Monsoon pattern ramping up for weekend
Jul. 7—The rest of this holiday-shortened week will be mostly hot and dry in Albuquerque, with a monsoon pattern and increased thunderstorm and rain chances ramping up this weekend to offer some relief from the heat.
Todd Shoemake, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Albuquerque, said Wednesday will kick off a "drying trend" for the rest of the workweek.
"As drier air comes in, that tends to allow the temperatures to spike up a little bit more, because we don't have that moisture in place to moderate the temperatures," Shoemake said.
Albuquerque could reach a high of 87 degrees on Wednesday.
The city has a 20% chance of precipitation, with showers more likely in the afternoon.
Thursday is expected to hit a high of 91 degrees in Albuquerque.
Friday could be the hottest day of the week in New Mexico, with Albuquerque expected to hit 96 degrees.
The Four Corners region could skyrocket into triple digit temperatures on Friday.
Farmington could reach a high of 101 degrees.
A cool front is expected to enter New Mexico on Friday night, bringing with it northerly winds and more moisture.
"All those ingredients will combine for an increase in shower and thunderstorm activity," Shoemake said.
Albuquerque has a forecast high temperature of 92 degrees Saturday with a 20% chance of rain. Sunday's forecast shows a high of 89 degrees with a 30% chance of rain.
The wetter and slightly cooler pattern will likely continue into early next week.
Recent heavy rainfall has "made a dent" in eastern New Mexico's drought conditions, said Kerry Jones, the NWS Albuquerque meteorologist in charge. A weather station near Roswell recorded more than 8 inches of rain from June 22 to July 5.
On July 2, Tucumcari concluded seven consecutive days with measurable precipitation, the city's third-longest streak. Santa Rosa Lake has risen a foot since July 1.
"Of course, in some areas we've had a little too much (rain) too quickly, and we've seen runoff and flooding issues," Jones said.
The National Weather Service may issue flash flood warnings this week if isolated storms bring heavy rainfall.
Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
