textproduct: Midland/Odessa

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 140 PM CST Thu Jan 29 2026

- A cold front moves through the area late Friday into early Saturday, keeping temperatures below normal through the weekend.

SHORT TERM

(This afternoon through Friday night) Issued at 140 PM CST Thu Jan 29 2026

WV imagery this afternoon shows an upper ridge over the west coast, putting West Texas and Southeast New Mexico under zonal flow aloft. Vis satellite imagery still shows a snow/ice pack over Southeast New Mexico and areas of West Texas to the east, but insolation and downslope northwesterly surface winds will continue to erode this. NBM has been running a bit cold as of late, so we'll stay on the warmer side of it in the short term. Highs this afternoon will come in around 3-5 F below normal, but this will average ~ 7-9 F warmer than yesterday.

Unfortunately, a cold front drops in late this afternoon, and shaving a few degrees off this morning's minimums.

Friday, weak CAA continues behind the front, and highs should be ~ 2-4 F below this afternoon's highs.

Friday night, unfortunately, another cold front backdoors the area after midnight, making Friday night perhaps the coldest one this forecast, assisted by mostly clear skies and light/variable winds promoting efficient radiational cooling in the first place. Lows will bottom out in the 20s north and the 30s south.

LONG TERM

(Saturday through Wednesday) Issued at 140 PM CST Thu Jan 29 2026

The long term period begins with colder temperatures again on Saturday as surface high pressure located over the Central Plains continues to filter colder air into the region behind the passage of a backdoor cold front. This yields afternoon highs in the 40s across much of the region, except 50s for most of the Presidio Valley and Big Bend region. Clear skies and light winds in this colder airmass allow lows to drop into the 20s for most Saturday night, with near- freezing temperatures possible near the Big Bend. Sunday sees a nice warmup as an upper-level ridge approaches the area, yielding afternoon highs in the 50s for most. Ensemble guidance shows the warmup continuing through Tuesday, with highs potentially returning back to normal. For reference, the normal high for this time of year at Midland International Air and Space Port is 60 F. Guidance suggests that another cold front may be sent through the region Tuesday night/Wednesday morning next week, yielding cooler temperatures once again. Ensemble members depict embedded shortwaves within northwest flow aloft during this timeframe, bringing low (10- 20%) chances of precipitation during this timeframe. However, it should be noted that there is much uncertainty in the details and they will need to be ironed in the coming days. Greening

AVIATION

(18Z TAFS) Issued at 1037 AM CST Thu Jan 29 2026

VFR conditions will prevail next 24 hours,with a few high clouds. A weak cold front will move through the terminals today, but light winds will veer to southeast by late Friday morning.

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

Big Spring 27 56 23 42 / 0 0 0 0 Carlsbad 29 52 26 44 / 0 0 0 0 Dryden 40 62 34 52 / 0 0 0 0 Fort Stockton 35 59 30 52 / 0 0 0 0 Guadalupe Pass 32 47 30 41 / 0 0 0 0 Hobbs 28 54 23 42 / 0 0 0 0 Marfa 28 56 25 53 / 0 0 0 0 Midland Intl Airport 30 57 25 44 / 0 0 0 0 Odessa 31 56 26 44 / 0 0 0 0 Wink 29 55 28 45 / 0 0 0 0

MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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