High pressure returns to Bernalillo County as Friday rain chances rise

Morning temperatures across most of Bernalillo County have fallen into the 30s Fahrenheit, driven by cooler air moving in behind a recently passed front.

A fast-moving storm system has already departed to the east-southeast, moving from the Texas Panhandle into Oklahoma. While most precipitation fell in the central Colorado Rockies, light snow dusted the higher elevations of the Tusas mountains and northern Sangre de Cristo range.

High pressure is building over the central Rockies and will reach New Mexico by this evening. This shift will bring abundant sunshine and seasonable temperatures to most of the state. Light winds are expected, though eastern and southeastern New Mexico will be breezier as the departing storm and incoming high pressure tighten the pressure gradient. Winds in those areas could reach 10 to 20 mph.

Wind chill values are currently running 5 to 10 degrees colder than the actual air temperature. Most locations are seeing morning lows in the 30s, although a few communities remain in the 40s and a handful are holding in the 50s.

Clouds are expected to increase Thursday night as a weak disturbance moves southeast across the Great Basin and Southwest. This system is forecast to cross the Southwest on Friday before tracking into southeastern New Mexico on Saturday.

Forecast models show better agreement on the system's track. Rain chances will increase Friday afternoon in western New Mexico and expand into central New Mexico by Friday evening. The best chances for precipitation are in southern New Mexico, where rain may begin earlier Friday and continue into Saturday. The Albuquerque metro has about a 10% chance of a few showers on Friday evening. Snow showers are possible at higher elevations in western and north-central New Mexico, though any precipitation is expected to remain light.

High pressure will return behind the disturbance, bringing pleasant conditions for the second half of the weekend. The quiet weather pattern is expected to continue through at least the first half of next week.