Weekend Weather

[RobinHastings]

MARCH 27-29, 2015:
This weekend is tough to call. Again, this is not our usual March, with daily, howling gales from the southwest. Instead, it looks clear (typical) but with a possibility of rain on Monday (not typical, but we can use it!) Our winds this weekend are hard to forecast. Today, Thursday, it looks like we may get winds at launch heights out of the north and northeast. This is not good for any of our foot-launched sites, with the possible exception of La Luz. But right now, Alamogordo surface winds show southeast winds. What? As for Friday, the winds appear to be light west and southwest - good for Dry Canyon, La Luz, Little Floridas and Agave Hill. Mag Rim, which doesn't do well in due west, is chancier. On Saturday, the winds seem to be forecast for west-northwest. That trend appears to continue into Sunday; that would make La Luz our best bet for foot launching. The winds are light enough that PG's and hang gliders can both be in the air this weekend, if the winds are coming up the ramp. The Sod Farms should be OK for towing, as I don't see anything turbulent or strong heading our way this weekend. In summary, Friday looks like a pretty good day for flying - for Saturday and Sunday, you take your chances. Good luck if you fly this weekend, and be safe!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

APRIL 3-5, 2015 (EASTER):
This looks pretty good for flying after noon on Friday. Up to then, light northeast winds - then they switch to the south, southeast and southwest for the rest of the weekend. We're getting into normal spring conditions for New Mexico, to wit, no rain, and winds fairly strong out of the west and southwest. Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday look good for Dry Canyon, as the winds should be mostly southerly all weekend. On Sunday those winds turn southwest, which would make La Luz, Magdalena Rim, Little Floridas and Agave Hill all workable. Today (Thursday) the winds are supposed to be a blowout; the rest of the weekend, they should be moderate in strength. If you fly a PG, fly early; if you fly a hang glider, set up early and wait for the winds you like. Welcome to Spring As We Know It! Fly safe if you go, and if you're in Alamogordo, keep an eye out for White Sands dusting up. Enjoy Easter!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

APRIL 10-12, 2015:
We're back to actual spring conditions now. There's a small chance of rain, late on Sunday, but the weekend should be dry. Winds will be from the south, southwest and west. Strength of winds is expected to be moderate to strong, especially at the heights of our launches. (Well, that's spring, out here!) Friday and Saturday the winds should be mostly southwest, with Friday the stronger of the two. By Sunday the winds get a little lighter and perhaps more southerly. On Friday, then, I would say that Dry Canyon, La Luz, the Little Floridas and Magdalena Rim should all work pretty well, but you might go early and take the winds when you like them - they're likely to get stronger through the day. Saturday looks like a great day for almost all of our sites. The wind speeds should be moderate, out of the southwest. Go early and be ready to fly by noon, is my recommendation, whether it's at La Luz, Mag Rim, Dry Canyon, Agave Hill or the Little Floridas. Kilbourne Hole might work, too, especially for PG's. Sunday is a little harder to call, but I'm thinking that Dry Canyon and Mag Rim are good bets; it might be too southerly for La Luz and Agave Hill. Hadley, I think, is out of town, so there is probably not much happening at the Sod Farms this weekend. Me, I could be up for flying any day from Friday through Sunday. Give me a call! 575-541-5744.
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

APRIL 17-19, 2015:
Clear, dry and windy seems to be the forecast for this weekend. The jetstream is up north at present, but a local low pressure over Colorado will make the winds swirl in from the southwest on Friday and Saturday. Expect fairly strong winds those days, from the southwest on Friday and the west/southwest on Saturday. As the low pressure moves eastward Saturday night we should get lighter winds out of the north on Sunday morning. On Sunday afternoon the winds are supposed to switch to light southwest. My flying recommendations? I think that all of our southwest facing sites will work on Friday if you go early; that includes Dry Canyon, La Luz, Magdalena Rim, Agave Hill, Little Floridas and Kilbourne Hole. On Saturday the winds get stronger, and with the westerly component Magdalena Rim won't be as good - but Dry Canyon and La Luz should be good bets for airtime. On Sunday, you might want to fly La Luz at the northwest launch if you go early on, or wait a bit for afternoon conditions at Dry Canyon. Magdalena Rim, late in the day, might be good if it's not too light. I'm open for some flying this weekend if anyone wants to join me. If it doesn't blow out, it's looking pretty good!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

APRIL 24-26, 2015:
A windy weekend is coming! Maybe wet as well. As best I can tell from the models, we may get some precipitation on Sunday. We are almost certainly going to see strong west and southwest winds on Friday, Saturday and especially Sunday. The launch sites we have that will face those winds are Dry Canyon, La Luz, Magdalena Rim, Lee's Lookout, Agave Hill, Kilbourne Hole and the Little Floridas. They might be flyable, but go early. I tried to fly at Mag Rim yesterday, with Bill as my driver, and we gave up at 10:00 am when we were halfway to the site - too windy for flying that day. And it was the mild one! It only gets stronger from here on out through Sunday. We can certainly use the rain, and if you time it right, you might get to use the wind - but you might spend the time doing equipment maintenance, too. Good luck and be safe!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

MAY 1-3, 2015:
This could be the good weekend to make up for the last one. I don't see a blowout in the forecast at this point, though we might get some rain late on Sunday afternoon. It looks like we'll start out with light south/southwest winds on Friday, which makes Dry Canyon and Magdalena Rim good possibilities for flight. It might get cloudy in the afternoon, too. Saturday looks a little stronger, still out of the south/southwest. With that in mind, Dry Canyon, La Luz, Mag Rim, Agave Hill, Little Floridas and Lee's Lookout are all possible - go early if you're flying a PG. Sunday shows northwest winds for a time, but turning to west and west/southwest in the afternoon. Dry Canyon and La Luz may be your best possibilities in that case. I'm hoping to fly one or two days this weekend - give me a call if you're interested. 575-541-5744. Be safe, everyone!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

MAY 8-10, 2015:
Looks like a windy weekend again, everyone. Winds out of the west and southwest all three days, not much chance for rain. The winds should blow hardest on Friday and Saturday, strongest in the afternoons. This makes most of our foot-launched sites viable, but you'd better go early. Sunday again looks like the best day of the three, and I hope it's good. Keep the Dry Canyon Fly-In in mind, two weekends from now (May 23-25) and I'll be seeing you all then. If you fly this weekend, be safe!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

MAY 15-17, 2015:
This weekend looks mostly clear and mostly windy. There's a small chance of rain, perhaps, but a lot of chance for wind - at least on Friday and Saturday. Sunday looks pretty good, though. Winds throughout the weekend appear to be south and southwest, but on Sunday they settle down to speeds that a human might think of launching in. That would make Dry Canyon, La Luz, Mag Rim, Agave Hill and Little Floridas possible. Friday and Saturday it looks like a blowout. Long term forecast, for next weekend, doesn't look bad so far, but the models only go out to Thursday. I'll have a better prediction for you all sometime next week. Meanwhile, if you want to fly on Friday and Saturday, either go real early or don't fly at all. Sunday, it should be nice all day. Be safe!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

MAY 22-25, 2015 (Dry Canyon Fly-In):
This weekend looks similar to last weekend. It should be clear of precipitation, but windy, at least on Friday and Saturday. Winds will be from the south and southwest, from now until next week sometime. This is ideal for the Dry Canyon Fly-In in Alamogordo. The issue is the wind speed, which should be pretty strong on both Friday and Saturday. It looks like flying early on Friday will be a possibility. Saturday could be a blowout. Sunday and Monday, though, look pretty good; the winds will be lighter. It should be OK for PG's early and in the evening, and for HG's throughout the day. If it does blow out, there's things to do in the area - Cloudcroft and the Space Hall come to mind. And it's always nice to sit and visit a bit. Come out and fly, everybody! I think we're going to do fine.
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, MAY 29 TO SUNDAY, MAY 31:
This is a considerably calmer weekend than last one, in terms of both activity and weather. There could be precipitation on Saturday, though the chances are not real good for that. Otherwise, expect some cloudiness but mostly clear. Friday the winds should be light, from the west. I'd say that Dry Canyon and possible La Luz would be your best bet for foot launching, that day. Saturday, winds are likely to be southeast and then east, light to moderate in strength. Anapra, near El Paso, might work, especially for paragliders, but not much else. On Sunday the winds begin the day southeast, but turn south by day's end. Light to moderate in strength. This actually looks pretty good for Dry Canyon, especially in the afternoon. I might be up for flying that day. Is there anyone else who didn't get enough airtime last weekend?
-Robin
575-541-5744