Fall at last: October will see temperatures cooling
Oct. 17—Fall finally will start to feel like fall.
The first day of fall was Sept. 22, when the autumnal equinox brings a shift in sunlight, making the days shorter. Though the season had turned on the calendar, the weather didn't seem to have the same idea. Through September and into early October, temperatures were significantly higher than in previous years, nearly 10 degrees higher than normal on average.
A low pressure system will change that, bringing in unstable air, clouds and precipitation — ranging from light drizzle to heavy storms.
"We'll start to see impacts Friday afternoon into Saturday morning, especially in the eastern plains, where we have the threat of severe weather," said Nico Porcelli of the Albuquerque Weather Institute. "Currently, the Storm Prediction Center has us under a marginal risk of severe weather, so that means we can see damaging wind gusts of over 58 miles per hour and a threat of hail."
The eastern New Mexico plains can expect to see the worst of the low pressure system, with severe thunderstorms, snow and rain showers and large hail throughout the weekend. Flash flooding is a possibility in the eastern plains, especially in burn scar areas.
"Many locations will observe their coldest temperatures of the season thus far, and a few areas will dip below freezing for the first time this fall," according to the National Weather Institute website.
While eastern New Mexico can expect more rain than the rest of the state, western New Mexico will see the lowest temperatures.
"In terms of cold temperatures, we'll start to see temperatures drop on Saturday morning," Porcelli said. "The coldest temperatures will be in the western part of New Mexico, especially over the higher terrain like the Chuska Mountains, and the Four Corners are also under a threat of freezing temperatures.
"The coldest temperatures will come after the frontal passage on early Monday morning, but here in the Albuquerque region, we're not seeing too much of a threat of severe weather."
Skiers will be delighted to hear that both the Angel Fire Ski resort and the Taos Ski Valley received snow Thursday, and snowstorms over the weekend should add to that. The two resorts are still at least a month away from their anticipated openings for skiing, according to their websites.
Although Albuquerque might not see extreme weather, the city will still feel a drop in temperature over the weekend. Saturday has a 50% chance of thunderstorms, bringing temperatures down to the mid-60s. Winds will also pick up, with gusts expected to reach 35 mph.
Sunday will bring an end to inclement weather in Albuquerque, with clearing skies through the rest of the day and into the following week.
"This weekend is basically the main event," Porcelli said. "After that, once the front pushes through, it's looking like we're going to have a return of of the ridge that we had the past couple weeks. Temperatures look to increase a little bit, and weather will become more benign and drier."
