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Connecting The Dots Between Solar Cycles/Volcano Activity & Their Role In Our Planets Weather & Climate Cycles.

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January 9, 2026. Stormy Winter Skies. West Of Hope, New Mexico.  Several years ago, during the middle of the very heated and controversial climate change propaganda and debates, a group of respected scientists publicly came out with this statement: "It's the sun, stupid." That may offend some, but to this day it remains one of my all-time favorite quotes.  The sun and its associated solar cycles drive the planet's climate and weather. Volcanoes also play a major role, and the sun plays a major role in how and when they erupt. When they reach the major or historical eruption stage, they alter the planets short term weather and long term climate cycles.  The solar cycles, especially the solar minima cycles and grand solar minimums have drastically altered our weather and climate throughout history. Most notably during the last Little Ice Age. Many believe we are due or overdue for another such event.  Add to this mix the sun's effects on the world's ocean temper...
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2017-2018 SE NM Winter Summary - NM Drought Forecast To Continue.

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Capitan Mountains Northwest Of Roswell, New Mexico.


December 1st, 2017 - February 28th, 2018.


February 2018.


January 1st, 2018 - February 28th, 2018.


Overall our meteorological winter here in Southeastern New Mexico (December - February) came in about average temperature-wise. Rainfall and snowfall totals ended up being below average when compared to the short term (30 year) averages long term (1895-2018) averages.

Roswell Industrial Air Center (ASOS).
(Winter Data December - February).

Highest Temperature- 82ºF February 14th, 2018.
Coldest Maximum Temperature- 25ºF January 1st, 2018.
Lowest Temperature- 8ºF January 2nd, 2018.
Rainfall- December Trace, January .07", February .54" Total- .61".
Snowfall- December 0", January 0", February 0".

Artesia Climate Co-Op Station.
(Winter Data December - February).

Highest Temperature- 79ºF February 1st, 4th, 10th, 15th.
Coldest Maximum Temperature- 23ºF January 2nd, 2018.
Lowest Temperature- 7ºF January 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 2018.
Rainfall- December .07", January .10", February .31" Total- .48".
Snowfall- December 0", January 0", February 0".

Carlsbad Climate Co-Op Station.
(Winter Data December - February).

Highest Temperature- 83ºF February 15th, 2018.
Coldest Maximum Temperature- 25ºF January 2nd, 2018.
Lowest Temperature- 12ºF January 3rd, 4th, 2018.
Rainfall- December .20", January .06", February .16" Total- .42".
Snowfall- December 0", January 0", February 0".

(Winter Data December - February).

Highest Temperature- 83ºF December 2nd, 3rd, 2017 and February 14th, 2018.
Coldest Maximum Temperature- 25ºF January 1st, 2018.
Lowest Temperature- 8ºF January 2nd, 2018.
Rainfall- December .16", January .07", February .18" Total- .41".
Snowfall- December 0", January 0", February 0".

(Winter Data December - February).

Highest Temperature- 81ºF February 14th, 2018.
Coldest Maximum Temperature- 27ºF January 1st, 2018.
Lowest Temperature- 8ºF January 1st, 2018.
Rainfall- December .07", January .01", February .03" Total- .11".
Snowfall- December 0", January 0", February 0".

(Winter Data December - February).

Highest Temperature- 81ºF February 14th, 2018.
Coldest Maximum Temperature- 27ºF January 1st, 2018.
Lowest Temperature- 8ºF January 1st, 2018.
Rainfall- December .07", January .01", February .03" Total- .11".
Snowfall- Missing Data

Cloudcroft Climate Co-Op Station.
(Winter Data December - February).

Highest Temperature- 59ºF December 30th, 2017.
Coldest Maximum Temperature- 21ºF December 7th, 2017.
Lowest Temperature- 4ºF December 8th, 2017.
Rainfall- December ..35", January 1.29", February 3.13" Total- 4.77".
Snowfall- December 7.5", January 7.7", February 3.5" Total- 18.7"

2017-2018 Winter Rainfall Totals.
December 3rd, 2017 - March 3rd, 2018.


2017-2018 Winter Rainfall Anomalies.
December 3rd, 2017 - March 3rd, 2018.


2017-2018 Winter Rainfall Totals.
December 3rd, 2017 - March 3rd, 2018.



2017-2018 Winter Rainfall Anomalies.
December 3rd, 2017 - March 3rd, 2018.



New Mexico CoCoRaHS 2017-2018 Winter Rainfall & Snowfall Totals.
(December 1st, 2017 - February 28th, 2018).






A CoCoRaHS Station located 2.3 miles south of Cloudcroft recorded 3.78" of rain during the month of February. And 3.08" was recorded 0.4 miles east-southeast of Cloudcroft for the month. A CoCoRaHS Station located 8.5 miles west of Capitan recorded 2.56" of rain during February and a 2.47" of rain was recorded for the month 2.9 miles southwest of Ruidoso. Heavy rainfall totals for most months let alone February. Too bad this didn't fall as snow. Rain fell in part due to the fact that overall for the past winter temperatures in the Sacramento Mountains averaged above normal under La Niña's influence. 

As of March 1st, 2018 Ski Apache west of Ruidoso with a bas elevation of 9,600' has recorded a seasonal snowfall total of 37". Far below their annual average of 180" (Thanksgiving through Easter). 
Latest National Drought Monitor Status.


Latest New Mexico Drought Monitor Status.


Latest March Drought Outlook.


Latest Spring Drought Outlook.
(March-April-May).


Our chances of seeing a cool wet spring do not appear likely this year. Our current developing drought across the state and area is forecast to continue to into May. This is bad news given the fact that we are entering our windy season. You have likely noticed also that there is a lot of high grass and lots of brush left over from the past several wet years. Already we've seen several small grass fires break out and this will only get worse as the winds pick up and temperatures rise. A good example of this happened in Capitan recently. "Fire Burns 30 Acres, Multiple Structures In Capitan." 

The Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction!

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Artesia, NM Mothership Supercell Thunderstorm. 9-17-2016.

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Blog Updated 9-19-2016 @ 6:31 PM MDT. Diane & I Chase A Monster Of A Supercell!  Saturday, Sept 17, 2016.  Courtesy Of Diane J. Malone. My Wife (Diane) And I Took Old Yo Crossing Rd. South Out Of Roswell And Finally Got Out In Front Of This Monster Of A Supercell Thunderstorm On St. Hwy 13. She Took This Photo Near Mile Marker 11. Pretty Much Describes Rural Southeastern New Mexico. 3:09 PM MDT: This Beast Had Multiple Wall Clouds That At Times Showed Slow Rotation And At Other Times Was Spinning Like A Top. This Was A Ground Hugger At Times As Well. Initially When This Storm Developed South Of Picacho It Was Showing A Northeastward Movement On Radar. That Didn't Last Long As It Intensified And Started Heading East Then Made A Right Turn (Right Mover) And Took Off To The Southeast. At Times Moving Southeastward At 15-20 MPH Then It Would Accelerating To 40 MPH.  3:47 PM MDT: We Are About 1 Mile West Of Hope In Western Eddy County On ...
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Monster Of A Snowstorm Coming This Christmas Weekend?

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New Mexico This Coming Christmas Weekend? Those of us who live in New Mexico have developed a unique sense of humor when it comes to our weather. I've often said that we live in a place where extremes more often than not are normal. Take for example the rest of this weeks forecast for Carlsbad depicted below. Latest NWS Forecast For Carlsbad, New Mexico. My high temperature here at our home yesterday was 74°F. Contrast that to what's coming this weekend...depicted below. Its not unusual at all to have high temps in the 70's or even the 80's ahead of a strong winter storm locally. We saw this with the major snowstorms in December 1987, December 1997, and February 2011, and with other strong winter storms too. Long Range Model Forecasts On Weekend Storm. This Mornings 12Z/5 AM MST European (ECMWF) 500 MB Forecast. Valid @ 5 AM MST Sunday, Dec 27, 2015. This Mornings 12Z/5 AM MST U.S. GFS 500 MB Forecast. Valid @ 11AM MST Sunday, Dec ...
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Powerful Winter Storm Is Hammering New Mexico! Worst Is Yet To Come.

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Blog Updated At 9:57 PM MST. Courtesy Of Glen Brazell. Shared On Twitter By Kerry Jones. Nearly 30" The Ground In Ruidoso, NM. Downtown Ruidoso, New Mexico. Ruidoso Web Cam Snapshot At 1:54 PM MST This Afternoon. National Weather Service Watches & Warnings In Effect. As Of 5 AM MST Friday, December 28, 2018. Click On This Link To Open Up The Latest Updated Map. Then Once The Map Opens Up, Click Anywhere On The Map To Be Re-directed To Your Area Of Interest. The NWS Office That Has Forecast And Warning Responsibility For That Location Will Have The Latest Weather Information Posted On Their Web Page. US GFS 500 Millibar (18,000') Analysis. Valid At 11 PM MST Thursday Evening. As of midnight last night a slow moving and powerful closed upper level low was located over northern Arizona. US GFS 500 Millibar (18,000') Forecast. Valid At 5 PM MST Today.  This winter storm is forecast to continue sinking slowly ...
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25th Anniversary Of The Carlsbad, NM (May 31, 1991) Tornado Coming Up.

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Blog Updated @ 3:11 PM MDT. Click On The Photos & Newspaper Articles To Enlarge Them. On May 31, 1991 at 8:39 PM MDT a then rated (F-2 Tornado touched down 2.1 miles southeast of the Carlsbad Airport (as the crow flies) just southwest of the end of Wagonwheel Rd. A day and time that many local residents will never forget. Newspaper articles at the time reported conflicting reports (understandably so) concerning the damage, injuries, and the time of the tornado. To many residents this was a shock...not something that we are used to seeing or dealing with.  The tornado touched down right at dusk. Cass Hernandez who was the Carlsbad Airport Security Guard at the time observed the tornado 2 miles southeast of the Airport as power flashes occurred from the tornado destroying power lines and transformers. It was eerie looking contrasted with the darkness and power flashes but there was no mistaking what was happening. The Tornado's path is circled in red...
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Major Winter Storm May Paralyze/Bury Parts Of NM & Nearby Areas Tonight Into Wednesday!

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Winter Storm Watches & Warnings Are In Effect - Click On This Link For Additional Details. U.S. GFS Storm Total Snowfall Forecast. Valid At 6 PM MDT Wednesday. Today's (Sunday) noon mdt run of the GFS forecast model is just plain nuts. Its trend has been to produce heavier snowfall totals and aerial coverages with each new run over the past day. This has me worried. 19" for Roswell, 12" for Artesia, 15" for Clovis, 28" for the Fort Sumner area, and 17" for Corona! This would be wild in the dead of winter but is absolutely unheard of in the part of the world in October! The last time we saw something like this come to pass was the Blizzard of December 27, 28, 29th, 2015. Will history repeats itself? I hope not but I will admit that I am worried. My feeling is that we will see snowfall accumulations of around 6" to 12" in SE NM and 6" to 18" in the mountains.  GFS Freezing Rain Accumulation Forecast. Valid Tonight Through PM MDT Wednes...
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2011 Skywarn Spotter Training Classes & My Thoughts.

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Artesia, NM Skywarn Spotter Training Class.  Midland National Weather Service Warning  Coordination Meteorologist Pat Vesper. Midland National Weather Service Warning  Coordination Meteorologist Pat Vesper. Roswell, NM Skywarn Spotter Training Class. Albuquerque National Weather Service Warning Coordination Meteorologist Kerry Jones. Albuquerque National Weather Service Meteorologist Daniel Porter. Albuquerque National Weather Service Meteorologist Daniel Porter & Warning Coordination Meteorologist Kerry Jones. Summary. Our first Eddy County  Skywarn Spotter Training meeting kicked off in Artesia this past Monday night. A total of 16 people attended. This was down a little from the past couple of years. Our second class was held in Carlsbad Tuesday night and there were 17 people in attendance. This was about half as many people that attended last year. I will have to go back and check but there have been some 160 or so people in Eddy County sign up for our ...
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Tonight's GFS Is As Drunk As This Mornings ECMWF. Historic Snowstorm Next Weekend?

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GFS Drinking Same Kool-Aid As ECMWF? Tonight's 00Z/5 PM MST U.S. GFS 500 MB Forecast. Valid @ 5 AM MST Sunday, Dec 27, 2015. Tonight's 00Z/5 PM MST U.S. GFS Surface Forecast. Valid @ 5 PM MST Saturday, Dec 26, 2015. Tonight's 00Z/5 PM MST U.S. GFS Accumulated Forecast. Valid @ 5 PM MST Sunday, Dec 27, 2015. U.S. GFS 10-Day Forecasts. Albuquerque, New Mexico. Clines Corners, New Mexico. Cannon Air Force Base - Clovis, New Mexico. Corona, New Mexico. Sierra Blanca Regional Airport - Ruidoso, New Mexico. Roswell, New Mexico. Artesia, New Mexico. Carlsbad, New Mexico. Hobbs, New Mexico. Guadalupe Pass, Texas. El Paso, Texas. Blog Updated @ 12:15 AM MST: Tonight's 00Z/5 PM MST ECMWF 500 MB Forecast. Valid @ 5 PM MST Sunday, Dec 27, 2015. Just took a look at the tonight's run of the European model which just came in. Its forecasting snowfall totals of 26" fo...
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Major Winter Storm To Hammer New Mexico & West Texas Thanksgiving Week!

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Blog Updated At (;15 AM MST Sunday, Nov 24th, 2019. GFS 500 MB (18,000') Analysis. At 11 PM MST Saturday Night. GFS 500 MB (18,000') Forecast. Valid For 2 PM MST Tuesday. GFS 500 MB (18,000') Forecast. Valid For 5 AM MST Thanksgiving Morning. A Thanksgiving To Remember! Thanksgiving week this year will be one to remember it appears. As of this Sunday morning a cutoff upper level low remains parked well southwest of San Diego, California. This storm will get kicked to the southeast, weaken, and eventually get absorbed by a strong upper level trough of low pressure diving southward out of the northern Rockies on Tuesday. By Thanksgiving a large, deep, and cold mid-upper level closed low is forecast to be centered near central California. The other models are coming more in line with the GFS and its forecasts but there still remain differences in the timing, strength, and location of the storms to affect our area next week. Surface M...
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Are We Fixing To Go From Drought To Flood In SE NM?

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Blog Updated At 1:45 PM MDT Saturday, May 19, 2018. May 24, 2013. Looking Back To The West Of Hope. Big Changes Coming Starting Tonight. GFS 500 MB (18,000') Forecast. Valid At 6 PM MDT Monday, May 21, 2018. Surface Map Analysis. Valid At 6 AM MDT This Saturday Morning. Temperatures At 10 AM This Morning. Temperatures At 1 PM MDT This Afternoon. Now that's a stout cold front. Take a look at these temperatures as of 1 PM MDT this Saturday afternoon. As Southeastern New Mexico and West Texas climbs up into the 90's the plains of northeastern Colorado, most of Nebraska, Wyoming, and parts of Montana are in the 40's and 50's!  NWS MesoWest Reported Low Temperatures This Morning. Surface Map Forecast. Strong Cold Front Arrives Late Tonight. A strong cold front is forecast to move southward down the Eastern Plains of New Mexico late tonight into Sunday morning. Low temperatures across the plains ...
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Cloudcroft & Ruidoso, NM Seasonal Snowfall Totals.

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Seasonal Snowfall Totals. (Oct 1st, 2019 - January 19th, 2020). January 11th, 2020. South Of Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Top 25 Highest Seasonal Snowfall Totals. (Cloudcroft, New Mexico 8,750'). Seasonal Totals Are From July 1st - July 1st. Top 25 Highest Seasonal Snowfall Totals. (Ruidoso, New Mexico 6,950'). Seasonal Totals Are From July 1st - July 1st. As a kid growing up in Artesia, New Mexico I always was fascinated by the snowfall in the Sacramento mountains. Especially in the Cloudcroft and Ruidoso areas. Many times Cloudcroft would see their first snowfall by Halloween. It was not unusual to see snow on the ground from around Thanksgiving through Easter in many of these years.  Sierra Blanca Peak (White Mountain or Old Baldy) west of Ruidoso more often than not was coated with snow from before Thanksgiving to after Easter as well.  If you have been thinking that it does not snow as much in the Sacramento mountains as i...
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My Precipitation Totals - 2.1 NNW Downtown Carlsbad

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This blog and its contents are for informational purposes only! Always have multiple sources of information available to rely upon during severe weather. Do not rely solely on the Internet. Be weather-aware, plan ahead, have a backup plan, and be ready to act before severe weather strikes your location.