ABQ on pace to break over 130-year-old record for warmest August, National Weather Service says

The city of Albuquerque could see record high temperatures this week and month.

As of Sunday, National Weather Service of Albuquerque meteorologist Michael Anand said the average temperature — a combination of highs and lows —this month is 82.8 degrees. That is over a degree warmer than the hottest August on record, 81.2 degrees, set in 2011. Records date back to 1891.

To break the record would be “pretty significant,” he said.

Anand said Monday’s high will be 98 degrees at Albuquerque International Sunport and 99 in the Valley, well above the average of 88 degrees.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, temperatures are expected to be 100 at the airport and 102 in the Valley. The record highs for those days are 100 and 99, respectively. Both records were set in 2020.

High temperatures in the Metro area are expected to drop to the low to mid-90s at the end of the week with increased chances for rain, according to NWS.

Albuquerque is not the only part of the state that could see record-breaking temperatures this week.

In Roswell, highs are slated to be in the low to mid-100s, including Wednesday when it could reach 106 degrees and break the record of 101 set last year. The city could also hit 107 degrees on Thursday, which would also break a record by five degrees.

Anand offered a few suggestions on how to handle the hot weather:

• Limit strenuous outdoor activities during the hottest parts of the day.
• If people have to be outside for long periods of time, they should take frequent shade and water breaks. “Make sure you’re staying hydrated all the time,” he said.
• Do not leave children and pets inside vehicles: When outdoor temperatures are about 80 degrees, the inside of a car could warm up to 120 degrees in about 30 minutes. When temperatures are 100 degrees, Anand said, the inside of a car feels “more like 130, 140.”