Don’t lose your cool: Some relief is on way
Heat wave brought record highs for NM
If it seems like the heat this summer is relentless, that’s because it has been — but a bit of relief could be on the way.
Temperatures at the Albuquerque International Sunport reached or surpassed 95 degrees for 21 consecutive days, National Weather Service meteorologist Brent Wachter said Sunday from Albuquerque.
This year’s streak ties for second with one in 1995. The longest, hottest streak for the city was in 1974, with 23 days of temperatures in the high 90s.
While the past few weeks make a near-record for Albuquerque, things have been a bit worse for folks in eastern New Mexico.
Artesia residents are likely longing for Albuquerque’s 95-degree days after having suffered through 19 days of triple-digit heat as of Thursday. The Artesia Daily Press reported that the 19-day
stretch of 100-plus temperatures is the longest recorded in the state.
Roswell, meanwhile, has hit 100 degrees or more every day but one so far this month, Wachter said.
“We’ve been breaking records at several locations almost every day for the past two weeks,” he said.
On Sunday, the temperature in Eagle Nest reached 88 degrees, overcoming the 85 degree record set in 2012, while Los Lunas surpassed its previous 101-degree record when the high hit 103 degrees. Tucumcari and Pedernal saw record-setting highs of 103 and 100, respectively. Roswell and Santa Fe matched previous records.
On Saturday, Albuquerque tied the 100-degree record set in 1981 and 1963 while Clayton hit 101, setting a new record high.
“This is one of these once in probably every 50-year type of events,” Wachter said. “Maybe even 100-year, when it’s all said and done.”
And it’s not just people withering under the heat.
New Mexico crops are taking a beating, John Garlisch of the Bernalillo County Extension Service said. Although he wasn’t certain about direct impacts of the sustained heat, he said the high temperatures are stressing all crops, including vegetables, fruit, alfalfa and grasslands, but spot rains have helped.
Wachter said the heat has interrupted the monsoon.
“The heat is so dominant and so strong that there have been times that moisture has been interrupted,” he said.
To blame for the heat is a high pressure dome, “a warm bubble of air,” Wachter said, which is traveling west, offering some measure of relief early this week. The high today in Albuquerque is expected to be 95, four degrees lower than Sunday’s.
“Whether you’re in eastern New Mexico or Albuquerque, we’re talking about several degrees of cooling compared to what we’ve seen dominating the previous two weeks.”
But expect temperatures to creep back up toward the end of the week.
“The worst is over. For now,” Wachter said. “We always caveat that.”