Some rain & hot today before a wet weekend

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – More-humid conditions are present in Eastern New Mexico with few showers in western to northern areas to the high elevations dissipating earlier, but now mountain storms are forming. East-gap winds were gustier this morning in eastern to some central areas with some patchy fog earlier in the Northeast Highlands.

Above-freezing temperatures were still confined to most of the higher peaks of the Northern Mountains with valley floor locations mostly starting off in the 40s or in the 50s. Elsewhere was mostly starting off in the upper 50s to the lower 70s.

Westerly to southwesterly upper-level winds are persistent with more moisture coming in from Baja California as a high pressure system shifts farther back to the east in Southeast New Mexico. So, more rounds of Monsoonal thunderstorms will form because of more moisture aloft with stronger upper-level winds, as well as more moisture at the surface with stronger surface winds. Rain will fall across many western mountainous areas through North New Mexico, South New Mexico, and East New Mexico, including parts of the Rio Grande Valley, but the Four Corners will still mostly be dry. Flash flooding will be more likely with many more pockets of hail in the stronger storms, as well as some very gusty outflow winds.

Some clouds, in combination with the sinking, compressing air mass, will still allow for afternoon temperatures to rise above normal for most. High temperatures will reach the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Some moisture has moved in, but the pendulum swing pattern of muggy mornings out east with breezy easterly winds shifting to southwesterly drier winds in the afternoons forming storms to the east will still continue though. Moisture will continue to pile in from the southwest this Labor Day Weekend with more Monsoon rainfall, more clouds, lower temperatures, and gustier winds.