Rain and mountain snow chances pick up later this week

Temperatures are finally feeling like fall across New Mexico today. A storm system will bring widespread chances for rain and mountain snow later this week and this weekend.

While it wasn’t as cold as forecast models were prediction this morning after the cold front last night, temperatures this afternoon across the state are sitting anywhere from a few degrees to over 20° cooler than yesterday! Scattered showers are again moving east across the western half of the state and into the Rio Grande Valley this evening. That rain is switching over to snow above ~10,000′ in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. It will be another cool night across New Mexico with a few spotty showers, sprinkles, and light mountain snow sticking around parts of the state into Thursday morning.

Another round of showers, storms, and mountain snow develops in western New Mexico and southwest Colorado by Thursday afternoon. The precipitation will move east across the state through Thursday evening.

A strong fall storm system will begin moving into New Mexico Friday. This storm system will initially bring in slightly warmer weather and windy conditions across New Mexico Friday afternoon. Scattered strong to severe storms will be likely in the eastern part of the state Friday afternoon, while a cold front will begin moving in from the west. Showers, storms, and mountain snow will increase across the state with this cold front as it moves east through Friday night. Snow levels may even drop to as low as 7,000′ in western New Mexico Saturday morning. A Winter Storm Watch goes into effect at noon on Friday for the San Juan Mountains, where up to 24″ of snow may be possible. Temperatures all across New Mexico will be much cooler on Saturday with more rain showers and thunderstorms and mountain snow. A few inches of snow may even be possible in the northern mountains of New Mexico, above 9,000′. There is an increasing concern of heavy rain and flash flooding across parts of northeast New Mexico Saturday, with over 1″ of rain possible.

The storm starts moving out Sunday, but rain and mountain snow may linger across northern and eastern parts of the state. Temperatures will also start a warming trend Sunday afternoon. This warming trend continues into next week with drier weather and highs climbing back above normal.

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