textproduct: Midland/Odessa

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 225 PM CST Mon Jan 26 2026 - Cold temperatures in the single digits and teens and wind chills as low as -5 to 15 degrees can be expected over southeast New Mexico and much of west Texas tonight into Tuesday morning. Continue to check on family, neighbors, and the elderly, give pets and plants a warm place to stay, and protect pipes!

- Roads will re-freeze tonight and remain slick and hazardous into Tuesday morning.

- Patchy to areas of freezing fog may develop over portions of southeast New Mexico, the Permian Basin, and the Van Horn corridor again late tonight into Tuesday morning.

SHORT TERM

(This afternoon through Tuesday night) Issued at 225 PM CST Mon Jan 26 2026

Cold surface high pressure continues to settle over much of Texas this afternoon in the wake of the system that brought the weekend winter storm. We started off the morning with record breaking cold across our forecast area with temperatures falling to as low as zero to 9 below over the northern Permian Basin into Lea County NM (coldest reading of -9 at the Tatum mesonet site). We officially reached 3 degrees at MAF, which considerably breaks the old record of 15 degrees set back in 1940. Single digits stretched as far south as the I-10 corridor, with readings mostly ranging in the teens and 20s south of I-10. CIRA Geocolor satellite imagery displays a swath of snow pack extending across most areas along and north of the I-10 corridor in our forecast area this afternoon. Temperatures remain very cold across locations that received snow in our forecast area, with most having managed to warm into the 20s as of 130 PM CST. Temperatures are in the 30s and 40s along the Lower Trans Pecos and Big Bend.

Surface high pressure will gradually shift toward the Gulf Coast states tonight into Tuesday while weak troughing takes shape over eastern New Mexico and west Texas. There will be a gradual increase in high cloudiness tonight which may help modify overnight lows somewhat, but the residual snow pack and the remaining influence of the arctic airmass will allow to temperatures to plummet into the teens and 20s over much of the area tonight, with readings in the single digits again over portions of southeast New Mexico and the Permian Basin. Wind speeds up to 5-10 mph will result in minimum wind chill values ranging from around 5 below to 15 above over the area, which meets the criteria for a Cold Weather Advisory issuance over just about all of our area (except the Presidio Valley) tonight into early Tuesday morning. We should finally warm back into the 30s and 40s over areas with remaining snow pack on Tuesday, while southern portions of our region warm into the 50s and perhaps around 60 degrees along the Rio Grande. Another cold night is expected Tuesday night with lows mostly in the teens and 20s, but temperatures/wind chills currently look to remain above Cold Weather Advisory criteria.

LONG TERM

(Wednesday through Sunday) Issued at 225 PM CST Mon Jan 26 2026

Dry northwesterly flow aloft generally prevails across west Texas and southeast New Mexico through the middle to latter part of the week. Temperatures still look to remain below normal Wednesday- Friday with highs in the 40s and 50s for the most part, except 60s over the southern Big Bend/along the Rio Grande. Lows also modify back into the 20s and 30s. A weak cold front will switch winds back to the north on Thursday. Another stronger cold front and associated surge of colder air spreads back into our region Friday night into Saturday, with lows back down into the teens to lower 20s for many this weekend, with highs on Saturday back down into he upper 30s to mid 40s along and north of I-20. The surface ridge shifts to our east Sunday, allowing for a gradual warming trend back into the 50s for most on Sunday afternoon. The forecast looks to remain dry through the extended forecast period.

AVIATION

(18Z TAFS) Issued at 1113 AM CST Mon Jan 26 2026

VFR conditions are expected to prevail through this afternoon and early evening. FZFG and BR is anticipated to develop again after 06Z. There is medium confidence in FZFG forming over HOB, while other terminals remain as BR. There is very low confidence in VIS reaching LIFR conditions at MAF, INK, CNM, and PEQ tomorrow morning. Winds will remain light and variable.

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

Big Spring 11 43 15 46 / 0 0 0 0 Carlsbad 11 38 18 43 / 0 0 0 0 Dryden 21 52 25 58 / 0 0 0 0 Fort Stockton 19 48 23 52 / 0 0 0 0 Guadalupe Pass 21 38 26 43 / 0 0 0 0 Hobbs 11 43 16 47 / 0 0 0 0 Marfa 19 54 22 59 / 0 0 0 0 Midland Intl Airport 15 44 18 48 / 0 0 0 0 Odessa 16 44 19 47 / 0 0 0 0 Wink 15 42 17 46 / 0 0 0 0

MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

TX...Cold Weather Advisory from 6 PM CST /5 PM MST/ this evening to 9 AM CST /8 AM MST/ Tuesday for Andrews-Borden-Central Brewster-Chisos Basin-Crane-Davis Mountains-Davis Mountains Foothills-Dawson-Eastern Culberson-Ector-Gaines-Glasscock- Guadalupe Mountains Above 7000 Feet-Guadalupe and Delaware Mountains-Howard-Loving-Lower Brewster County-Marfa Plateau- Martin-Midland-Mitchell-Pecos-Reagan-Reeves County Plains- Scurry-Terrell-Upton-Van Horn and Highway 54 Corridor-Ward- Winkler.

NM...Cold Weather Advisory from 5 PM this afternoon to 8 AM MST Tuesday for Central Lea-Eddy County Plains-Guadalupe Mountains of Eddy County-Northern Lea-Southern Lea.