Weekend Weather

[Nate]

Looking forward to meeting up with friends and seeing some great sunsets!!! I plan on arriving Thursday evening.

Nate
210-508-3655

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, MAY 22 through MONDAY, MAY 25, 2020:
The weather should cooperate for this weekend's Memorial Day Fun-Fly in Alamogordo - and elsewhere, too. Weather should be dry, warm (highs in the 85 to 95 degree range) and moderately windy. Friday, expect southwest winds, 10-12 mph throughout our area. So Dry Canyon, La Luz, Little Floridas, Magdalena Rim, Nelson's Launch and Agave Hill will work. Kilbourne Hole as well (great PG flights there last weekend). On Saturday, west winds in Deming and Las Cruces, 15-20 mph, and SW in El Paso and Alamogordo, 10-12 on the ground - maybe stronger. All the Friday sites just named should be OK, but go early or late - middle of the day looks strong. On Sunday, SW 5-10 in Alamogordo, west 10-15 in El Paso, WSW in Las Cruces, west in Deming 15-20. Dry Canyon and La Luz are your best bets, I think, but Little Floridas, Nelson's Launch, Agave Hill and Kilbourne Hole are all possible. Go early or late. Monday gets chancier, as some precipitation is possible east of the Sacramento Mountains and cooler weather comes in. We might get south and southeast winds in Alamogordo that day, 5-10 mph, which makes Dry Canyon still a good place to fly. I expect good times at the Fun Fly, so pack up your gear and come out for some airtime. I plan to be there Friday through Monday, if my truck is repaired today. Keep your social distance, bring a mask, and fly safely!
-Robin
575-386-8212 cell
575-541-5744 home

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, MAY 29 through SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2020:
Well, I'm glad we had the weather we did last weekend - it was flyable in Alamogordo all 4 days of the Fun Fly. Records were set in the outstanding conditions. This weekend is still flyable in Alamogordo, but chancier elsewhere in our region. It'll be fairly hot (highs in the 90's) and dry, and the prevailing winds will be southeast all weekend, about 10 to 12 mph on the ground. Anapra might flyable for PG's and HG's. Ah, but Dry Canyon, because of how the terrain funnels in the wind, will see south and southwest winds on Friday and Saturday, and south/southeast on Sunday. Ground winds will be light, about 5 to 10 mph, but the direction should work. Other than the two sites mentioned, your last bet might be towing on the Exit 116 Road, west of Las Cruces. I plan to go to Dry Canyon on Friday with a hang glider pilot new to the area (he arrived at Cox Field just after I left it, on Monday). We should be in the LZ about 12:30 pm. Come and join us if you feel like you didn't fly enough last weekend! Stay healthy and safe, everyone.
-Robin
575-541-5744 home
575-386-8212 cell

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JUNE 5 through SUNDAY, JUNE 7:
Looks like a typical June weekend in the Southwest: dry, hot (highs around 100 deg F) and somewhat windy. On Friday, winds are SSW in Alamogordo, 5-10 mph, but SE elsewhere, 10-15. Saturday it looks windier, SSW across the area, 15+ mph. Might be a blowout - go early if you want to have any chance to fly. On Sunday, much like Saturday, but a little milder, 10-15 mph. I would recommend Dry Canyon and La Luz on Friday, and possibly the Exit 116 towing road. On Saturday, if the winds were mild enough, you could try Dry Canyon, La Luz, Magdalena Rim, Little Floridas, possibly Nelson's Launch and Kilbourne Hole. On Sunday, the same as Saturday, but the odds are better. I'm afraid that I'll be unavailable to fly the next two weekends, but post up if you do fly. Take lots of water, and be safe!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JUNE 19 through SUNDAY, JUNE 21:
As we approach the Summer Solstice on Sunday, we see a typical June pattern for our weather: Dry, hot, and moderately windy from the west. High temperatures about 95 to 100 F each day (that's 38 to 40 C) and no rain for the next week at least. Winds on Friday will be 15+ mph on the ground, from the west; Saturday and Sunday, still westerly but 8-10 mph. It looks to me like Friday will work for Dry Canyon, La Luz, Little Floridas, Agave Hill, Nelson's Launch and Kilbourne Hole - but only if you get there early, or fly just before sunset. Saturday and Sunday, the same sites should still be good, but you can get away with launching more in the middle of the day. The thermals will probably be abundant, with the heat being what it is. Take plenty of water if you fly, and be safe!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JUNE 26 through SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020:
This looks like a hot, dry and windy weekend. Winds will mostly be west and southwest, but Friday shows some light east and southeast. Expect a blowout on Sunday. Friday looks to be light and variable, and Saturday appears to be mostly moderate southwest. I think the Little Floridas will be good on Friday, as well as Dry Canyon and possibly La Luz. On Saturday Dry Canyon and La Luz are still good, with southwest winds 8-10 mph. The rest of our area could see west winds, 10 to 15 mph. The Franklins in El Paso might work if you go out early. The Little Floridas will see the right wind direction, but plan to fly as early as you can, as they'll get up to 15 mph on the ground (so, 20+ at the launch). Sunday looks like a blowout all across the area. If you want to fly, be sure to give me a call! I'd be interested in visiting the Little Floridas again, perhaps. Be safe if you fly, and don't forget a few jugs of water for the heat.
-Robin
575-541-5744 home
575-386-8212 cell

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JULY 3 through SUNDAY, JULY 5, 2020:
Did the weather gods push a button or flip a switch somewhere? It was windy last weekend; this weekend, the long-awaited Summer Monsoon conditions are beginning to appear. We can expect more clouds this weekend and perhaps some thunderstorms, especially on Sunday. Temperatures will be high, in the 95 to 100 F range (36 to 38 C). Winds? Light and somewhat variable. More-or-less westerly. On Friday, Alamogordo gets southerly winds 8-10 mph, the rest of the area SW 0-5. Saturday, about the same, maybe a touch more west in direction. Sunday there might be a northerly component to the very light westerly winds, with Deming getting 5-10 mph out of the west, but Alamogordo gets SW 8-10. Good chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon over the Sacramentos, though. Here, then, are my recommendations for foot-launched flying this weekend. Friday, Dry Canyon looks like your best bet, as it looks too southerly for La Luz and too light for Magdalena Rim and the Franklin Mountain sites. Saturday, it looks like Dry Canyon again, but keep an eye out for storms to the east. Direction is good for Agave Hill and Nelson's Launch but very light. Sunday I can see Dry Canyon, La Luz, and the Little Floridas as possibilities; chances for rain in Alamogordo are stronger than for Deming, so keep that in mind. This being a holiday weekend, give me a call if you feel like flying somewhere. We certainly saw some good airtime last weekend!
-Robin
575-541-5744 home
575-386-8212 cell

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JULY 10 through SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2020:
This weekend gives us everything we'd rather not see: Brutal heat, aridity, and light east winds. No monsoon in sight, this weekend. High temperatures will be 105 F (40 C) around the area. No jetstream at the moment, so we are getting light east and southeast winds most places. Alamogordo may be an exception to that, with light south and southwest winds. If you can brave the heat, Dry Canyon might work all three days. Additionally, Magdalena Rim might be flyable on Sunday. I don't see many other opportunities for airtime this weekend, though. If you go out to fly, take lots of water and keep yourself hydrated. Be safe!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JULY 17 through SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2020:
It appears that the long-awaited rainy season is finally coming up our way this weekend. No jetstream, temperatures a bit lower (highs around 100 F, or 38 C) and a possibility of thunderstorms every afternoon. Winds will be light all over the region. Alamogordo gets SSW, 5-10 mph throughout Friday, then similar winds early in the day before getting east winds in the later afternoon. In El Paso, mostly light south and southeast throughout the weekend. Las Cruces gets light south to southwest on Friday & Saturday, then SSE on Sunday. Deming, WSW on Friday, SW Saturday, south on Sunday, all in the 5-8 mph range. For airtime this weekend, I recommend Dry Canyon, Little Floridas and Magdalena Rim on Friday and Saturday. Dry Canyon might work again on Sunday, but I don't see a lot of other good bets that day. Beware of overdevelopment and gust fronts if you go out to fly, and as ever, take plenty of water - it's still pretty hot out there! Let me know if you feel like flying - I could be glad to get some airtime with you. Be safe!
-Robin
575-541-5744 home
575-386-8212 cell

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JULY 24 through SUNDAY, JULY 26, 2020:
The concept of "mixed blessings" seems to apply here. We sure need the rain, and the heat relief, but it makes for poor flying conditions. On July 13, Rick Warner and Greg Kendall had beautiful out & back flights from Dry Canyon, cruising around at 12 and 15 thousand feet MSL. Now, the heat is less, the moisture is here, and I don't expect too many outstanding flights for a while. Sure, there'll be thunderstorms to snatch you up to 25,000 feet - but do you want that? (Don't answer too quickly...) We can expect high temperatures in the mid-90's F this weekend (35 C) along with afternoon thunderstorms every day. The trend for the winds is south, southeast, and east, all fairly light. Friday, it's south in Alamogordo, 5-8 mph, and southeast, 10-12 elsewhere. Towing would work great on the Exit 116 road, but for foot-launched flight I'd say Dry Canyon is the only viable site. On Saturday, much the same - though it could blow south in the Las Cruces area, 5-8 mph, and that may make Magdalena Rim a good place for a paraglider. (Could be light for a hang glider.) Dry Canyon ought to be fine, as well. On Sunday, the southeast winds get even more easterly, still kind of light. Anapra and maybe Torrey Paso could be launchable, at least, and Dry Canyon might work again, with winds SE 5-8 in Alamogordo. If you go out to fly this weekend, plan to do it early, as the afternoon thunderstorms are bound to kick up a lot of turbulence and gust fronts. Landing in July conditions is always tricky, and a great time for aluminum sales. Be safe, and keep an eye on the clouds.

Don't forget our RGSA Quarterly Meeting, via Zoom, at 8:00 pm MDT on Saturday. See you then, I hope!
-Robin