Weekend Weather

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, DEC. 4 through SUNDAY, DEC. 6:
This will be a good flying weekend, I think, though a little unpredictable as to just where you need to go. Precipitation will not be a problem anywhere in our area. (Or an opportunity, either - we always need more water!) On Friday, expect winds from the south and southwest, moderate at first and strong later in the day, as the jetstream begins to pay us a visit. This will make Dry Canyon, Little Floridas, Agave Hill and possibly Magdalena Rim a good bet - it might be too much south for the launches at La Luz. On Saturday the winds die off as the jetstream leaves. The winds should start out strong westerly, and then become light north and northwest by afternoon. If you go to Alamogordo, La Luz might be your best bet, as north winds don't work at Dry Canyon. Possibly the new PG launch at the Little Floridas will work on that day. By Sunday I expect light and variable winds. They'll be more easterly in El Paso, which could be good for PG's at Anapra, but probably not strong enough for hang gliders. It might be northeasterly in Las Cruces, which would be a good test day for Bill's BT4 setup at the Hospital Training Hill. Dry Canyon might work, if the thermals are good, and able to provide some launch winds; otherwise it's a likely sled run there. Temperatures should be seasonable for the area all weekend, with high temps in the upper 50's (or mid-teens, if you like the Celsius scale). No arctic outbreaks expected. All in all, a real nice weekend to be somewhere outdoors, and high up in the air. I'm planning to fly at Dry Canyon on Friday - give me a call if you want to as well.
-Robin
575-541-5744

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, DEC. 11 through SUNDAY, DEC. 13:
Tough flying this weekend! But not impossible. We have had a beautiful week of weather in Southern New Mexico, unless you wanted some good hang gliding. (For PG's, the light conditions might have been pretty nice.) Sunny, calm, clear... Well, things change. Tomorrow, Friday, the jetstream will pay us a visit once again. Winds will suddenly be a factor in our lives. The prefrontal warming will keep Friday's temperatures up around 65 to 70 fahrenheit, but the winds will be 15 to 20 mph on the ground in Las Cruces, from the southwest at first and more westerly later in the day. Stronger in Deming, a little milder in Alamogordo and El Paso. Saturday, it gets windier, colder and wetter. We may get rain on Saturday, and the temperatures will show a high in the low 50's. Winds from the southwest and west, and strong - if this isn't a blowout day, I don't know what is. Sunday the winds will be north and northwest, milder - around 15 mph on the ground. Clear skies again, but chilly - a high around 50 F. So, here's my recommendations. Saturday, stay home. Do your Christmas cards. Friday, Mag Rim early in the day, or Dry Canyon and La Luz a little later. Agave Hill might work, too, and Kilbourne Hole. (I think that the Little Floridas will be blown out.) Sunday, dress warm and try the northwest launch at La Luz. Or towing; there's a good (but short) tow road that Bill Cummings found, west of Las Cruces. If you fly, be cautious about the winds, and as ever, be safe!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, DEC. 18 through SUNDAY, DEC. 20:
This looks better than last weekend, I think. I don't expect any precipitation, but we could see high clouds moving in on Saturday and Sunday. Winds will be light and variable, but mostly westerly, on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday the west/southwest winds get a good deal stronger, but it might not be a blowout. I'd recommend Dry Canyon throughout all three days, especially on Friday and Saturday; winds won't be enough to give you more than a sled ride the other days. (PG's included.) Sunday, it might be blown out for PG's at higher elevations, but Agave Hill could be OK, or Kilbourne Hole. La Luz and Dry Canyon should work for hang gliders - just be up there fairly early if you go on Sunday. Mag Rim might be a good one to try, as well. The Little Floridas could be OK, too, but again, get there early. Temperatures are expected to be low to mid-50's, so it shouldn't be too chilly. Good luck if you fly! I'll be gone for Christmas travels, but those who stay should have some good airtime opportunities. See you at year's end!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, DEC. 25 through SUNDAY, DEC. 27:
Happy Christmas! And if you want to fly this weekend, that is probably your only day to do it - and only if you go out early. This is NOT the optimum weekend for weather. Christmas day (Friday) is going to be warm, but windy. Winds out of the southwest, getting strong and probably blown out by the afternoon. Go for it early, if you plan to. Dry Canyon, La Luz, Magdalena Rim, Little Floridas, Agave Hill, maybe Kilbourne Hole - all should work, at least for a while. On Saturday, expect rain all over the area, and the temperatures dropping. East winds, too. By Sunday, snow! We could have a couple of inches all over the area, and a good deal more in the Sacramentos. (Hey, we need the moisture - don't complain.) Temperatures through the rest of the week will be unusually cold for our area, with winds mostly east and southeast. In conclusion - fly tomorrow, or don't bother. Remember, Christmas comes but once a year... And family is forever. (Thermals aren't.) Happy Holidays, everyone!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2016 to SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 2016:
This weekend is, possibly, flyable. But it's not the best. We should have clouds and wind from the east/southeast on Friday, clearer skies and lighter winds from south/southeast on Saturday, and then more south/southeast winds on Sunday. Temperatures, though, look pretty cold. Highs are low 40's on Friday, upper 40's on Saturday, and low 50's on Sunday. Low temperatures may be below freezing each night. There's a slight chance of rain or snow on Friday. (And a pretty good chance for rain and snow next week!) I would recommend trying for Dry Canyon on Saturday or Sunday, and maybe Anapra on Friday, if you really want to fly. Otherwise, wait it out, and see what next weekend brings. (Could be more snow...) Stay warm!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8 to SUNDAY, JANUARY 10:
Well, this looks like another tough weekend for flight. The run of precipitation we've been having will tail off after Friday, but the temperatures for the weekend will stay fairly cold for us (mid to high 40's Fahrenheit) and the winds are not the best. Friday could be a blowout, with strong winds from the west and southwest. Saturday winds look lighter, but from the northwest. Sunday the winds go west again, possibly west/northwest, and fairly light. My recommendation is to give Friday a pass - charge up your radios and do all your household chores. Saturday, La Luz looks good for foot launching, but dress warm. On Sunday you can try La Luz, Dry Canyon, Agave Hill and the Little Floridas. (It's too westerly for Magdalena Rim.) The road up to Dry Canyon might or might not be passable, depending on how much snow or rain has fallen on it. Again, dress warm! The week to come should be clear and sunny, so hold out hope for better conditions then. Fly safe!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JANUARY 15 to SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2016:
Not too bad a flying a weekend, depending on the site. We may get a little rain on Friday, but otherwise it should be pretty sunny. Winds will be pretty strong, though. On Friday I expect ground winds of 10 to 15 mph from the west and southwest, and higher at altitude. If it's not blown out, then both Dry Canyon and La Luz, and maybe the Little Floridas, will be flyable. (Check on the snow on the Dry Canyon road, though.) On Saturday and Sunday I expect winds out of the north and northwest, fairly strong - about 10 mph on the ground. La Luz should be a good bet in that circumstance. Temperatures shouldn't be too cold, with high's in the mid-50's. I'll be doing some mentoring of new pilots on Friday and Sunday, but Saturday I'm available if someone wants to soar at La Luz. Stay warm and fly safe, everyone!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22 to SUNDAY, JANUARY 24:
This is a much nicer looking weekend than last, except for Sunday. Sunday will probably be a blowout, with ground winds from the west in the 20-25 mph range for our region, so just write that one off and watch the playoff games. We're in a dry spell, too, so don't look for any precipitation until (possibly) Wednesday; weekend temperatures should have highs in the 60 degree F range. Friday, look for winds light and variable, mostly from the south and southwest. Saturday should be similar. This will be ideal for paragliding in our area, but a little light for good soaring flights for hang gliders. Sites that should work: Dry Canyon, La Luz, Agave Hill, Lee's Lookout, Little Floridas, maybe Magdalena Rim. Training at the Sod Farm ought to go just fine, if Hadley is doing it this weekend. I hope to do some more mentoring of new pilots, probably at Mesquite Dam. Have a great time if you go out to fly, and be safe!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29 to SUNDAY, JANUARY 31:
It looks like January is going to close out in spectacular fashion. We've had a stretch of calm, balmy days this week, and that should continue through Friday. By Saturday, though, the winds will be starting up, almost like a spring windstorm. The Friday winds will be west/southwest, about 5-8 mph on the ground. Saturday, expect west/southwest again, but building through the day to about 20 on the ground in the early afternoon. Sunday gets even stronger, if the models are right. By Monday we can expect plummeting temperatures and, briefly, some precipitation (probably as rain). And, of course, more wind. My recommendations for flying are to try out Dry Canyon or La Luz on Friday, especially for PG's. It'll be too westerly for Mag Rim, but the Little Floridas and Agave Hill might work. On Saturday, you could try La Luz or Dry Canyon early in the day, but be down on the ground by noon. The rest of the weekend, head for the bunkers! I can't see us flying in those winds... Stock up on firewood, too - it looks like winter could be a reality for us through most of next week. Stay warm, and if you fly, be safe!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, FEB. 5 through SUNDAY, FEB. 7:
This looks like a pretty good weekend for flying, if you're at the right place at the right time. There won't be any precipitation, and this week's icy weather is going to warm up considerably. Winds: On Friday, mostly north and northwest for our region, and fairly strong - about 15 mph or more on the ground. On Saturday, winds are much milder. They will be easterly in Alamogordo, but from the west and southwest in the Las Cruces area, and El Paso, especially in the afternoon. This should be ideal for those who want to come out and do some flying at Magdalena Rim before our RGSA Club Meeting that night. (7:00 pm, International Delights restaurant at the corner of Idaho Ave. and El Paseo Blvd. in Las Cruces.) On Sunday the winds turn north again in our area, not too strong. My recommendations? Fly La Luz on Friday and Sunday, Mag Rim on Saturday. I could be doing some mentoring of new pilots on Friday at Hospital Hill in Las Cruces, and I think I want to try Mag Rim on Saturday. Let me know if you want to go out, as well as which site and which day, and I can post it on our website here. See you on Saturday!
-Robin
575-541-5744