Weekend Weather

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, MARCH 10 through SUNDAY, MARCH 12:
Surprisingly, for March, I don't foresee any blowouts for this weekend. Weather will be mostly clear and warm, in the 70's and low 80's (20 to 25, Celsius). Winds are forecast to be light and variable. It looks like light west and southwest for our area on Friday, light to moderate north and northwest on Saturday, and light to moderate east and southeast on Sunday - except for Alamogordo, where it looks to be light southwest. My recommendations are to look at Dry Canyon and La Luz, and possibly Matt's Mountain, on Friday; La Luz and Volcanic Peak on Saturday; Dry Canyon and Anapra or Torrey Paso on Sunday (it looks east and southeast in the El Paso area that day). This will be a tough weekend to predict, really. I'll be busy with visitors and gymnastics meets on Saturday and Sunday, but I'm open to flying on Friday if anyone wants to try it. Where to go? We'll have to decide each morning. Be safe and have fun if you get out for some soaring!
-Robin
575-541-5744

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, MARCH 17 through SUNDAY, MARCH 19:
This will be Spring Break for schools and colleges in Southern New Mexico. And Monday is the Vernal Equinox, when "spring" officially gets rolling. But it doesn't quite feel like spring out here. For one thing, it's going to be warm all weekend - highs around 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Winds? No blowouts, no dust storms - just breezes, mostly from the west and southwest. No rain. It looks like we may get some west/northwest winds, light to moderate, on Friday. They may shift to light southwest by day's end. I'd look to La Luz in Alamogordo (and Dry Canyon in the late afternoon), Agave Hill in El Paso, and Little Floridas in Deming that day. On Saturday the winds are light south/southwest, so Magdalena Rim in Las Cruces is a good bet. So are La Luz and Dry Canyon in Alamogordo, Agave Hill, Lee's Lookout and Nelson's Launch in El Paso. It's probably too light for Kilbourne Hole. The Little Floridas (where the golden poppies are in bloom) are looking soarable as well. Sunday should be more of the same. And I would expect that towing at the Sod Farm is going to be good all weekend. A spring where we don't have to hunker down in the bunkers is a gift we should not spurn, so get out and fly if your schedule allows it. Give me a call if you need someone to fly with!
-Robin
575-541-5744

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, MARCH 24 through MONDAY, MARCH 27:
In some ways this will be a weekend like last - and the flying was excellent then! In some ways, it is very different. We are, on Thursday, in the midst of powerful winds and dust storms. They'll get worse overnight, as a deep low pressure center moves along the New Mexico/Colorado border. (It will then spend the end of its Spring Break over southeast Colorado and southern Kansas.) By Friday afternoon, the winds should be in the "moderate to strong" category (not, "You're crazy to be out in this!" category). Expect the direction then to be west/northwest. La Luz may be your only good option for a flight that afternoon, and probably only for HG unless the winds drop near sunset. High temperatures will be in the 75 deg F range this weekend (about 25 C for our metric friends) and the climate will be dry - moisture will be over most of New Mexico, but not in the south. By Saturday morning expect light southwest winds, getting stronger through the day. I would recommend Matt's Mountain (aka Mag Rim) for PG's early on, or HG as the winds build. Dry Canyon, La Luz, Little Floridas, Agave Hill and Nelson's Launch should also work, but be careful about the wind strength. On Sunday, the same sites should work in westerly winds, except for Matt's Mountain, but the winds will be approaching blowout strength; I'd recommend going early, or maybe late afternoon, whichever site you choose. On Monday I think the winds will be light to moderate, southwest. All of our Saturday sites should work OK that day.

Ann Dunlap from Colorado should be in town from Saturday afternoon through Monday, and I plan to help her fly each day. We plan to meet up in the Cox Field LZ about 3:00 pm Saturday, and try Dry Canyon for an evening flight. Come and join us if you think the winds will work for you!
-Robin
575-541-5744

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, MARCH 31 through SUNDAY, APRIL 2:
Well, two out of three ain't bad, they say. (Who is "they", anyway?) Friday is not the day to fly, this weekend but Saturday and Sunday should be OK. On Friday expect winds of 30 mph on the ground, a typical spring blowout. Great way to end the month of March - which came in like a lamb, and goes out like a lion. No rain is likely, at least. On Saturday, though, as the low pressure passes on by us, we should have west and southwest winds throughout our region, not too strong. Too westerly for good flights at Matt's Mountain, but not bad for Dry Canyon, La Luz, Little Floridas (get there before it gets too strong), Agave Hill and Nelson's Launch. Maybe PG's can soar at Kilbourne Hole as well. On Sunday the winds seem to be more northwest in the forecast, just like last weekend, which makes La Luz the best bet for flying. Again, not too strong. Training at the Sod Farms should be pretty good, as the winds after Friday look moderate and not too switchy. I have truck repairs to attend to, so I don't know if I can be in the air this weekend - but there's no reason for YOU to stay grounded, at least not after Friday. Good luck and fly safe!
-Robin

[Bill Cummings]

I can get you and your equipment to most LZ's and some launches. Then we can either drive up or throw on with someone else. YOU'RE NO LONGER GROUNDED ROBIN-- YOU'VE BEEN A GOOD BOY -- NOW YOU CAN GO OUT AND PLAY (but we're keeping and eye on you.)

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, APRIL 7 through SUNDAY, APRIL 9:
This weekend looks a little more predictable. It'll be dry, mostly warm (a little cooler on Sunday) and windy. Friday actually looks like a pretty good flying day. Winds that day will be out of the west and southwest, and should top out at 10 to 12 mph on the ground. High temperatures in the low 80's. I would recommend Dry Canyon and La Luz in Alamogordo, Matt's Mountain in Las Cruces (though it might be too westerly - you'll only know by being there) and Agave Hill and Nelson's Launch in El Paso. Little Floridas in Deming should be fine in direction, but go early before it gets too strong. Kilbourne Hole might be good as well. On Saturday, all of those sites should work again, but be there early, because the wind speeds on the ground will top out at 20+ mph. I wouldn't bother with the Little Floridas, as they will blow out real early. If you've ever wanted to launch at Transmountain Road and soar the Franklins, this might be the day to try it - but be real careful. (That's the voice of experience speaking, folks.) Matt's Mountain will probably have winds too westerly to make it worthwhile, even being there early. Sunday looks cooler than Saturday, and even stronger. I don't know if we'll have a dust storm that day, but it will certainly be a blowout, according to all of the models I've been checking. I'd recommend looking after your equipment that day, or catching up on your reading - indoors. Yes, Spring is here - so if you fly this weekend, have fun and be real careful about what you're launching into.
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, APRIL 14 through SUNDAY, APRIL 16, 2017:
Easter weekend looks like a good one for uplifting those with wings. It will be dry, warm (highs about 80 degrees F) and breezy from the west and southwest. Friday will be the strongest day for winds, about 15 mph on the ground for most of our area. Saturday will be milder, and Easter Sunday the mildest, winds about 10 mph all over. Unusual for April, yes. The sites that should work all weekend are the usual suspects: Dry Canyon, La Luz, Matt's Mountain (early Friday will be best), Little Floridas, Nelson's Launch and Agave Hill. Perhaps Kilbourne Hole, too, though it will be a bit light there for hang gliders. Winds and wind direction should be pretty steady for training at the Sod Farms. This is a good weekend, folks - take advantage of it! And as always, fly safe.
-Robin
575-541-5744

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, APRIL 21 through SUNDAY, APRIL 23:
This should be another flyable weekend. Clear and warm, as far as I can tell. On Friday the winds start out northwest and turn more west as the day goes on - though in Alamogordo they stay northwest most of the day. On Saturday and Sunday the winds are east and southeast for much of our area, but light southwest in Alamogordo. The best bets for foot launched flying might be La Luz on Friday (and Agave Hill and Nelson's Launch in El Paso). On Saturday and Sunday, Dry Canyon looks good, and Anapra in the El Paso area. If towing is available at the Sod Farms, that should be good as well. No blowouts this weekend, as far as I can tell. I might go out to fly at Dry Canyon on Saturday, if schedules work out. Good flying to you, and be safe!
-Robin
575-541-5744

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, APRIL 28 through SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 2017:
This weekend will see the final blasts of April, prior to, we hope, a somewhat calmer month of May. There is a slight chance of rain this weekend, depending where you are - Alamogordo seems to have the best odds, being by the Sacramentos as it is. Temperatures will be up and down. Friday's high is expected to be about 80 degrees F, but as a cold front howls in, the temperature will drop considerably; it should be almost 20 degrees cooler on Saturday. Then, as the weather system passes, it warms up into the mid-70's on Sunday. Winds, too, will be a mess. A blowout on Friday, from the west/southwest; don't even think about it that day. On Saturday, winds will be moderate to strong, from the northwest; La Luz may be a possibility that day, but dress warm! On Sunday, milder winds, from the west and northwest; again, La Luz may be a good bet, or even Dry Canyon when the winds turn west at last. It looks too westerly for Matt's Mountain this weekend, but on Sunday the Little Floridas might be good if you catch it early - ground winds about 10 mph early on out of the west. They'll probably blow out later in the day. I don't think that any of the foot-launched sites in El Paso will work on Saturday, but towing at the Sod Farms should be good. With ground winds about 10 mph from the west, Agave Hill and Nelson's Launch might be OK on Sunday. Looking at the long range forecast, a club campout at Gray Hill, west of Socorro, may work out well for next weekend. Temperatures should be pleasant there, and the winds will be moderate out of the southwest. So, run for the bunkers today and Friday, and think about the last cool weather flying for the season when you come out again on Saturday. Be safe!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, MAY 5 through SUNDAY, MAY 7:
This looks like another flyable weekend - but plan to be launching early. It'll be dry and warm in our area, though rain may come to northern New Mexico on Saturday night and Sunday morning. The winds should be southerly on Friday, and south/southwest on Saturday and Sunday. Friday the winds should be moderate, Saturday and Sunday somewhat stronger, hitting 15 to 20 mph on the ground. The best site on Friday is probably Dry Canyon and possibly Matt's Mountain; it's too southerly for La Luz, Little Floridas or the Franklins. On Saturday you can probably fly at all of those sites, as the winds turn more southwest, but you have to launch before they get too strong. On Sunday the same is true, but the winds will get even a little stronger. Kilbourne Hole might be a good bet this weekend, being at ground level as it is. And early training at the Sod Farms will probably be excellent - the winds should be pretty steady in direction this time around. Our proposed club campout at Gray Hill will have to get postponed, I think - the winds up there will be even stronger, and south is one direction that hill doesn't work for. How about a campout at Matt's Mountain instead? Good luck if you fly this weekend, and be safe!
-Robin
575-541-5744