ABQ could reach record high on Christmas Day

Instead of throwing on winter coats and frolicking in the snow, New Mexicans may be belting out "Deck the Halls" in T-shirts or tank tops.

The only part of the state expected to see some white stuff on Christmas is in the Tusas Mountains, above 10,000 feet, said Carter Grelich, National Weather Service of Albuquerque meteorologist.

"Unfortunately, it's not looking very likely for a white Christmas for (most people) in New Mexico," he said. The last time the Duke City saw a white Christmas was in 2019, Grelich said.

Nonetheless, the balmy weather isn’t stopping people from sliding down the slopes at sites like Ski Santa Fe, where operations manager Tommy Long said he has seen "some pretty decent crowds ... given the kind of lack of wintry feel."

"We're very fortunate here at Ski Santa Fe — we have a very robust snowmaking system," Long said. "We make a lot of snow in order to get open and stay open into the spring months. ... Even though it doesn't feel a lot like winter out there, winter is in full swing here."

While no snow is in the forecast, a Christmas Eve system is expected to bring rain to places such as Chama, Gallup, and Farmington.

"It's not going to be the kind of thunderstorm rain that you see in the monsoon season," Grelich said. "It will just be kind of a nice, calming October rain, if you will."

Due to a high-pressure system, he said, many parts of New Mexico will continue to see high temperatures over the next few days.

Thursday’s high at the Albuquerque International Sunport could reach 64 degrees, which would break the record, 63 degrees, set in 1955, Grelich said. Other parts of the state could be even warmer. Tucumcari and Roswell, for example, are predicted to reach the high 70s, according to the National Weather Service.

The warm weather is expected to last for a few more days before a system will arrive and drop temperatures into the 40s and 50s across the state on Sunday, according to the NWS.