Dry Thursday with above average warmth in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Most of New Mexico will remain dry throughout Thursday with a mix of sun and clouds overhead and temperatures well above average.

Rain and snow showers moved across north-central New Mexico early Thursday morning, mainly in areas around the Jemez Mountains and the northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains. A stray shower may pop up again in the late-afternoon and continue into the overnight hours, including in Albuquerque.

In Albuquerque, the record high temperature of 70 degrees – set back in 1918 – is in jeopardy. The forecast high is 68 degrees. It all depends on how much sunshine there is.

Friday is the big day. Most areas will remain too warm for snow, with the exception of higher elevations in the mountains. However, rain is possible in lower elevations.

Unfortunately, this will not help all too much with our drought situation. Between last week’s drought monitor (left) and Thursday’s monitor (right), there has been no change. Almost all of New Mexico is in some type of drought and more than half the state is also in a rainfall deficit.

Areas marked in yellow have abnormally dry conditions, while the red is classified as an extreme drought. The darker the color gets, the worse the drought becomes.