Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
And the people cried, “Brrrrrrr.”
An Arctic air mass moved across eastern New Mexico this weekend, bringing the season’s coldest temperatures.
“High temperatures in Curry and Roosevelt counties may struggle to break the freezing mark. Temperatures in northeast New Mexico will range from sub zero to the teens,” said Carter Greulich, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque.
No snow accumulation is expected this week, but Greulich said the Clovis/Portales area will see “teens to single digits with wind chills reaching near zero” tonight.
Then a second wave of the Arctic air mass arrives and Monday night will likely be colder.
“This Artic air mass will push on into the central and eastern U.S. with temperatures that we have not seen in a few years,” Greulich said.
Tonight’s low for eastern New Mexico will be in the low teens, forecasters predict. Monday’s low will be well into the single digits. The region could climb above freezing Tuesday afternoon but overnight lows will be in the teens and 20s all week.
Greulich said the mass “originated in Siberia, crossed into the Arctic then crossed Canada into the United States.”
He advised area residents to “wear multiple layers of clothing, protect people and pets and have some supplies in your home in case power goes out.”
Xcel Energy issued a news release with a list of energy saving tips:
• Use the Xcel Energy mobile app to monitor and control energy usage, especially for customers with smart meters.
• Open blinds during the day to take advantage of the sun’s warmth and close them at night to insulate against the cold.
• Set thermostats a few degrees lower when you are not home. Smart thermostats can automatically adjust temperatures based on routines, saving on heating costs.
• Run ceiling fans clockwise during colder months to push warm air down from the ceiling.
• Keep the oven door closed when cooking to maintain temperature and use lids on pots and pans to speed up cooking time.
• Seal gaps around doors and windows with weather stripping.
• Lower the water heater’s temperature to 120 degrees and wrap it in insulation to save on water heating costs.
• Change filters on home heating systems every month to reduce heating costs.
• Improve insulation in walls, crawl spaces, floors and heating ducts to save up to 10% on monthly energy bills.
