Light rain and mountain snow expected Friday in parts of New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A weak storm will bring light showers to parts of New Mexico Friday, with most communities expected to get one-quarter inch of rain or less.

Most of New Mexico will stay clear and quiet overnight as temperatures fall into the mid-30s to low-40s across many lower-elevation communities. Some parts of eastern New Mexico could come close to freezing behind the cold front, while the higher mountains will drop into the 20s.

On Friday, the next weather disturbance will move into the Southwest as a Pacific system over California moves into Arizona and develops into a small upper-level low. The storm is not expected to bring much moisture, but it should bring enough lift for another round of showers across parts of New Mexico.

The first showers should develop over western New Mexico during the early afternoon. Better chances include Silver City, Reserve, the Gila region, Gallup, Grants and the western mountains.

Scattered showers will become more numerous across western New Mexico Friday afternoon. Most of that activity should be rain, and there may be enough instability for a few rumbles of thunder, but thunderstorms should remain limited and this does not look like a severe weather event.

Where will rain move?

By Friday evening, showers will spread east and southeast, with better chances shifting into Socorro, Mountainair, the south-central mountains, Ruidoso, Carrizozo and parts of southern New Mexico.

A few showers may also reach Belen, Los Lunas and Albuquerque. The Albuquerque metro sits on the northern edge of this system, so rain chances there will be lower than they are farther south.

This is expected to be a light precipitation event for most communities. The most likely rainfall totals are one-quarter inch or less.

The better chance for higher totals runs from just south of Clines Corners through Mountainair toward Socorro and the Socorro-Sierra County area. A few locations could receive around three-quarters of an inch, but that is not the most likely outcome.

Mountain snow stays light

Friday night, the upper-level low will continue moving south, and showers will become more focused across south-central New Mexico, southern New Mexico and southeastern New Mexico. Better rain chances should gradually move away from Albuquerque and central New Mexico.

Snow levels will generally run between 8,500 and 9,500 feet. That means the highest terrain of southern New Mexico could see some snow, especially in the Sacramento Mountains, higher terrain around Ruidoso, Cloudcroft and other high peaks of southern New Mexico.

Precipitation amounts will be light, so snow accumulation should also stay light. Most locations above the snow level would see a dusting or at most a few tenths of an inch, and no significant winter weather impacts are expected.

By Saturday morning, the weak storm system will continue moving south and away from New Mexico. Most of western and central New Mexico will begin drying out, though a few showers may linger across southeastern New Mexico, including Roswell, Artesia, Carlsbad and Hobbs, before gradually diminishing through the day.

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