Eastern side of state to stay dry

New Mexico is expected to close out a wet July with another rainy week - except for the east side of the state.

Daily rain and thunderstorm chances will be concentrated in the state’s western half and northern mountains, said Scott Overpeck, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Albuquerque.

“We still need to be on our toes with the heavy rainfall threats with flash flooding,” Overpeck said. “Especially in our areas that have already seen a lot of rainfall, it won’t take much for ... the arroyos to fill up really quickly.”

Eastern New Mexico rain chances are small through Saturday, with highs near 90 each day the rest of the month. Rain chances increase to more than 30 percent this weekend and early next week for the Clovis-Portales area.

Today’s high in Albuquerque is forecast to be 92 degrees, and the city has a 30% chance of rain. On Thursday, the metro area is expected to have a high of 90 degrees.

Albuquerque’s rain chances will dip to 20% on Friday and Saturday. Highs are forecast to be 89 and 91 degrees on those days.

The monsoon pattern is expected to continue through the weekend.

“We could see potential of a ... cold front slide into the area Sunday and Monday of next week,” Overpeck said. “That could continue our rain chances.”

The Albuquerque Journal contributed to this report.