The perfect weather we’ve been enjoying for the past two weeks is now gone the question is what is really headed our way?  We know this much, mostly cloudy skies will hold through Sunday as a two part storm system heads into the state.  The first part comes in Friday.  This system is weaker and will track a little too far north to score a direct hit.  So look for scattered valley showers and some mountain snow.  Most accumulations will be on the light side unless head up into the high San Juan mountains of southern Colorado.  We will get a bit of a break on Saturday as we will be between systems then  things really get interesting.  A strong and cold low pressure system will likely pass through the northern half of the state Sunday and Monday.  I say likely because the track on this thing has been anything but consistent.  However, current trending shows the storm targeting northern New Mexico and southern Colorado will most of its snow.  Needless to say the mountains should be hit quite hard with snow.  Look for winter weather advisories and or winter storm warning to be hoisted by the NWS over the weekend.  Lower elevations like the NW plateau, NE highlands and the Rio Grande Valley will have a chance to pick up snow too.  Stay tuned more details as we get closer on Friday.

Our quiet weather pattern will come to an end overt the next few days as a series of Pacific weather disturbances pass through the area and then a strong low pressure system will work through the north by Sunday.  Look for partly cloudy skies Thursday with a spot shower possible in the northwest.  Friday will be partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers across the north.  By late Saturday the main low will approach the north.  Look for increasing snow over the mountains Saturday night and lasting into Sunday.  The most favored areas will be the northern mountains and ne highlands.  The Albuquerque area will see the chance of a mix overnight Saturday night and Sunday morning.  Right now the track on this storm is still up in the air.  Stay tuned for updates but at least for now significant snow accumulations are possible in the north.

In advance of our next storm system we will see partly sunny skies for the next few By Friday and Saturday the chance for scattered showers will be possible.  However, at this time this storm is all over the map prediction wise.  This leads me to believe that our chances for a major winter storm are slim.  I think we could see some modest snow accumulations over the west slopes of the northern mountains and maybe a few valley showers through Saturday.  Partly cloudy and dry conditions return for Sunday through a good portion of next week.

The week will begin mild across the state with highs expected in the 60s and 70s.  However, cooler air is on the way and we will experience a slight dip in temperatures into to Tuesday as a cold front moves in.  Northeastern New Mexico will experience the biggest dip while the west will only see a slight drop.  A bigger system is expected to swing into the state towards the end of the week and into the weekend.

Relatively quiet weather on tap for the weekend before things start getting interesting heading into next week.  In the mean time, storms will pass to our north and south with an occasional front moving through the east.  The first front will push into the northeast late Sunday into early Monday.  There won't be much to this first front.  However, the next one, Mon. evening into Tuesday, may pack more of a cold punch.  The east will drop afternoon highs by 10-15 degrees and there may be a few showers.

Our weather pattern is starting to change but you might not know it over the weekend.  It will remain mostly sunny and unseasonably warm through Sunday.  Highs will top out in the low 70’s in most valley sections.  By Monday into Tuesday a cold front will plow through the east.  This will drop temps up to 15 degrees in the east and around 5 degrees in the west.  There is the slight chance of a shower over the northern sections on Sunday.  A better chance of precip returns to the forecast at the end of next week.  Have a good weekend.

High pressure continues to dominate the weather pattern for most of the western US.  The high will hold through Friday before two different weather systems help to break through the high and bring cooler temps and eventually a little rain and snow.  Partly cloudy skies will be the rule through the weekend as one weather system passes to our north while the other passes to our south.  This will allow for cooler temps to slowly work in and the chance of showers will begin to ramp up by the middle of next week.