Weekend Weather

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 through SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11:
The forecast actually looks pretty good for our Columbus Day Gathering in Alamogordo this weekend. There is a chance of rain on Friday, and then it clears for the rest of the weekend. Winds should be moderate in strength, starting out north on Friday morning and then going to south and southeast in the afternoon - good for Dry Canyon. On Saturday and Sunday the winds should be west and southwest, moderate in strength. Monday? Most models don't show it yet, but I expect it to be good - I'll check it out tomorrow morning and post the forecast here. Hey, let's go fly!
-Robin

[macofromoc]

Heading down Friday. Don't expect it to be flyable, so I'll drink some beers and be ready for the weekend. I see a nice ABQ posse forming and looking to head down Saturday morning. If you're not in the air this weekend you're doing it wrong! Gonna copy/paste your post and put it on the SSA site.

see everybody this weekend.

greg clark

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 to SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18:
This weekend looks pretty good for getting some flying in. There's a slight chance of precipitation on Sunday afternoon, but the weekend is supposed to be dry, with notable precipitation, this time, in Arizona. Winds should be mostly south on Saturday, and south/southwest on Sunday, light to moderate in strength. This probably means that Dry Canyon will be your best site for foot-launched flight. On Friday I would head for Anapra, if I were available to fly (I won't be). We can expect fairly strong winds that day, out of the east - perfect for soaring that hill, both PG and HG. So shake off those hangovers from the Columbus Day Gathering, and dust off your flying gear. It's time to get some airtime!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23 to SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25:
Well! It's been a week for weather in our Southern New Mexico area. Yesterday's storm (Wednesday) was pretty spectacular. Hail, lightning, winds - we got what a lot of other places regard as "normal". Our state is beginning to look like a desert version of Ireland, now, instead of Mars. However, the wet weather is starting to move out, and we should have a dry weekend. Oddly enough, though the clouds and moisture are moving to the northeast, the winds we get this weekend will be coming back from that direction (mostly). Look for north and northwest winds on Friday, then north and northeast on Saturday, followed by east and southeast on Sunday. La Luz should work well on Friday, and maybe some of Saturday. It's possible that Dry Canyon will be flyable on Sunday, if you launch in the right cycle. (Make sure that the road to launch is not too muddy!) Winds are predicted to be light to moderate in strength. For our expedition to Gray Hill, west of Socorro, I'd expect mostly east winds on Saturday and Sunday, and maybe north winds on Friday - possibly west. It's hard to predict, with the massive weather system we've had just starting to depart. I'm planning to be exploring Gray Hill as a site this weekend, in whatever winds the wind gods give us. Join us if you can!
-Robin
575-541-5744

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30 to SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1:
It looks like a wet weekend, to start. Friday should be pretty rainy, all over New Mexico and west Texas. It clears up after that, so Saturday and Sunday should be pretty sunny. Our temperatures should have highs in the 60's, about typical for this time of year. Winds should be from the west-southwest on Friday, fairly strong, then west-northwest on Saturday, lighter in strength. Sunday, west-southwest again, light to moderate. The best bets would be to stay home on Friday (wet gliders don't fly very well) then maybe La Luz on Saturday and Dry Canyon (if the road is dry) La Luz, Little Floridas or Agave Hill on Sunday. If you fly, be safe!
-Robin

[Wyatt]

My vote is for Little Floridas

Wind direction and velocity looks almost perfect for it, almost all of Saturday and Sunday. I checked the uppers (As Hadley Robinson recommended) and they turn gradually north and increase in velocity as you go up in altitude on Saturday, are WNW at 5 mph on the ground (4K feet) in Deming and are about 20 mph nd due N at 11K feet. Hadley seems most concerned with shear, but it appears there will be little if any at least on Saturday. TOUL is supposed to be around 8900.

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, NOV. 6 to SUNDAY, NOV. 8:
Well, I have cast the bones, and read the tea leaves. (And checked the weather models, too!) This will be an interesting weekend for flying. Don't expect anything but clear skies, and winds from all sorts of directions. Primarily, the winds should be easterly for most of our Southern New Mexico region. Soaring at Anapra may be a good idea this weekend, down by El Paso. Deming appears to be fairly strong east. So does Las Cruces. The exception appears to be Alamogordo, which makes its own weather. In Alamogordo the winds on Friday look to be moderate westerly on Friday, making Dry Canyon and La Luz a possibility. On Saturday the winds seem to start out light north and northwest, then go to southwest by noon. They may turn east by late afternoon. Strength, again, should be moderate. Sunday should be much the same - moderate winds from the southwest, very good for Dry Canyon and maybe La Luz. They might turn south-southeast late in the day, but that still works for the Dry Canyon launch. Expect some decision making when you come in for a landing! But if the winds hold, then I'd say that flying in Alamogordo is the way to go this weekend.
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, NOV. 13 to SUNDAY, NOV. 15:
This will, once again, be a hard one to call. We should have dry weather until Sunday, at which point a windy, wet tempest is due to visit, coming up from Mexico. Friday looks like southwest winds, high up, but easterly winds down on the surface. We might have Anapra as our only good bet for foot-launched flight that day. (It should be sunny and dry, though.) Saturday looks GOOD for Dry Canyon. South to southeast winds, not too strong, but possibly soarable there, and prefrontal - probably lots of good thermal activity that day. And most likely warm and delightful, too, as we usually get the prefrontal warming, just before the cold comes in. Sunday looks like a great day for - er, watching football. On TV. In a warm, dry house. Me, I want to fly somewhere on Friday and Saturday, and I think that my guests Andy and Isabel want to as well. Give me a call if you can go!
-Robin
575-541-5744

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, NOV. 20 to SUNDAY, NOV. 22:
This will be a bit of a strange weekend for weather. No rain, though, which isn't strange at all for our part of the world. Winds on Friday appear to be light and variable, mostly from the west, and changing towards northwest later in the day. Warm and balmy - our typical New Mexico autumn day. Saturday, it seems that a cold front is going to come blasting in from the east. Temperatures will be in the low 50's, quite a bit cooler. Strong winds from the east, maybe southeast. On Sunday it'll get a bit warmer, temperatures in the higher 50's, and calmer, with winds still out of the east and southeast. Recommendations? Dry Canyon and La Luz should work on Friday, for foot launched flight, both PG and HG. On Saturday, take your hang glider (and warm clothes!) to Anapra, and soar the 200-ft ridge there in the middle of the day. Oddly enough, Dry Canyon might also work on Saturday, as Alamogordo winds are predicted to be light west & southwest - the place tends to create its own weather system, and the Sacramentos shield the town from a lot of the easterly winds. On Sunday, I'd recommend Anapra again, this time for paragliders - it'll be a little light to soar a hang glider there. For towing at the Sod Farm, Sunday looks like the best day - Saturday is likely to be too strong, and Friday might be a little too light and variable. Be safe, everyone!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

SATURDAY, NOV. 28 and SUNDAY, NOV. 29:
The current rain and wind should be moving out of our area tonight (Friday). Saturday should be clearing, with winds light to moderate out of the south and southwest. On Sunday, the skies should be pretty clear, and winds stronger out of south and southwest again. Maybe a blowout by late afternoon. By Monday the sky should still be clear, but winds shift to the northwest, somewhat lighter. If anyone wants to fly this weekend, Magdalena Rim, Dry Canyon and La Luz ought to be a good bet for both days. (La Luz NW launch might be good on Monday, too.) Let me know if you want to try it! 575-541-5744.
-Robin