textproduct: El Paso

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 1046 PM MDT Fri Apr 17 2026

- Cold front arriving tonight will bring cooler temperatures over the weekend. Slight chance of rain showers Sunday and Monday, east of the Rio Grande Valley.

- Dry southwest flow remainder of next week producing breezy to windy afternoons and above normal temperatures.

..WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

Strengthening southwest flow ahead of a Pacific low will bring more breezy to windy conditions midweek. We may need Wind Headlines depending on the eventual evolution and timing of this system. Right now, deterministic models show a Pacific low swinging across the Central Rockies, well to our north thus no precipitation chances. Confidence is high in a warm, dry, and breezy weather pattern the rest of next week.

AVIATION

(12Z TAFS) Issued at 534 AM MDT Sat Apr 18 2026

A cold front has pushed in from the north overnight, and northerly flow will gradually shift to northeast and easterly by mid- morning, slowly diminishing. A secondary push from the east will arrive this evening, with ESE winds increasing again, particularly at DMN and LRU, but also a noticeable uptick at ELP. Winds will stay below AWW criteria at ELP. LLWS looks to also develop with the second push this evening, with ESE winds around 38 knots around 1500 ft AGL per BUFKIT soundings.

FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 534 AM MDT Sat Apr 18 2026

Backdoor cold front will bring some cooler temperatures to the area today. Highs will run about 5 degrees cooler than yesterday along the Rio Grande in New Mexico, and 10 degrees cooler over much of Otero and Hudspeth Counties. West of the Divide, little to no change in temperature is expected. Breezy north to northeast winds this morning will trend towards the east later today, but will be below critical thresholds, with slightly higher RH values as well. RFTI values will range from 1-2.

A second push of east winds tonight will further boost RH values heading into Sunday, and a few light rain showers can't be ruled out later Sunday afternoon.

We'll head back into a dry and breezy pattern for much of next week. Fire conditions could approach critical again by Wednesday or Thursday.

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

El Paso 50 72 51 81 / 0 20 20 10 Sierra Blanca 45 66 44 75 / 0 40 30 30 Las Cruces 44 71 46 78 / 0 20 20 10 Alamogordo 42 74 46 78 / 0 10 20 30 Cloudcroft 28 54 34 56 / 0 10 30 30 Truth or Consequences 45 72 51 77 / 0 10 10 20 Silver City 43 67 44 73 / 0 10 10 10 Deming 46 73 47 81 / 0 20 10 10 Lordsburg 49 72 48 80 / 0 10 10 0 West El Paso Metro 53 71 54 80 / 0 20 20 10 Dell City 42 69 44 78 / 0 10 20 20 Fort Hancock 50 74 50 83 / 0 40 30 30 Loma Linda 44 64 46 74 / 0 20 30 20 Fabens 51 72 51 83 / 0 30 20 20 Santa Teresa 49 70 49 79 / 0 20 20 10 White Sands HQ 49 72 51 79 / 0 10 20 20 Jornada Range 43 72 44 79 / 0 10 20 20 Hatch 43 75 47 81 / 0 10 10 10 Columbus 51 73 51 82 / 0 20 10 10 Orogrande 45 70 46 77 / 0 10 20 20 Mayhill 30 62 37 68 / 0 0 20 30 Mescalero 32 64 37 67 / 0 0 20 30 Timberon 32 59 38 65 / 0 10 30 30 Winston 33 65 36 70 / 0 10 10 30 Hillsboro 43 70 46 76 / 0 10 20 20 Spaceport 40 72 44 78 / 0 10 10 20 Lake Roberts 38 69 40 73 / 0 10 20 20 Hurley 40 69 41 75 / 0 10 10 10 Cliff 44 75 44 80 / 0 10 10 10 Mule Creek 43 72 44 77 / 0 10 10 10 Faywood 43 67 44 74 / 0 10 20 10 Animas 50 72 46 81 / 0 10 10 0 Hachita 48 71 46 80 / 0 20 10 10 Antelope Wells 49 72 46 81 / 0 20 10 10 Cloverdale 49 69 46 77 / 0 10 10 10

EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

TX...None. NM...None.