Yeah, but it's a dry heat! (Las Cruces, Santa Fe: shop, move to, station)

[james57]

Doesn't seem fair that some people are praying for rain, while here in Illinois we have had way too much. Very cool wet spring and early summer. Corn was planted late and is only at 12 inches versus last year at 35 inches tall.

However, it seems the rain has stopped for now. This week is fantastic with highs about 80 and lows about 60 with low humidity. Not like NM but low for here. Maybe we can now dry out a little.

Here's wishing this weather pattern would change so NM can get some badly needed rain and cooler temps while we have a more normal summer.

[desert sun]

Originally Posted by Dancingearth

It looks like rain.......smells like rain......but will it rain? Last night I heard thunder but no rain :-( Maybe I'm getting close to celebrating rain again! Co-worker was in Seattle last week and said it rained the whole time. Nope don't miss that but I do want to see one of those good booming New Mexican rainstorms with lightning from my patio--with a glass of wine--when I'm not driving.

I miss those rainstorms too we use to have back in Portales they would always break off our tree limbs and throw my basketball goal around.

Here in Albq its been hot at night,at 9:00 its still 90 degrees outside and my truck feels like a heater.

[mrgoodwx]

Cathy4017 stated: Well, I am really wondering where they are measuring...and with Weather.com, I don't think you can tell that. Here is my current page, showing Cloudcroft at a current temp of 92..?!?! The paper this am gave the high temp for CC at 83 yesterday.

This really got me curious. I went to weather.com (the weather channel) and looked at yesterday's Cloudcroft weather. It reported an actual max of 103 and min of 66. In the history of weather observations from Cloudcroft, they have never measured a max anywhere near 103, and they've ever measured a min as high as 66. According to the Weather Region Climate Center, the highest temperature ever measured was 88 on June 29, 1998. The highest minimum temperature measured was 59 on June 15, 2006.

The same weather.com page shows "normal" high and low of 94 and 64 for June 16, which is certainly way off the mark. If you look at yesterday's Alamogordo weather, you see the same numbers. However, the current conditions shown at weather.com are far different.

The trend in the private sector weather business over the past 5+ years has been to get rid of meteorologists and have computer programmers develop programs that "create" weather observations where they don't really exist. I can't say for sure this is a case of that happening, but I strongly suspect it. Also, consider two of the largest private weather businesses are in Pennsylvania and Georgia. Hmmm...I wonder if the programmers have ever been to New Mexico. Gee...Cloudcroft and Alamagordo look so close together on a map, why not use available data at one for both locations?!

Unfortunately, the National Weather Service does not have hourly weather at Cloudcroft, although they do have a cooperative weather observer who reports the max and min temperatures. As you can see below, the Cloudcroft max/min the past two days: 85/52 and 83/49. That's probably very accurate...and it's also HOT for Cloudcroft.

Cloudcroft Rosa Reports

Past Weather for Cloudcroft, NM Records Averages

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by mrgoodwx

Cathy4017 stated: Well, I am really wondering where they are measuring...and with Weather.com, I don't think you can tell that. Here is my current page, showing Cloudcroft at a current temp of 92..?!?! The paper this am gave the high temp for CC at 83 yesterday.

This really got me curious. I went to weather.com (the weather channel) and looked at yesterday's Cloudcroft weather. It reported an actual max of 103 and min of 66. In the history of weather observations from Cloudcroft, they have never measured a max anywhere near 103, and they've ever measured a min as high as 66. According to the Weather Region Climate Center, the highest temperature ever measured was 88 on June 29, 1998. The highest minimum temperature measured was 59 on June 15, 2006.

The same weather.com page shows "normal" high and low of 94 and 64 for June 16, which is certainly way off the mark. If you look at yesterday's Alamogordo weather, you see the same numbers. However, the current conditions shown at weather.com are far different.

The trend in the private sector weather business over the past 5+ years has been to get rid of meteorologists and have computer programmers develop programs that "create" weather observations where they don't really exist. I can't say for sure this is a case of that happening, but I strongly suspect it. Also, consider two of the largest private weather businesses are in Pennsylvania and Georgia. Hmmm...I wonder if the programmers have ever been to New Mexico. Gee...Cloudcroft and Alamagordo look so close together on a map, why not use available data at one for both locations?!

Unfortunately, the National Weather Service does not have hourly weather at Cloudcroft, although they do have a cooperative weather observer who reports the max and min temperatures. As you can see below, the Cloudcroft max/min the past two days: 85/52 and 83/49. That's probably very accurate...and it's also HOT for Cloudcroft.

Cloudcroft Rosa Reports

Past Weather for Cloudcroft, NM Records Averages

Wow. What an eye-opener...and it appears that Weather.com is pretty worthless, with information like that.

I wonder if Weather Underground and Accu-weather are any better? What I did notice on WU is that you can select an area from which to get your readings....and they list some of the same places for BOTH Alamogordo and CC......for instance, 15th and Juniper, which is IN Alamogordo...and makes no sense to list that on choices for Cloudcroft!!!

The choice I have for CC readings now is "Dry Canyon."

I have no idea whether or not that is a good choice. Timberon is another choice in the list, but it, too, is really different from CC in both elevation and average temperatures.

Anyway, thanks for the information. The paper gave 85/52 yesterday for CC....and 103/71 for Alamogordo.

[LRUA]

What MrGoodwx is talking about happens alot on weather websites ...for example weatherunderground's 5 day forecast info for Silver City is relatively accurate it's "history" data is actually for Deming ....1,500 ft lower and farther south (airport code KDMN) ...

I've noticed this happens alot ...temps inthe 90's for Cloudcroft this week ...not accurate ....for High Rolls-Mtn Park maybe but not Cloudcroft

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by LRUA

What MrGoodwx is talking about happens alot on weather websites ...for example weatherunderground's 5 day forecast info for Silver City is relatively accurate it's "history" data is actually for Deming ....1,500 ft lower and farther south (airport code KDMN) ...

I've noticed this happens alot ...temps inthe 90's for Cloudcroft this week ...not accurate ....for High Rolls-Mtn Park maybe but not Cloudcroft

And....Deming and Silver City are as different from each other as Alamo and CC are.

[LRUA]

Another good weatherunderground example is Jal,NM ....ALL the data for Jal is actually Wink,Texas weather data ....current temperature ...forecast ...history ...all are actually from Wink,TX airport ....in this case the info is not way off as Jal is only 30 miles north of Wink and is at a similiar elevation ...weird thing is that Kermit,TX is closer to Jal,NM and a "bigger" town

Trivia....Wink,TX was the birthplace of legendary Roy Orbison

Both Wink and Jal are also very hot ...with a capital H
...they've hit 109 already .....87 degrees in February

[LRUA]

oops ....correction ...I checked on Wikipedia ...Roy Orbison was not born in Wink,TX ...aparently he moved there in 1946 and started his first band there "The Wink Westerners" ....anyway he grew up in Wink...

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by LRUA

Another good weatherunderground example is Jal,NM ....ALL the data for Jal is actually Wink,Texas weather data ....current temperature ...forecast ...history ...all are actually from Wink,TX airport ....in this case the info is not way off as Jal is only 30 miles north of Wink and is at a similiar elevation ...weird thing is that Kermit,TX is closer to Jal,NM and a "bigger" town

Trivia....Wink,TX was the birthplace of legendary Roy Orbison

Both Wink and Jal are also very hot ...with a capital H
...they've hit 109 already .....87 degrees in February

Wink has an airport?!? That's news to me, LOL!! But you're right in that there will be little difference between Wink and Jal, weatherwise. Jal is not only closer to Kermit...Kermit is also higher (2851) than Wink (2785). Jal is at 3044, all according to Google Earth.

Wink, Presidio or Laredo, TX often have the nationwide hottest temperatures on any given day. Just horrible!!!

Midland has been pretty bad, too, at 107.

I hate summer.

Too bad I can't have temperate summer temperatures (70s-80s) without brutal winters with ice.

[mrgoodwx]

Cathy4017...WXunderground simply compiles weather stations that are owned by individuals and presents them in a neat package. Some are excellent sources of weather information, but others are not. Some are not maintained properly and some are not sited properly. The most frequent problem is with stations hit by direct sunshine. It's a shame some people will spend hundreds of dollars (or more) on a weather station and not take the additional step of siting it properly.

In the past decade or more, there has been a drive in the weather business to create the illusion of ability that does not exist. The ability to create "pinpoint neighborhood forecasts," and other such animals has far outpaced advances in the science of meteorology. So, many times, those great-looking graphics the weather folks want you to see are nothing but a detailed look at fiction.

All that said, I can't find a weatherunderground station in Cloudcroft. However, you may be interested in the land management agency RAWS (remote weather stations) network. You can get frequent weather observations from Mayhill, High Rolls, Timberon, and Benson Ridge (9800 feet above sea level).

MesoWest - New Mexico