Flood Watch
Ends in 19 h 42 min
When
Through late Saturday night.
Where
A portion of central New Mexico, including the following area, South Central Mountains.
Issued for this forecast zone · National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
What, impacts and precautionsHide details
What
Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible.
Impacts
Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. Low-water crossings may be flooded. Storm drains and ditches may become clogged with debris.
Additional details
Periods of light to moderate rainfall will continue overnight. Then, shower and thunderstorm activity will redevelop Saturday afternoon and persist through Saturday evening. Recent wildfire burn scars in Lincoln County remain vulnerable to abrupt runoff and flash flooding. While individual showers and thunderstorms will typically produce rainfall amounts of 0.25 to 0.75 inch, multiple rounds of storms will increase the risk of flash flooding.
http://www.weather.gov/abq/EmergencyPrepFlood
Precautionary actions
You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued.
Areas: South Central Mountains
See it on weather.gov (opens in a new tab)

Observed 9:55 AM MDT at KSRR

Capitan, NM weather

Overcast and 53°12°, storms ~11–2 AM (93%).

Forecasts differ

Now 53°12°

Cloudy

Wind: 6 mph9 km/h; From the east-southeast. Gusts to 27 mph44 km/h around 3 PM
Dew point: 53°11°; Comfortable
Humidity: 98%; Air 53°12°, dew point 53°11° · fog or dew likely
UV index: 2Low; Moderate 11 AM–4 PM · peak 5
Pressure: 30.24 inHg1024 hPa; Rising slowly · +0.01 inHg+0.5 hPa in 3 h

Light rain now, through the next 2 hours.

From forecast models

Next 48 hours

12°7° cooler than this time yesterday (66°19° then, 53°12° now)

Good hours for

Rain and storms until 3 AM (90%, 2.5 in65 mm)
Gusts to 27 mph43 km/h today 1–4 PM
Fog tonight 5–6 AM
Fog tomorrow 8–9 AM
Rain tomorrow 9 AM–6 PM (50%, 0.09 in2.3 mm)

This morningNear 57°14° · Rain all morning (60%)
This afternoonNear 58°14° · Rain all afternoon (80%) · gusts to 27 mph43 km/h
TonightDown to 48°9° by 4 AM · Storms 6 PM–3 AM (90%)
Tomorrow morningUp to 57°14° by 11 AM · Rain 9 AM–noon (30%)
Tomorrow afternoonNear 59°15° · Rain all afternoon (50%)
Tomorrow nightDown to 44°7° by 4 AM · Mostly cloudy · rain chance 30%
Monday morningUp to 49°9° by 9 AM · rain chance 10% · Mostly cloudy

Hourly forecast, next 48 hours, in the place's local time
Hour	Conditions	Temperature	Feels like	Precipitation	Wind	Humidity	Cloud cover	UV index
Sat 10a	Cloudy	55°13° (likely 54°12° to 55°13°)	55°13°	60%, 0.01 in0.3 mm	15 mph24 km/h from SE, gusts 19 mph30 km/h	94%	89%	2
Sat 11a	Cloudy	58°14° (likely 56°13° to 59°15°)	58°14°	60%, 0.01 in0.3 mm	15 mph24 km/h from SE, gusts 21 mph33 km/h	87%	89%	4
Sat 12p	Cloudy	59°15° (likely 57°14° to 61°16°)	59°15°	80%, 0.19 in4.8 mm	15 mph24 km/h from SE, gusts 23 mph37 km/h	82%	91%	5
Sat 1p	Cloudy	59°15° (likely 57°14° to 62°17°)	59°15°	80%, 0.19 in4.8 mm	15 mph24 km/h from SE, gusts 25 mph41 km/h	81%	83%	5
Sat 2p	Showers	60°16° (likely 57°14° to 62°17°)	60°16°	80%, 0.19 in4.8 mm	15 mph24 km/h from S, gusts 27 mph43 km/h	81%	81%	3
Sat 3p	Cloudy	58°14° (likely 56°13° to 62°17°)	58°14°	70%, 0.19 in4.8 mm	15 mph24 km/h from S, gusts 27 mph44 km/h	85%	77%	4
Sat 4p	Drizzle	58°14° (likely 55°13° to 60°16°)	58°14°	70%, 0.19 in4.8 mm	15 mph24 km/h from S, gusts 23 mph37 km/h	85%	73%	2
Sat 5p	Rain	57°14° (likely 54°12° to 57°14°)	57°14°	70%, 0.19 in4.8 mm	15 mph24 km/h from SE, gusts 23 mph37 km/h	88%	78%	1
Sat 6p	Cloudy	54°12° (likely 53°12° to 55°13°)	54°12°	80%, 0.22 in5.6 mm	15 mph24 km/h from SE, gusts 20 mph33 km/h	94%	98%	1
Sat 7p	Cloudy	52°11° (likely 52°11° to 54°12°)	52°11°	80%, 0.22 in5.6 mm	15 mph24 km/h from SE, gusts 16 mph25 km/h	100%	99%	0
Sat 8p	Rain	52°11° (likely 51°11° to 54°12°)	52°11°	80%, 0.22 in5.6 mm	15 mph24 km/h from SE, gusts 20 mph32 km/h	100%	93%	0
Sat 9p	Rain	51°11° (likely 50°10° to 53°12°)	51°11°	90%, 0.22 in5.6 mm	15 mph24 km/h from SE, gusts 24 mph38 km/h	100%	90%	0
Sat 10p	Drizzle	51°11° (likely 49°9° to 52°11°)	51°11°	90%, 0.22 in5.6 mm	15 mph24 km/h from SE, gusts 19 mph31 km/h	100%	99%	0
Sat 11p	Thunderstorms	51°11° (likely 49°9° to 52°11°)	46°8°	90%, 0.22 in5.6 mm	15 mph24 km/h from SE, gusts 16 mph26 km/h	100%	100%	0
Sun 12a	Thunderstorms	51°11° (likely 49°9° to 52°11°)	46°8°	60%, 0.02 in0.5 mm	10 mph16 km/h from SE, gusts 17 mph28 km/h	100%	100%	0
Sun 1a	Thunderstorms	50°10° (likely 49°9° to 52°11°)	47°8°	60%, 0.02 in0.5 mm	10 mph16 km/h from SE, gusts 13 mph21 km/h	100%	100%	0
Sun 2a	Cloudy	50°10° (likely 49°9° to 51°11°)	47°8°	60%, 0.02 in0.5 mm	5 mph8 km/h from SE, gusts 13 mph21 km/h	99%	100%	0
Sun 3a	Cloudy	49°9° (likely 49°9° to 51°11°)	48°9°	20%, 0.02 in0.5 mm	5 mph8 km/h from SE, gusts 10 mph16 km/h	98%	99%	0
Sun 4a	Cloudy	48°9° (likely 48°9° to 50°10°)	47°8°	20%, 0.02 in0.5 mm	5 mph8 km/h from SE, gusts 9 mph15 km/h	100%	91%	0
Sun 5a	Fog	48°9° (likely 48°9° to 49°9°)	48°9°	20%, 0.02 in0.5 mm	0 mph0 km/h, gusts 8 mph12 km/h	100%	86%	0
Sun 6a	Partly cloudy	48°9° (likely 48°9° to 49°9°)	48°9°	20%, 0.01 in0.3 mm	0 mph0 km/h, gusts 7 mph11 km/h	99%	69%	0
Sun 7a	Cloudy	47°8° (likely 47°8° to 50°10°)	47°8°	20%, 0.01 in0.3 mm	0 mph0 km/h, gusts 6 mph10 km/h	97%	100%	0
Sun 8a	Fog	48°9° (likely 48°9° to 50°10°)	47°8°	20%, 0.01 in0.3 mm	5 mph8 km/h from SE, gusts 8 mph13 km/h	99%	98%	0
Sun 9a	Cloudy	50°10° (likely 50°10° to 51°11°)	49°9°	30%, 0.01 in0.3 mm	5 mph8 km/h from SE, gusts 11 mph17 km/h	98%	96%	1
Sun 10a	Mostly sunny	54°12° (likely 52°11° to 55°13°)	54°12°	30%, 0.01 in0.3 mm	5 mph8 km/h from SE, gusts 15 mph25 km/h	88%	64%	2
Sun 11a	Sunny	57°14° (likely 55°13° to 59°15°)	57°14°	30%, 0.01 in0.3 mm	5 mph8 km/h from SE, gusts 16 mph26 km/h	77%	43%	4
Sun 12p	Sunny	59°15° (likely 58°14° to 61°16°)	59°15°	50%, 0.01 in0.3 mm	10 mph16 km/h from SE, gusts 19 mph30 km/h	69%	23%	5
Sun 1p	Cloudy	60°16° (likely 58°14° to 62°17°)	60°16°	50%, 0.01 in0.3 mm	10 mph16 km/h from S, gusts 20 mph32 km/h	65%	56%	6
Sun 2p	Mostly sunny	61°16° (likely 59°15° to 63°17°)	61°16°	50%, 0.01 in0.3 mm	10 mph16 km/h from S, gusts 21 mph33 km/h	61%	36%	5
Sun 3p	Sunny	60°16° (likely 60°16° to 64°18°)	60°16°	50%, 0.01 in0.3 mm	10 mph16 km/h from S, gusts 20 mph33 km/h	62%	26%	4
Sun 4p	Sunny	60°16° (likely 59°15° to 63°17°)	60°16°	50%, 0.01 in0.3 mm	10 mph16 km/h from S, gusts 20 mph32 km/h	63%	26%	3
Sun 5p	Sunny	59°15° (likely 58°14° to 61°16°)	59°15°	50%, 0.01 in0.3 mm	10 mph16 km/h from S, gusts 23 mph37 km/h	68%	21%	1
Sun 6p	Partly cloudy	55°13° (likely 55°13° to 58°14°)	55°13°	30%	5 mph8 km/h from S, gusts 10 mph16 km/h	79%	44%	1
Sun 7p	Clear	51°11° (likely 51°11° to 54°12°)	51°11°	30%	5 mph8 km/h from S, gusts 7 mph11 km/h	88%	13%	0
Sun 8p	Clear	50°10° (likely 48°9° to 52°11°)	48°9°	30%	5 mph8 km/h from S, gusts 5 mph8 km/h	92%	32%	0
Sun 9p	Fog	48°9° (likely 45°7° to 50°10°)	47°8°	30%	5 mph8 km/h from S, gusts 5 mph8 km/h	96%	48%	0
Sun 10p	Fog	48°9° (likely 44°7° to 50°10°)	47°8°	30%	5 mph8 km/h from S, gusts 5 mph8 km/h	97%	52%	0
Sun 11p	Fog	47°8° (likely 42°6° to 51°11°)	47°8°	30%	0 mph0 km/h, gusts 5 mph8 km/h	98%	66%	0
Mon 12a	Showers	46°8° (likely 42°6° to 51°11°)	46°8°	20%	0 mph0 km/h, gusts 4 mph6 km/h	99%	78%	0
Mon 1a	Showers	46°8° (likely 41°5° to 50°10°)	46°8°	20%	0 mph0 km/h, gusts 4 mph6 km/h	98%	82%	0
Mon 2a	Showers	45°7° (likely 41°5° to 50°10°)	45°7°	20%	0 mph0 km/h, gusts 4 mph7 km/h	98%	85%	0
Mon 3a	Fog	45°7° (likely 40°4° to 50°10°)	45°7°	20%	0 mph0 km/h, gusts 4 mph6 km/h	98%	87%	0
Mon 4a	Cloudy	44°7° (likely 39°4° to 49°9°)	44°7°	20%	0 mph0 km/h, gusts 4 mph7 km/h	97%	78%	0
Mon 5a	Cloudy	44°7° (likely 39°4° to 48°9°)	44°7°	20%	0 mph0 km/h, gusts 4 mph6 km/h	98%	81%	0
Mon 6a	Cloudy	43°6° (likely 39°4° to 47°8°)	43°6°	10%	0 mph0 km/h, gusts 4 mph6 km/h	100%	82%	0
Mon 7a	Mostly cloudy	45°7° (likely 37°3° to 48°9°)	45°7°	10%	0 mph0 km/h, gusts 4 mph7 km/h	97%	77%	0
Mon 8a	Cloudy	47°8° (likely 38°3° to 50°10°)	47°8°	10%	0 mph0 km/h, gusts 4 mph7 km/h	97%	77%	0
Mon 9a	Cloudy	49°9° (likely 45°7° to 51°11°)	49°9°	10%	0 mph0 km/h, gusts 5 mph7 km/h	95%	75%	1

Days ahead

Tap a day for its hours and the official wording.

Today, Oct 24. Thunderstorms. High 61°16°, low 47°8°. Storms 0.43 in11 mm, 80% chance. Forecasts differ.
1. Morning
  6 AM–noon
  Cloudy, 58°14°
  60% chance · 0.02 in0.5 mm
2. Afternoon
  noon–6 PM
  Rain, 60°16°
  80% chance · 1.1 in29 mm
3. Evening
  6 PM–midnight
  Thunderstorms, 52°11°
  90% chance · 1.3 in34 mm
4. Overnight
  midnight–6 AM
  Thunderstorms, 48°9°
  60% chance · 0.12 in3 mm
Official NWS forecast
Today: Showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy. High near 61, with temperatures falling to around 57 in the afternoon. Southeast wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms before 3am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Southeast wind 0 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Forecasts differIndependent forecasts disagree; expect changes and plan for the range.
High, likely
58°14°–62°17°
Low, likely
47°8°–50°10°
Wind
20 mph32 km/h, gusts 35 mph56 km/h
UV peak
6
Tomorrow, Oct 25. Thunderstorms. High 62°17°, low 43°6°. Storms 0.19 in4.8 mm, 50% chance. Mostly agree.
1. Morning
  6 AM–noon
  Fog, 48°9°
  30% chance · 0.06 in1.5 mm
2. Afternoon
  noon–6 PM
  Sunny, 61°16°
  50% chance · 0.06 in1.5 mm
3. Evening
  6 PM–midnight
  Fog, 50°10°
  30% chance
4. Overnight
  midnight–6 AM
  Fog, 44°7°
  Dry
Official NWS forecast
Day: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 9am and noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 62. South wind 0 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 9pm and 3am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. South wind 0 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Mostly agreeIndependent forecasts are fairly close; small surprises are possible.
High, likely
60°16°–64°18°
Low, likely
42°6°–48°9°
Wind
17 mph27 km/h, gusts 26 mph42 km/h
UV peak
6
Monday, Oct 26. Mostly cloudy. High 62°17°, low 43°6°. Rain 0.04 in1 mm, 30% chance. Mostly agree.
1. Morning
  6 AM–noon
  Cloudy, 47°8°
  Dry
2. Afternoon
  noon–6 PM
  Cloudy, 64°18°
  40% chance · 0.03 in0.9 mm
3. Evening
  6 PM–midnight
  Cloudy, 50°10°
  30% chance · 0.01 in0.4 mm
4. Overnight
  midnight–6 AM
  Clear, 42°6°
  Dry
Hours this far out come from computer models only.
Official NWS forecast
Day: A chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 3pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 62. Southeast wind 0 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Night: A slight chance of rain showers before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Mostly agreeIndependent forecasts are fairly close; small surprises are possible.
High, likely
62°17°–66°19°
Low, likely
39°4°–47°8°
Wind
10 mph15 km/h, gusts 20 mph32 km/h
UV peak
5
Tuesday, Oct 27. Mostly sunny. High 66°19°, low 41°5°. Dry. Mostly agree.
1. Morning
  6 AM–noon
  Sunny, 44°7°
  Dry
2. Afternoon
  noon–6 PM
  Sunny, 65°18°
  Dry
3. Evening
  6 PM–midnight
  Clear, 49°10°
  Dry
4. Overnight
  midnight–6 AM
  Clear, 42°6°
  Dry
Hours this far out come from computer models only.
Official NWS forecast
Day: Sunny, with a high near 66.
Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41.
Mostly agreeIndependent forecasts are fairly close; small surprises are possible.
High, likely
63°17°–67°19°
Low, likely
38°3°–45°7°
Wind
12 mph19 km/h, gusts 23 mph37 km/h
UV peak
6
Wednesday, Oct 28. Mostly sunny. High 68°20°, low 42°6°. Dry. Mostly agree.
1. Morning
  6 AM–noon
  Sunny, 48°9°
  Dry
2. Afternoon
  noon–6 PM
  Partly sunny, 67°19°
  Dry
3. Evening
  6 PM–midnight
  Cloudy, 51°11°
  Dry
4. Overnight
  midnight–6 AM
  Mostly clear, 44°6°
  Dry
Hours this far out come from computer models only.
Official NWS forecast
Day: Sunny, with a high near 68.
Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42.
Mostly agreeIndependent forecasts are fairly close; small surprises are possible.
High, likely
65°18°–69°21°
Low, likely
39°4°–46°8°
Wind
11 mph18 km/h, gusts 27 mph44 km/h
UV peak
5
Thursday, Oct 29. Drizzle. High 65°18°, low 44°7°. Rain 0.11 in2.8 mm, 50% chance. Mostly agree.
1. Morning
  6 AM–noon
  Drizzle, 49°9°
  Dry
2. Afternoon
  noon–6 PM
  Drizzle, 65°18°
  60% chance · 0.09 in2.2 mm
3. Evening
  6 PM–midnight
  Drizzle, 50°10°
  50% chance · 0.02 in0.5 mm
4. Overnight
  midnight–6 AM
  Cloudy, 46°8°
  30% chance
Hours this far out come from computer models only.
Official NWS forecast
Day: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 65. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Mostly agreeIndependent forecasts are fairly close; small surprises are possible.
High, likely
63°17°–68°20°
Low, likely
40°4°–47°8°
Wind
12 mph20 km/h, gusts 23 mph36 km/h
UV peak
3
Friday, Oct 30. Cloudy. High 61°16°, low 41°5°. Rain 0.07 in1.8 mm, 60% chance. Mostly agree.
1. Morning
  6 AM–noon
  Cloudy, 50°10°
  30% chance
2. Afternoon
  noon–6 PM
  Cloudy, 62°17°
  50% chance · 0.03 in0.8 mm
3. Evening
  6 PM–midnight
  Cloudy, 51°10°
  50% chance
4. Overnight
  midnight–6 AM
  Partly cloudy, 45°7°
  30% chance
Hours this far out come from computer models only.
Official NWS forecast
Day: A chance of rain showers before noon, then showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Night: A chance of rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41.
Mostly agreeIndependent forecasts are fairly close; small surprises are possible.
High, likely
60°16°–63°17°
Low, likely
41°5°–46°8°
Wind
9 mph15 km/h, gusts 28 mph44 km/h
UV peak
4
Saturday, Oct 31. Drizzle. High 59°15°, low 44°7°. Rain 0.05 in1.3 mm, 40% chance. Mostly agree.
1. Morning
  6 AM–noon
  Sunny, 49°9°
  30% chance
2. Afternoon
  noon–6 PM
  Mostly sunny, 59°15°
  Dry
3. Evening
  6 PM–midnight
  Clear, 49°10°
  Dry
4. Overnight
  midnight–6 AM
  Cloudy, 42°6°
  30% chance
Hours this far out come from computer models only.
The National Weather Service writes about seven days ahead; this day is our model forecast only.
Mostly agreeIndependent forecasts are fairly close; small surprises are possible.
High, likely
56°13°–61°16°
Low, likely
42°6°–46°8°
Wind
14 mph22 km/h, gusts 21 mph34 km/h
UV peak
5
Sunday, Nov 1. Cloudy. High 55°13°, low 43°6°. Rain 0.2 in5.1 mm, 40% chance. Mostly agree.
1. Morning
  6 AM–noon
  Mostly sunny, 46°8°
  30% chance
2. Afternoon
  noon–6 PM
  Cloudy, 56°13°
  30% chance · 0.05 in1.3 mm
3. Evening
  6 PM–midnight
  Cloudy, 49°9°
  40% chance · 0.17 in4.3 mm
4. Overnight
  midnight–6 AM
  Mostly clear, 39°4°
  40% chance
Hours this far out come from computer models only.
The National Weather Service writes about seven days ahead; this day is our model forecast only.
Mostly agreeIndependent forecasts are fairly close; small surprises are possible.
High, likely
52°11°–58°14°
Low, likely
40°4°–47°8°
Wind
16 mph25 km/h, gusts 31 mph49 km/h
UV peak
5
Monday, Nov 2. Cloudy. High 55°13°, low 41°5°. Rain 0.12 in3 mm, 40% chance. Forecasts differ.
1. Morning
  6 AM–noon
  Partly sunny, 43°6°
  30% chance
2. Afternoon
  noon–6 PM
  Sunny, 55°13°
  Dry
3. Evening
  6 PM–midnight
  Cloudy, 45°7°
  Dry
Hours this far out come from computer models only.
The National Weather Service writes about seven days ahead; this day is our model forecast only.
Forecasts differIndependent forecasts disagree; expect changes and plan for the range.
High, likely
52°11°–60°16°
Low, likely
40°4°–42°6°
Wind
16 mph26 km/h, gusts 28 mph45 km/h
UV peak
5

10 days15 days30 days

The outlook

Today
83% chance of rain, high 61°, low 47°.
Tomorrow
54% chance of rain, high 62°, low 43°.
Monday
Dry, high 62°, low 43°.
Rest of week
Highs 55–68°; chance of precipitation on Thursday.

Want the meteorologists’ reasoning? Read the NWS forecast discussion (ABQ) (opens in a new tab)

What changed since yesterday

No meaningful changes from yesterday’s forecast.

Radar

Radar data: NOAA MRMS, rendered by forecast.blue

Radar loads when scrolled into view

Full-screen radar

Rivers

NOAA river gauges within 25 mi

Rio Ruidoso at Hollywood

15 mi

Below flood stage

Level: 1.9 ft
Flow: 16 cfs

Reading from Sat 9:40 AM · NWS gauge page

Sun & moon

Sun

Daylight: 11 h 4 min; Losing 1 min 53 s a day; shortest Dec 21, 1 h 8 min less
Golden hour: 5:44–6:33 PM; Morning 6:58–7:48 AM
Blue hour: 6:33–6:43 PM; Morning 6:49–6:58 AM; first light 6:49 AM

Stars tonight? Poor

Clouds most of the night (about 94% cover).

Moon

Waxing gibbous

97% lit · growing

Today: sets 5:35 AM · rises 5:15 PM
Full moon: Oct 25
New moon: Nov 9

Looking southwest from Capitan. The highest point on the skyline is about 11,800 ft, 17 mi away.Skyline from USGS elevation data, heights drawn up to 6× taller. Sky, sun and moon as they are now.

1 active weather alert

Flood Watch

Capitan, NM weather

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