textproduct: Midland/Odessa

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 345 AM CST Wed Jan 14 2026

- Temperatures will gradually warm to above normal by Thursday afternoon, before a series of cold fronts arrives beginning Thursday night/Friday to take temperatures closer to normal into next week.

SHORT TERM

(Today through Thursday afternoon) Issued at 345 AM CST Wed Jan 14 2026

WV imagery this morning shows the upper trough digging through the upper Texas Gulf coast, leaving meridional flow aloft over West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. At the surface, winds are beginning to back in response to an approaching cold front. NAM buffer soundings put fropa at KMAF at around 11Z, but the front looks rather weak. As a result, highs this afternoon should still come in ~ 3-5 F above climatology under mostly sunny skies/abundant insolation.

Tonight, surface winds go light/variable, but generally take on a southwesterly aspect, arresting CAA. Despite efficient radiational cooling from mostly clear skies, overnight lows should average around 5 F above normal.

Thursday, surface troughing develops ahead of an upper trough digging out of Manitoba, increasing southwesterly flow over West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. This will add a downslope warming component to the mix, combining with mostly sunny skies to increase thicknesses, resulting in perhaps the warmest day this forecast as highs increase ~ 5-7 F over today's, averaging around 10 F above normal.

Unfortunately, dry, northwest flow aloft keeps the short term bone- dry.

LONG TERM

(Thursday night through Tuesday) Issued at 345 AM CST Wed Jan 14 2026

An upper level low over the Great Lakes will funnel cool air into the region late in the week and into the weekend as a series of troughs rotate around the low, driving cold air into the South Plains. Models are showing the a trough rotating arouind the low pushing a cold front south into West Texas and southeastern New Mexico Thursday night into Friday morning dropping highs into the 50s to lower 60s, which is very close to normal for this time of year. There will be no precipitation with this system since the associated low pressure system will be so far to our north.

Temperatures warm slightly Sunday before a second trough rotates through the upper Midwest sending a reinforcing surge of cool air south early next week. This should maintain afternoon highs in the 50s to low 60s while lows drop into the 30s to upper 20s.

AVIATION

(12Z TAFS) Issued at 345 AM CST Wed Jan 14 2026

VFR conditions will prevail next 24 hours. A modest cold front is working its way through the area this morning, and will result in gusty northerly winds east of the Pecos. winds go light/variable after sundown.

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

Big Spring 62 33 68 36 / 0 0 0 0 Carlsbad 61 35 69 38 / 0 0 0 0 Dryden 67 38 70 40 / 0 0 0 0 Fort Stockton 62 39 71 41 / 0 0 0 0 Guadalupe Pass 54 38 57 36 / 0 0 0 0 Hobbs 61 34 67 36 / 0 0 0 0 Marfa 57 28 62 29 / 0 0 0 0 Midland Intl Airport 62 36 66 37 / 0 0 0 0 Odessa 62 37 66 38 / 0 0 0 0 Wink 63 34 69 35 / 0 0 0 0

MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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