Rain chances increase into Wednesday for parts of New Mexico

Grant’s Monday Evening Forecast

Rain chances increase across parts of New Mexico through Wednesday, while breezy conditions stick around all week.

Upper level moisture moving into the state today is bringing a few isolated sprinkles, but most of the rain is evaporating before reaching the ground. The evaporating rain is causing some locally windy weather and picking up dust. It’s also another warm day with a few record and near-record highs, including another record high in Albuquerque. The light sprinkles will taper off tonight, but cloud cover will stick around.

Better moisture arrives from the west Tuesday afternoon, bringing a higher chance for wetting rainfall, mainly across western and northwestern New Mexico. Snow will also develop in the San Juan Mountains. A few showers and storms could reach as far east as the Rio Grande Valley by Tuesday evening.

The best chance for widespread rain comes Wednesday as deeper moisture and a Pacific cold front move in. Rain and mountain snow will favor western, northwestern, and northern New Mexico early in the day. Activity will weaken farther east, but a few light showers may reach eastern New Mexico by late morning. It will also turn cooler and windier Wednesday afternoon.

Warmer and drier weather returns Thursday and continues into Friday. A backdoor cold front moves into eastern New Mexico Friday night, bringing cooler temperatures to that part of the state for the weekend.