NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Seasonably cold air has been the big story on Autumn’s last morning with dry air despite some passing clouds. Bitterly colder air is present in the San Luis Valley to the Enchanted Circle, as well as from the Four Corners to the Gila National Forest, as air temperatures are just above zero to the teens for most of those communities, while most other areas are experiencing air temperatures in the upper teens, 20s, 30s, and lower 40s from north-northwest to south-southeast from high to lower elevation, but some of that colder air is settling down to the valley floors, with colder air to start in the East Highlands.
With some decks of mid-to-high-level clouds moving mostly east-southeast in northern areas later this afternoon with the calmer upper-level winds, as well as the peskier surface winds from the south-southeast in the Pecos River Valley with southwesterly winds in the east-sloped mountain valleys, dry-enough air will lead to no precipitation because of a ridge of high pressure still holding strong from the southwest. The change in winds in Southeast New Mexico will provide noticeably lower afternoon temperatures, but otherwise, high similar temperatures will either be close to or slightly higher than yesterday, especially in the Four Corners, still above normal for all. From the morning school commute through the afternoon, temperatures will reach into the high 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and near low 70s from north to south.