High pressure has strengthened and centered itself over New Mexico today. This is allowing temperatures to build a degree or two warmer than yesterday, with more widespread record breaking highs forecast this afternoon. Albuquerque may tie for the second hottest all time high temperature, with Las Vegas potentially feeling triple digit heat for the first time in their recorded history.
Along with heat, shower and thunderstorm activity is popping up across the Gila early this afternoon. Isolated storms are expected across western New Mexico with showers over the Northern Mountains through the evening hours. Rain will most likely only reach the ground in the high elevations, evaporating before it reaches the surface in valley areas. This will create downburst wind gusts as rain evaporates, allowing for erratic gusty winds in localized areas this afternoon.
High pressure will begin to weaken and elongate into the mid to late week. This will allow monsoon moisture to be drawn up from northern Mexico across the New Mexico/Arizona border. More scattered showers and storms are expected to pop up over the mountains every afternoon starting Wednesday and continuing into the weekend ahead. Mountain storms will push over the lower elevations, bringing daily chances for hit or miss showers and storms in the Albuquerque metro.
A backdoor front will arrive late this week to northeastern New Mexico. This will draw ample moisture across the northeast starting Friday. Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected in northeastern New Mexico, with large hail and damaging wind gusts the main concern. Luckily, the front will cool temperatures off significantly northeast, but only a couple degrees elsewhere.