many locations. Fortunately, a powerful, summer-like high pressure system centered over southern AZ with a 500 mb height peaking around 595 dam as of this writing should weaken to around 588 mb as the centroid shifts eastward over southwest NM on Saturday, which will be the hottest day of the weekend for most of our forecast area.

The high pressure system will also begin to flatten out on Saturday as a disturbance crossing the northern and central Rockies strengthens westerly flow aloft over northern NM and induces a surface trough in the lee of the southern Rockies. This will cause surface wind gusts to peak from 25-35 mph across much of the northern half of the forecast area. Meanwhile, humidities will plummet into the single digits areawide.

LONG TERM

(Sunday through Thursday) Issued at 1232 AM MDT Fri Mar 20 2026

In the wake of the disturbance passing north of NM on Saturday, a gusty backdoor cold front will plunge southwestward through the eastern plains on Sunday. There will also be a northwest wind shift elsewhere enabling high temperatures to fall on Sunday a few to around 13 degrees in most locations. Nonetheless, Sunday's high temperatures will vary around 17 to 23 degrees above 30-year averages. Critically low humidities will also return on Saturday with the greatest risk of rapid fire spread across the eastern plains, where northeast wind gusts should generally peak from 30-40 mph. The backdoor front will then push through gaps in the central mountain chain Sunday night with a gusty east wind below canyons opening into the central valley. The strongest gusts will probably reach around 40 mph below Tijeras Canyon in Albuquerque Sunday night, and potentially also around the Santa Fe Airport.

The cooling trend is forecast to continue on Monday across central and eastern areas as the high pressure system aloft continues to weaken in response to a weak and dry upper level trough crossing the Desert Southwest from the northwest. However, another strong high pressure system aloft will build back over the southwest US Tuesday and Wednesday, then track eastward over southern NM and northern Mexico on Thursday, sending high temperatures soaring around 19-27 degrees above 1991-2020 averages again.

AVIATION

(06Z TAFS) Issued at 1149 PM MDT Thu Mar 19 2026

VFR conditions are forecast for the next 24 hours. Widespread record high temperatures are forecast on Friday, as readings climb between 20-27 degrees above 1991-2020 averages. Density altitude will be an important consideration for aviation operations near complex terrain.

FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 1232 AM MDT Fri Mar 20 2026

Locally critical fire weather conditions look to develop on Saturday across central San Miguel County. After widespread poor humidity recovery Saturday night, critical fire weather conditions will probably impact most of the northeast and east central plains on Sunday due to strong northeast winds with the backdoor cold front and persistent minimum humidities mostly in the single digits. In the wake of Sunday's backdoor cold front, humidity recoveries should mostly vary from 40-70 percent across central and eastern areas Sunday night. Then, humidities look to remain above 15 percent across most of the east Monday, while western readings continue to bottom out in the single digits.

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

Farmington...................... 86 41 89 42 / 0 0 0 0 Dulce........................... 83 33 82 36 / 0 0 0 0 Cuba............................ 82 41 84 43 / 0 0 0 0 Gallup.......................... 86 28 89 34 / 0 0 0 0 El Morro........................ 83 40 85 40 / 0 0 0 0 Grants.......................... 86 33 88 35 / 0 0 0 0 Quemado......................... 84 41 86 42 / 0 0 0 0 Magdalena....................... 83 49 86 50 / 0 0 0 0 Datil........................... 82 44 84 45 / 0 0 0 0 Reserve......................... 89 41 88 39 / 0 0 0 0 Glenwood........................ 92 45 92 43 / 0 0 0 0 Chama........................... 77 37 78 35 / 0 0 0 0 Los Alamos...................... 81 54 83 53 / 0 0 0 0 Pecos........................... 83 45 84 46 / 0 0 0 0 Cerro/Questa.................... 79 45 81 47 / 0 0 0 0 Red River....................... 69 39 70 43 / 0 0 0 0 Angel Fire...................... 76 25 76 29 / 0 0 0 0 Taos............................ 83 32 85 34 / 0 0 0 0 Mora............................ 80 44 84 46 / 0 0 0 0 Espanola........................ 88 42 90 43 / 0 0 0 0 Santa Fe........................ 84 47 85 46 / 0 0 0 0 Santa Fe Airport................ 86 43 87 43 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque Foothills........... 87 52 88 53 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque Heights............. 89 50 90 51 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque Valley.............. 91 48 92 47 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 89 50 91 51 / 0 0 0 0 Belen........................... 90 42 92 44 / 0 0 0 0 Bernalillo...................... 89 48 91 50 / 0 0 0 0 Bosque Farms.................... 90 43 91 43 / 0 0 0 0 Corrales........................ 90 49 92 49 / 0 0 0 0 Los Lunas....................... 89 45 91 45 / 0 0 0 0 Placitas........................ 85 50 87 51 / 0 0 0 0 Rio Rancho...................... 88 49 90 50 / 0 0 0 0 Socorro......................... 91 50 94 51 / 0 0 0 0 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 83 51 84 51 / 0 0 0 0 Tijeras......................... 83 51 85 52 / 0 0 0 0 Edgewood........................ 85 43 86 46 / 0 0 0 0 Moriarty/Estancia............... 87 33 89 37 / 0 0 0 0 Clines Corners.................. 82 45 84 45 / 0 0 0 0 Mountainair..................... 86 45 87 48 / 0 0 0 0 Gran Quivira.................... 84 47 86 49 / 0 0 0 0 Carrizozo....................... 88 53 88 54 / 0 0 0 0 Ruidoso......................... 82 52 81 56 / 0 0 0 0 Capulin......................... 80 43 86 47 / 0 0 0 0 Raton........................... 84 38 89 42 / 0 0 0 0 Springer........................ 86 37 91 40 / 0 0 0 0 Las Vegas....................... 83 43 86 46 / 0 0 0 0 Clayton......................... 86 50 92 55 / 0 0 0 0 Roy............................. 85 43 91 48 / 0 0 0 0 Conchas......................... 92 44 98 46 / 0 0 0 0 Santa Rosa...................... 89 44 95 51 / 0 0 0 0 Tucumcari....................... 91 45 97 49 / 0 0 0 0 Clovis.......................... 93 50 96 52 / 0 0 0 0 Portales........................ 94 48 96 50 / 0 0 0 0 Fort Sumner..................... 93 43 97 47 / 0 0 0 0 Roswell......................... 95 47 97 49 / 0 0 0 0 Picacho......................... 90 51 93 55 / 0 0 0 0 Elk............................. 88 49 91 53 / 0 0 0 0

ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Fire Weather Watch from Sunday afternoon through Sunday evening for NMZ104-126.