Thanksgiving Day weather looking good

Thanksgiving could be a “perfect day” weatherwise, according to the National Weather Service. Traveling home after the holiday … well, there are no promises.

“Thanksgiving Day looks great … a perfect day. I’m not sure if we could ask for better weather,” said Todd Shoemake, a meteorologist with NWS.

Residents in the Clovis/Portales area should expect temperatures to be in the low 60s with high clouds and dry weather with light winds for the holiday, Shoemake said.

But as a cold front comes in from Colorado, Shoemake said we should expect the temperatures to drop this weekend, with a chance for snow and rain.

“Things do start to change a little bit going into Friday and the weekend; we are looking at the potential of another weather system to come in,” Shoemake said.

Friday will see high temperatures in the low 40s and there’s about a 20% chance of precipitation, Shoemake predicted. He said the weather will continue to be cool – overnight lows in the 20s – through the weekend.

“So that’s quite a bit below normal. That’s probably about 15 to 17 degrees below normal from where we should be for both Saturday and Sunday,” Shoemake said.

The best chance for rain or “wet snow” appears to be Saturday, NWS predicts, about a 25% chance around eastern New Mexico.

Some Clovis residents, including Mya Veldez, are planning to head out of town before the cold air arrives.

She will be visiting family in Florida and meeting her boyfriend’s family in North Carolina for Thanksgiving. She’ll skip the airports and endure the travel on the road.

“Holidays are important. It’s when everyone gets together and we eat food and laugh all together,” Veldez said.

Seeing family on the holidays is worth “the grueling 29 hour” drive, Veldez said. She said it gives her the opportunity to catch up with her loved ones on a day that is meant to be enjoyed as a family.

“It’s nice seeing everyone, especially since I don’t see the family every year. You can Facetime them all you want but it’s not the same as hugging them and sitting next to them,” Veldez said.

Clovis Regional Airport Director Amanda Brungart said the airport will be adjusting its flight schedule this week for the holiday. She said the airport will be operational on Wednesday, when it is traditionally closed, and closed on Friday.

“We are switching days, but we are expecting full flights on all of the planes,” Brungart said.

Brungart said the airport has been traditionally busy around holidays. She said there are four flights Wednesday for inbound and outbound travel, all of which are filled.

Shoemake suggests residents who are traveling north for the holiday break stay aware of any change in the weather conditions in that area and to pack properly for the cooler weather. He said people who are flying in and out of New Mexico should not have problems during the week, but by Friday and Saturday flight cancellations are possible.

Those looking to fly this week should show up to the airport earlier than usual, Brungart said. She advises passengers to arrive an hour and half early to ensure they get through airport security and manage through the crowds.