‘Soggy Saturday’ and a crisp Christmas Eve in forecast for Santa Fe

Don’t bother wearing snow boots on Christmas Eve — get a pair of galoshes, instead.

Santa Fe is in for a rainy, not snowy, weekend before Christmas, according to the National Weather Service.

Meteorologist Matt DeMaria in the weather service’s Albuquerque office said a warm storm front moving in from the West Coast is likely to bring rain to the Santa Fe area Saturday and Sunday.

It’s looking like a “soggy Saturday,” he said.

While temperatures in the Santa Fe area will drop below the freezing point Saturday night and into Sunday morning, any snow that falls might not stick, he added.

“Maybe Saturday night we see some snow mixing in, but right now we’re not expecting much of an accumulation because the roads and grounds are going to be wet,” DeMaria said.

The foothills and mountains around Santa Fe could get up to an inch of snow Saturday night and into Sunday morning. The storm system is expected to move out of the area before dark Sunday, meaning it shouldn’t cause too much trouble for those participating in the Christmas Eve Farolito Walk on Canyon Road.

“There may be a light shower or two [Sunday evening], but it’s looking like it will be dried out by then,” DeMaria said.

A cold front moving in is likely to bring chilly conditions that night, he said, with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark when the walk starts at 6 p.m. and then dropping into the teens as the night goes on.

Christmas Day is expected to be dry and mostly clear with high temperatures in the mid-30s.

The area will continue to experience dry, clear and cold weather through the end of the month, DeMaria said.