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Does it ever get really green in Alpine? What cell phone carrier works best out in the west? What about rockslides? Dust storms?
What "critters" are out in the West? Big spiders? Scorpions?
Sorry about all the questions...LOL
I had at one time considered moving to Alpine just to escape the humidity in Central Texas but after visiting, I totally decided against it. It is so very unattractive out there but it's even worse driving to reach it. I felt like I was on the moon, absolutely weird.
Anyway, I asked one of the locals if it were ever green (I went in May) and he said only in July when they get their monsoon rains.
cathy4017: I'll trade 99 degrees with 30% humidity for 103 degrees with 10% humidity any time! The low temperature here in Ft Worth has been 80 degrees or higher four times already this year. I hate it!
I hear you on the 80° at night....it is just really miserable. You will love the cooler evenings, nights and mornings in NM....it definitely is the saving grace. But I could handle the hot days a lot better if I knew we were going to have a real winter (an occasional snow) and snow/skiing at Cloudcroft/Ruidoso.
Although we have 99 for daytime high over the next 5-7 days, it has moderated a bit back down to high 80s and low 90s, with nights in the high 60s.
Even Alpine and Marfa, which are both a little higher than Alamo, don't always cool off at night quite as much...but better than the rest of Texas, which usually is like a sauna.
I have been trying to figure out these weather patterns. Higher elevation does not always mean cooler!!
Alpine and Marfa are further south than Alamogordo; I would guess that has something to do with it. You're right, high elevation doesn't always mean cooler. There are several other factors to consider.
I am puzzled as to why Marfa is almost always cooler at night than Alpine, since they are so close and their elevations are similar. Perhaps an air mass is usually blocked from one and not the other. Marfa probably has more continentality, but one wouldn't think it would matter that much in such a short distance.
There is no way to predict a winter's weather, as far as I know. Doesn't Cloudcroft nearly always get winter snow? Alamogordo probably gets only a little (if any). I suppose Fort Davis gets just a touch.
Canine*Castle: I think Alpine has its own kind of attractiveness. The area north of Fort Davis is splendid, IMO. If you like greenery, you shouldn't be there. I like arid places.
Alpine and Marfa are further south than Alamogordo; I would guess that has something to do with it. You're right, high elevation doesn't always mean cooler. There are several other factors to consider.
I am puzzled as to why Marfa is almost always cooler at night than Alpine, since they are so close and their elevations are similar. Perhaps an air mass is usually blocked from one and not the other. Marfa probably has more continentality, but one wouldn't think it would matter that much in such a short distance.
There is no way to predict a winter's weather, as far as I know. Doesn't Cloudcroft nearly always get winter snow? Alamogordo probably gets only a little (if any). I suppose Fort Davis gets just a touch.
Canine*Castle: I think Alpine has its own kind of attractiveness. The area north of Fort Davis is splendid, IMO. If you like greenery, you shouldn't be there. I like arid places.
There really is no way to predict how winter is going to be.... Cloudcroft did get some nice snow, but not enough to open the ski area....Ruidoso had a couple of good weekends (which I DON'T do because of the crowds)....but mostly poor.
Midland was getting a ton of snow last winter, at least 3 times (just when I leave, figures)....and Alamo got only a couple of flurries...all winter. The winters are perfect....dry, crisp, sunny, sometimes cold....but I want a little snow from time to time.
I really think north and south have a lot more to do with things than elevation. Look at Timberon. At 7K feet, it should be a lot colder than Alamo, but it very often isn't...though the summers are cooler. Some mornings here have been cooler than Timberon. I guess it must really be down in a valley, and more or less protected. Beautiful area, but it makes me feel very closed-in. As you know, it is about 50 miles southeast of Alamo.
I don't know why Marfa is so often cooler, at a very similar elevation. It is west of Alpine, but Alpine is very slightly north, but apparently not enough to make it cooler than Marfa.
I tear my hair out sometimes, trying to figure things out.
And....as summer (and it's really not even summer, calendar-wise, LOL!!) wears on, I look very enviously at temps in the northern part of NM.
Especially Farmington. We have a high of 98 forecast for this afternoon....to Farmington's 78. It's too bad that Farmington isn't nearly as pretty as Alamogordo is!
Speaking of Timberon, valleys get colder than higher places a lot of the time because cold air sinks. It's hard for me to think of a place at 7K elevation as being down in a valley (if it is), but I know it happens! According to the data on this site, Eagle Nest is colder in winter than Red River, even though the latter is about 750 feet higher. It may have something to do with Eadle Nest Lake, and even though it's about 8K in elevation, it wouldn't have a lake unless it were in a valley.
I would gladly put up with living in Alamogordo! After all, relief from the heat is only a score of miles away. And most of all, you've got low humidity and cool nights.
When you look with envy at northern NM in summer, just think of how cold their winters are. Right now, that sounds great to me, I must admit.
Marfa's low temperatures look good to me right now! It really is a conundrum why it is so much cooler on average than Alpine at night. Rather toasty in daytime, though. I tend to think of that area as being Baja New Mexico, since it has more in common with NM than the rest of TX geographically.
Speaking of Timberon, valleys get colder than higher places a lot of the time because cold air sinks. It's hard for me to think of a place at 7K elevation as being down in a valley (if it is), but I know it happens! According to the data on this site, Eagle Nest is colder in winter than Red River, even though the latter is about 750 feet higher. It may have something to do with Eadle Nest Lake, and even though it's about 8K in elevation, it wouldn't have a lake unless it were in a valley.
I would gladly put up with living in Alamogordo! After all, relief from the heat is only a score of miles away. And most of all, you've got low humidity and cool nights.
When you look with envy at northern NM in summer, just think of how cold their winters are. Right now, that sounds great to me, I must admit.
Marfa's low temperatures look good to me right now! It really is a conundrum why it is so much cooler on average than Alpine at night. Rather toasty in daytime, though. I tend to think of that area as being Baja New Mexico, since it has more in common with NM than the rest of TX geographically.
Well, Timberon might not be in a valley, but it IS protected somehow.....here are the temps at Weather Underground as of 9am MDT:
Go figure!?! I know that Red River, Angel Fire, Chama and such have a lot of snow...very cold winters, etc. I had considered Red River, but you have to drive out for anything, since there is nothing there! Negotiating an icy mountain pass all winter just for the basics is not my idea of fun, LOL! Farmington is at about 5300+ feet to Timberon's 7K+, but I guess being that much farther north makes the difference. Timberon seems to be so temperate for its elevation.
So. That doesn't leave me very many options in NM for later, if I decide to relocate again to a cooler summer climate. I track several places all year long, and will be doing that this year also. There are so many pluses to living here (dry, cool nights, cool mornings, beautiful mountains, Cloudcroft/High Rolls nearby, etc.
I know what you mean about Marfa....but Ft. Davis, Alpine, Marfa, Marathon, El Paso, et al....really are more like New Mexico than Texas.
I can just imagine how you're sweltering in DFW, with the humidity. You need to get away for a visit to NM!!
The problem with that is that you're quoting the temperatures at one specific time, when different air masses may be in control of the locations. Therein lies the difference between climatology and meteorology. That being said, I'm surprised that Alamogordo is warmer than any other place. I really love that low humidity, though. It doesn't really 'burn off', it's just that the air's capacity to hold moisture increases with temperature, so later on when it's hotter the percentage goes down, even if the actual amount of water in the air stays the same (cf. relative vs. absolute humidity).
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Go figure!?! I know that Red River, Angel Fire, Chama and such have a lot of snow...very cold winters, etc. I had considered Red River, but you have to drive out for anything, since there is nothing there! Negotiating an icy mountain pass all winter just for the basics is not my idea of fun, LOL!
I won't forget following a snow plow out of Red River on October 16th! You better have all you really need from out of town before those places get snowed in (or like to drive in snow). High Rolls sounds about perfect to me, climatologically speaking.
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I can just imagine how you're sweltering in DFW, with the humidity. You need to get away for a visit to NM!!
I won't forget following a snow plow out of Red River on October 16th! You better have all you really need from out of town before those places get snowed in (or like to drive in snow). High Rolls sounds about perfect to me, climatologically speaking.
Wow!! How exciting, LOL!!
You're probably right about that....High Rolls and Cloudcroft are really expensive, though, and you have to deal with wells (whether a community well or private) and septic systems. The water situation in Cloudcroft was rather scary earlier this year, when they had a leak, and the holding tank got down to 2 feet of water.
Here are the temps this morning, at 8:45 MDT:
Alamogordo 85 (yep) 6%
Farmington 65 23%
Timberon 71 12%
Alpine 79 no humidity given
Marfa 76 42%
Why Alamogordo is so much hotter than every place else right now...I have NO clue. May was wonderful.
I just know I hate it, and am ready for summer to come to an end, quick!!!!
Huh. YOU hate summer! At noon, DFW was 91 degrees with 47% humidity, and with a south wind, it's going to get more humid (with the concomitant high minima). I love that 6% humidity that Alamogordo has. I recall being in Phoenix when it was 102 F with 3% humidity, and it felt great! Once you start sweating here, you continue to because it doesn't do any good.
Water supply seems to be the biggest problem with NM. I imagine the Cloudcroftians were plenty worried when they lost almost all of their water. It's going to be catastrophic somewhere down the line, I'm afraid, if people continue to move into arid areas and the long-standing drought continues. I knda figured High Rolls would be expensive, it's just too perfect. Timberon is similar, though, and is much more reasonably priced from what I can tell. It's just more remote.
Marfa is rather more humid than usual, it seems to me. Speaking of remote...I really like Fort Davis, but if you want something that Alpine/Marfa/Ft Davis doesn't have, you've gotta go a long way to get it! The area north of Ft Davis (think McDonald Observatory) is my favorite part of TX.
Huh. YOU hate summer! At noon, DFW was 91 degrees with 47% humidity, and with a south wind, it's going to get more humid (with the concomitant high minima). I love that 6% humidity that Alamogordo has. I recall being in Phoenix when it was 102 F with 3% humidity, and it felt great! Once you start sweating here, you continue to because it doesn't do any good.
Water supply seems to be the biggest problem with NM. I imagine the Cloudcroftians were plenty worried when they lost almost all of their water. It's going to be catastrophic somewhere down the line, I'm afraid, if people continue to move into arid areas and the long-standing drought continues. I knda figured High Rolls would be expensive, it's just too perfect. Timberon is similar, though, and is much more reasonably priced from what I can tell. It's just more remote.
Marfa is rather more humid than usual, it seems to me. Speaking of remote...I really like Fort Davis, but if you want something that Alpine/Marfa/Ft Davis doesn't have, you've gotta go a long way to get it! The area north of Ft Davis (think McDonald Observatory) is my favorite part of TX.
Ugh. I can just imagine. It's like going outside into a sauna, so you do have my sympathy. The low humidity here is just really great, not to mention the Sacramentos out the front door every morning.
That is the huge drawback to the area. As much as I love it, I know I'd be driving back to Midland at least once every week or two for whatever I needed....eye doctor, dentist, etc. Alpine would be perfect if it were about 4x the size that it is, but then it wouldn't be Alpine.
Yes, the McDonald's Observatory is neat....and the drive home from Alamogordo is neat, because I get to see all of the mountain ranges between here and home. The last range I see is right before Fort Stockton, if I remember correctly.
Timberon is an anomaly if I ever saw one...just really, really temperate, despite the high elevation.
Water is always going to be an issue in the west, both in TX and NM. If more people would move to Xeriscaping, I think things would go far better.
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Cloudcroft did get some nice snow, but not enough to open the ski area....Ruidoso had a couple of good weekends (which I DON'T do because of the crowds)....but mostly poor. 
Climates
