NEWS
From freezing to 90: NM to experience multiple seasons as it enters spring
High winds swept across New Mexico on Sunday, gusts hit as high as 81 mph at Raton airport, according to NWS
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Wind and fluctuating temperatures are par for the course in March. But could parts of New Mexico experience, dare we say, 90 degrees, at the end of the week?
The week began on a windy and dusty note.
On Sunday, Randall Hergert, National Weather Service of Albuquerque meteorologist, said gusts reached as high as 81 mph at Raton Municipal Airport. In the metro area, Double Eagle II Airport reported 49 mph while other areas dealt with 30-40 mph gusts.
High winds and blowing dust caused the city of Albuquerque to issue a health alert during the afternoon.
While the winds are expected to die down, on Monday morning temperatures will be in the teens in the northern part of the state and 20s and 30s across the state, Hergert said.
By the end of the week, however, many New Mexicans will be taking off their coats and putting on shorts and straw hats. In many areas, highs are expected to go from the 50s and 60s on Monday to the upper 80s and low to mid-90s across central and eastern New Mexico starting on Thursday.
If it reaches 90 degrees in Albuquerque, Herhert said, it would be the earliest the city had a 90-degree day in recorded history (May 3, 1943, was the earliest).
Along with warm temperatures, the state is expected to remain dry through the end of the month, he said.
“It might be a while for many places” until they receive precipitation, Hergert said.
Gregory R.C. Hasman is a general assignment reporter and the Road Warrior. He can be reached at ghasman@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3820.
