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New Mexico health officials are warning that extreme temperatures this week could lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Albuquerque could reach a high of 91 degrees on Thursday.
Clovis and Tucumcari are expected to hit 96 and 98 degrees, and Roswell could break triple digits with a forecast high of 101.
Acting state Health Department Secretary David Scrase encouraged residents to stay hydrated and avoid strenuous outdoor activities.
“People at highest risk of heat-related illness are the elderly, the very young and people with existing chronic diseases, but it can also just as easily affect anyone working or playing outdoors if they are unprepared for the temperatures outside,” Scrase said in a statement.
Temperatures are expected to remain above normal for mid-May, said Scott Overpeck, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Albuquerque.
Rain chances are minimal all week.
“We’re not really seeing a whole lot of indication that this pattern is going to change,” Overpeck said.
Wildfire smoke will likely settle in the Middle Rio Grande Valley this week.
In Bernalillo County, an air quality alert for wildfire smoke will expire at noon Wednesday. “Air quality across much of the state is going to be pretty unhealthy,” Overpeck said.
Winds are expected to pick up again Thursday and Albuquerque could experience gusts of 25 mph, while Las Vegas and Taos could see gusts of 39 mph.
Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
