Question about Elevation & Temps (Albuquerque, Rio Rancho: house, neighborhoods, live in)

[jrod2828]

Ok, so I have some neighborhoods narrowed down. I've heard elevation means everything out west.. at least in terms of temperatures. So is it colder in northern ABQ compared to southern ABQ since the mountains are north?

I really like Rio Rancho but since it's so far north is it colder than the rest of ABQ?

I also like some areas SE like Four Hills. Is that area warmer since it is south?

What about the far NE heights area? It looks like they are right next to the Sandias. Are they cooler?

I guess I'm just looking for the dropoff points. Like don't move north of here or the temps drop dramatically. That kinda thing. Thanks in advance.

[abqsunport]

Temps in Albuquerque usually can differ about 5 degrees at the most. The valley is considered the warmest, then the North East Heights ( I don't know why), then the West Side, then the airport area. Watch a weather report from a News Channel (KOB.com - Home - Eyewitness News 4 - Albuquerque and New Mexico News, Weather, Sports) and you will see the differences.

[abqsunport]

Here is tomorrows forecast:

[Tim Rankin]

jrod - There are some quirky things about Albuq weather that are not obvious, and sometimes even counter-intuitive. One of them is Valley weather, vs. the Heights. ABQSunport is right in that the Valley is warm [in the summer], but the catch is it can actually be colder during the winter. It has to do with cold [heavy] air seeping off the plateau and settling into into the valley. The season's last frost also comes later down there than in the Heights.

I personally like the Heights. Where we live, it never hit 100 last summer, but our lows were usually warmer than in the Valley. Also, we get 3-4 more inches of rain than the drier parts of the city, because of the combo of prevailing wx/winds & upslope flow.

Having said that, I don't think you will find huge differences in weather across the city. Once you leave the heat-bowl of Albuquerque, though, all bets are off [unless you head south].

[desert sun]

I usually never see the west side with snow,well maybe a little here and there,to me it seems like the NE heights gets it when the westside dont.

[ABQSunseeker]

Yes, elevation matters in all kinds of ways. Probably more than in most cities. I live in Sandia Hts up against the Sandias (my house at about elev. 6,200) and it definitely rains and snows more. Last year's huge snow storm left 16" in the Valley, but 26" here. But as Tim Rankin says, the Valley can have temp. lows below the Hts. Also foliage changes to a different schedule up here. Much of the Valley is leafing out right now, and the flowering trees are in bloom; however, here the flowering trees are just starting to flower, and very few greening out yet.

[Zoidberg]

The north-south spread is so small that it has zero effect. In Albuquerque it tends to have an east-west variance w.r.t. altitude. Further east, higher up.

Summers tend to be drier and cooler up high, winters tend to be snowier but not quite as cold as the valley. This winter we would often have snowpack up around Tramway, dusting as far west as Wyoming Blvd, and nothing in points lower than a mile high.

Where I-40 enters Albuquerque from the east, Tijeras Canyon, is a primary source of wind in Albuquerque. Further north, not so intense. Four Hills tends to be much windier than say, Sandia Heights.

[EnjoyEP]

Jrod -

I think it was I that set you on the elevation / altitude kick...so I apologize if it got you worried!

For the most part, as the others have noted, the north - south difference in Albuquerque metro itself is so miniscule it doesn't matter anything in terms of temps. Nada. Zero. It would be like "is it warmer in north Indy or south Indy?" It is the same.

Now, as for altitude, that does make a difference, and the others have given you excellent info. HOWEVER, I kind of know where you are coming from and what you are fearing, and you have nothing to worry about. Virtually anywhere you pick in the immediate realm of Albuquerque metro (as Tim Rankin noted), you'll have roughly the same good weather.

So Rio Rancho isn't much different than the Four Hills which isn't much different from the Northeast Heights, etc., temps-wise.

Rio Rancho is fine for temps. It is in the northern area of the immediate ABQ metro, however, it isn't significantly higher in altitude than the rest of ABQ so the temps aren't much different.

The others have pointed out that the Valley tends to be the hottest (in the summer) and the coldest (in the winter), but that should be possibly clarified a bit...overall, year-round, the Valley always has slightly the highest daytime highs, but always the coldest nighttime lows. Generally this applies to the summer as well as the winter. Thus, in the summer, if it is 98 in the NE Heights, it'll be 102 in the North Valley for highs. Then at night, if it is 74 in the Heights for the low, it'll be 71 in the Valley (just examples).

Transversely, in the winter, if a low drops to 25 in the Heights (from, say a high of 51), it could drop to 20 in the Valley (from, say a high of 53).

I kind of think the ideal ABQ weather is in the NE Heights, and to be even more anal, the Uptown area. I was big on growing some palm trees and fruit trees in my back yard, and the warmer overnight lows in the Heights helped significantly with that kind of gardening type of stuff.

However, frankly, unless you care about gardening type stuff, the only consideration you really would have (again, I am pretty sure I know where you are coming from based on your posts) would be this:

Stay WEST of Tramway Blvd. (as ABQSunseeker pointed out - she would be east of Tramway), and, ideally, probably west of Juan Tabo too. East of Tramway is the foothills of the Sandias and 6000+ altitude where the weather is drastically different than the rest of the (vast majority) of the city temps-wise. Once you get to Juan Tabo, it is what, approximately probably a mile heading east to Tramway, and in that stretch the altitude really climbs. Not nearly as drastic a difference from the rest of the city between Juan Tabo and Tramway as it is Tramway east, but still sometimes a number of degrees.

The "main" north-south streets on the farthest eastern portion of the city (up to the foothills of the Sandia Mountains and the high altitude area of the city), starting at the far east, are Tramway Blvd., then Juan Tabo, then Eubank Blvd. Once you hit Eubank and head through the vast majority of the city heading west, you've entered the "banana zone" of the city (the warmest temps) and that lasts quite a bit until you get way to the far western edges (West Mesa area, etc.).

Again, realize that my "stay away" scenario is a small sliver of the city on its far east side. The rest of the city / metro falls into a fair bit of a "wash" category.

So really, if you'd chose Four Hills, Rio Rancho, the NE Heights, etc., you'll be fine for your temps / weather. They are all pretty much a wash over the course of a year roughly speaking.

Where altitude concerns really come into play for newcomers looking for warm weather as Tim Rankin pointed out would be if you leave the sunbowl/warm-bowl of the immediate ABQ metro area (heading north, east, or west) heading into the real high country (altitudes of 6000 and up). If you stick to the ABQ metro immediate area or heading south, you'll be in the warm spots.

[loboABQ]

Also, the Sandias are East of Albuquerque, not North. Well, Maybe they could be NE and SE if you really get creative lol

[Homewardbound66]

You had at one time mentioned interest in Edgewood. We are about 8 to 10 degrees cooler then Albuquerque, which is good in the Summer and we have more wind, which can be a nuisance. Just thought I would add my 2 cents!