Most of New Mexico experienced a brief stretch of drier weather this afternoon, despite very thick clouds in the state’s east, which kept temps 20-25°+ colder than yesterday. Winds were the most severe this afternoon, particularly in the East Mountains and Albuquerque metro. Gusty weather will persist until midnight before gradually subsiding early Saturday morning.
A line of heavy snow and rain will hit western areas of the state tonight evening and continue to strengthen as it slowly moves east. A band of heavy snow will blow over the West Central and East Mountains into early tomorrow morning, potentially complicating travel along I-40 and US 550 near the Continental Divide. Albuquerque will most likely see a combination of snow and rain early Saturday morning, followed by pure rain in the afternoon at lower elevations. It is also possible to have one or two isolated thunderstorms. A period of drier weather will arrive Saturday afternoon, followed by another wave of snow and rain Saturday night.
The next round of heavy snow and rain will come later Saturday and last through the day Sunday. This weekend, an extra foot of snow is possible in the Northern Mountains, Sandias, and Manzanos, as well as the West Central Mountains. This weekend will bring cooler-than-average temperatures. The unpredictable weather is expected to last until early to mid-next week when the storm that has caused all of this activity will eventually depart by late next week. This weather pattern will continue for several days, with at least some areas of the state expecting rain every day.
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