Continued Unseasonably Warm & Dry.

New Daily Record Highs Set On Sun Dec 19, 2010-

19 December 2010	Lat	Lon	ASOS/ COOP	COOP/ WBAN ID*	Record New (1) Tied (1)	Previous Record	Previous Year	Period of Record
CARLSBAD FAA AP, NM (KCNM)	32.34	-104.26	ASOS	291475	75.0°F	75.0°F	1978	70
CAPITAN, NM	33.53	-105.59	COOP	291440	62.0°F	61.0°F	2003	50

New Daily Record Highest Min Temps Sun Dec 19, 2010-

19 December 2010	Lat	Lon	ASOS/ COOP	COOP/ WBAN ID*	Record New (10) Tied (2)	Previous Record	Previous Year	Period of Record

RUIDOSO, NM

33.37

-105.66

COOP

297649

40.0°F

38.0°F

1978

62

New Daily Record Highest Min Temps Mon Dec 20, 2010-

20 December 2010	Lat	Lon	ASOS/ COOP	COOP/ WBAN ID*	Record New (28) Tied (4)	Previous Record	Previous Year	Period of Record

CARLSBAD CAVERNS, NM

32.18

-104.44

COOP

291480

55.0°F

54.0°F

1981

70

HOPE, NM	32.81	-104.73	COOP	294112	49.0°F	44.0°F	1984	63
CARLSBAD FAA AP, NM (KCNM)	32.34	-104.26	ASOS	291475	48.0°F	45.0°F	1981	70

CAPITAN, NM	33.53	-105.59	COOP	291440	47.0°F	38.0°F	1984	47
ROSWELL INDUSTRIAL AP, NM (KROW)	33.31	-104.51	ASOS	297610	46.0°F	46.0°F	1984	63

New Daily Record Highest Min Temps Tue Dec 21, 2010-

21 December 2010	Lat	Lon	ASOS/ COOP	COOP/ WBAN ID*	Record New (9) Tied (1)	Previous Record	Previous Year	Period of Record
CARLSBAD CAVERNS, NM	32.18	-104.44	COOP	291480	57.0°F	57.0°F	1981	68
HOPE, NM	32.81	-104.73	COOP	294112	50.0°F	44.0°F	1934	62

ARTESIA 6S, NM

32.75

-104.38

COOP

290600

43.0°F

41.0°F

1948

100

Yesterday's afternoon high temperatures were about ten degrees cooler than forecast, with most locations seeing readings in the low 70's. A thick deck of mid-high level clouds kept El Sol from heating us up to the forecast highs. I did get up last night at 1 AM to see if I could get a photo of the historic Lunar Eclipse. Unfortunately our skies were overcast and I missed the shot.

Today will be unusually warm and breezy, not to mention dry. Our afternoon high temps are forecast to range from the upper 70's to the low 80's. Southwesterly winds should kick up at around 20-25 mph, with a few higher gusts possible.

An upper level trough of low pressure is forecast by the models, to move eastward across the state Wednesday and Thursday. A cold front is forecast to back-door into SE NM on Wednesday. This will keep our highs on Wednesday and Thursday from near 70 to the low 70's. Low level easterly upslope flow is forecast to increase over the area Wednesday night behind the front, therefore areas fog and light drizzle may develop into Thursday morning. 

Christmas Eve will be cooler with afternoon high temps in the mid-upper 50's. Christmas Day will be seasonably cool with afternoon high temps in the low-mid 50's. A few light rain and snow showers may break out over the Sacramento Mountains Wednesday night into Thursday. The snow level will be high, generally above 8,000'-9,000', and no significant accumulations are anticipated at this time.

The Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction!