High winds to settle down today

Wind gusts in the early hours of Saturday morning until mid-afternoon reached 55 to 60 mph. The High Wind Warning which included “damaging winds” was issued for both Curry and Roosevelt Counties.

The National Weather Service anticipated the winds would start to calm down today.

Though strong, the wind gusts did not bring much cooler temperatures to the area due to what the NSW called downslope winds. Wind from a western winter storm moving over the state's central mountain ranges accelerated and compressed as it descended causing increased air pressure and warming.

“High temperatures will be unable to reach seasonal normals in western and central zones, but the stiff down-sloping winds in the eastern plains will offset some of the cold air advection, keeping today’s highs slightly above average,” a NWS meteorologist wrote early Saturday in the area forecast discussion.

The wind gusts began early Saturday morning around 3 a.m.

“Several locales have already observed severe gusts during the frontal passage, and additional hits will keep coming as rapid cyclogenesis at the surface gets underway and the gradient continues to strengthen through the mid morning over the eastern zones of NM,” the discussion said.

The western winds were consistently between 30 to 45 mph Saturday, with gusts up to 60 mph. Impacts included in the High Wind Warning for the area were potentially hazardous crosswinds for north-to-south highway travel, moving loose debris and possible power outages.

“It looks like it could be an active weather week ahead,” the forecast said. “A ridge of high pressure will build over the Land of Enchantment beginning Sunday, resulting in less wind and temperatures gradually increasing through Tuesday.”

The area is expected to reach 60 to 70 degrees Tuesday, with a 17% chance of precipitation on Wednesday.