Alamogordo's rainfall above average for October

ALAMOGORDO – Some spectacular mists descended on the Sacramento Mountains over the past week, an eerie meteorological accompaniment just in time for the Halloween activities taking place throughout Alamogordo this weekend.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Lance Tripoli said the cloudy weather, especially on the mountains, is the result of alternating wet and dry, warm and cold weather conditions.

Alamogordo has had an unusually prolonged period of cloudy weather in October, Tripoli said.

“With a few days of sunny weather following an extended period of cloudy, wet weather, you’ll see visual build up on the mountains," he said. "As the sun heats the mountain range, it takes that moisture and lifts it, and you’ll see the condensation in the form of clouds. The ground heating up on the slope instead of the flat ground helps focus the clouds on the mountain range.”

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Similar conditions are expected to continue throughout the weekend, as the absence of any new storm systems that come in will continue to bring more localized convection tied to the mountains, Tripoli said.

“We had a cold front that came through a few days ago and introduced that initial moisture all across the area," he said. "Then you had winds out of the south and southeast, and the mutual circulation between the two features is what helped to reinforce the cloud cover and moisture. The cloud cover will be moving back in Saturday afternoon and night and into Sunday. Sunday is going to be cloudy.”

The National Weather Service predicts temperatures will be in the mid-to-low 60s over the weekend.

Some storms can be expected early next week, with strong winds and possibly even hail, Tripoli said.

“There is a risk of storms as early as Monday afternoon, and then Tuesday and Wednesday. And those storms could be strong,” he said. “But it’s definitely going to be drier going into the middle of next week, and gradually warm to at or above-normal temperatures at that time.”

October has been slightly cooler than average, with a mean temperature of 72 degrees versus the average temperature of 78 degrees, according to NWS data.

Data also shows, 2018 has been a drier year than normal, with below-average amounts of precipitation from March through September.

According to NWS data, March, April, and August were particularly dry.

The average levels of precipitation for March, April, and August are .49, .38, and 2.02 inches of rainfall, data shows, with .03, 0.0, and .65 inches of precipitation respectively received during those months in 2018.

The precipitation kicked back into gear this month, however, with the NWS indicating 1.24 inches of rainfall so far in October. The monthly average for October is around 1.11 inches, according to NWS data.

The rains not only make for the mysterious mountain views in the fall but also the color that bedecks the landscape in the spring, Tripoli said.

“You’ll get lots of spring blooms," he said. "I expect the deserts will see some Mexican gold poppies this spring.”