Weekend Weather

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JUNE 5 TO SUNDAY, JUNE 7:
This is an interesting weekend for weather. A hurricane off the coast of Baja California seems to be swirling some moisture up into the Southwest. We could get rain on Friday and Saturday, and tailing off into Sunday. Winds, at least, are favorable for us, fairly light throughout the weekend (unless you have a gust front from thunderstorms). On Friday, they should be from the south and southwest. This is good for most of our sites - Dry Canyon, Magdalena Rim, La Luz, Little Floridas, Agave Hill. On Saturday they should be more southerly, in which case I'd say that Dry Canyon is your best bet for airtime. Sunday looks similar - rather southerly, which Dry Canyon is good for, but not many others. I expect Patrick and Chloe, PG pilots from Albuquerque, to be down here this weekend, looking for some flights, and I should be free to fly on Saturday and Sunday if anyone wants to fly at Dry. Give me a call, 575-541-5744. Watch for thunderstorms this weekend, respect the weather, but do try to fly - it looks pretty good!
-Robin

[Bill Cummings]

Robin is busy this weekend but still may find time for a complete area forecast but things are looking good this weekend.
http://www.usairnet.com/cgi-bin/launch/ ... n&state=NM

Launch Code Alamogordo NM weekend of June 12-15.JPG (96.56 KiB) Viewed 5944 times

Launch Code for Alamogordo New Mexico (USA) is looking light but with a good direction Friday 12, 2015.
Looking even better is Saturday June 13, 2015 with the wind straight into the ramp and looking ridge soarable from noon until six pm while picking or discarding thermals to your liking.

http://www.wunderground.com/weather-for ... 10.1.99999?
Other models agree.

Other models agree..JPG (34.25 KiB) Viewed 5944 times

[RobinHastings]

I think that Bill has it right. Winds look great for Dry Canyon! Watch out for overdevelopment over the Sacramentos on Saturday evening, but it looks like the weekend to fly. Be safe, get up high, go real far!
-Robin

[Bill Cummings]

In Minnesota 15 degrees (F) was too damn cold to fly.
Tomorrow and Sunday June 20, 2015 the wind looks good for Dry Canyon, Alamogordo New Mexico (USA) SW (220 @ 6 mph)
But 99 Sat, and 100 Sunday is too damn hot to fly.
(click on the attachment to enlarge it.)

launch code KALM Alamogordo NM.JPG (59.24 KiB) Viewed 5918 times

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JUNE 26 TO SUNDAY, JUNE 28:
This is a non-optimal weekend for flight in our area - though it's not out of the question, either. We can expect some thunderstorms the next few days, an early beginning to our Southwest rainy season. I expect winds from the east and northeast, mostly, Friday through Sunday. An exception is Alamogordo, for which Launch Code shows westerly winds in the middle of the day on Saturday. This would make Dry Canyon a good place to fly, if overdevelopment and turbulence allow it; this is the time of year when downtubes get expended. Otherwise, I'd recommend flying at Anapra, if the winds are east, or looking at your equipment if that doesn't work out. Give me a call, though, if you feel like trying some flying, 575-541-5744. I'm hungry for airtime, if it's possible.
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JULY 3 TO SUNDAY, JULY 5:
The rainy season is here at last! And it should be a good one, at least for the coming week and weekend. But don't let that discourage you from flying. You can actually get some good flights in at this time of year. We should have some thunderstorms on Friday, Saturday and late on Sunday. But the storms don't last all day, cumies mark the lift, and it can be pretty good, as I found out last Sunday. Winds? We should have east winds, moderate in strength, at most of our sites on Friday - this would make soaring at Anapra pretty good, especially for PG's. On Saturday, winds look to be light and variable, mostly from the east and northeast, maybe from the southeast later in the day. That, along with the possible storms, doesn't look like good odds. Sunday, though, looks pretty good for most of our southwest-facing sites. Winds should be moderate, out of the southwest; this makes Dry Canyon, La Luz, Little Floridas, Agave Hill and possibly Magdalena Rim worthwhile. It should be dry through most of the day. I would like to fly at Dry Canyon on Sunday, and be ready to launch by noon. I should have a driver with me that day. Any takers? Meanwhile, enjoy the Independence Day Holiday, with all of the festivities that entails. Be safe!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JULY 10 TO SUNDAY, JULY 12:
Well, last weekend went pretty much according to the forecast, so I'll try again for this one. We had a little less rain than I thought, but otherwise the winds did what had been predicted. For the coming weekend, Friday through Sunday, there's a small chance of precipitation throughout our area - Friday being the likeliest day. We'll probably have cumulus clouds every afternoon, though, and that's good for marking the thermals. I expect light southwest winds on Friday, which would be good for La Luz, Dry Canyon, Mag Rim, Little Floridas and Agave Hill. Probably too light to fly Kilbourne Hole. On Saturday the winds shift to the south and south/southeast, so Dry Canyon is likely the only foot-launched site for us. On Sunday, winds will be light and variable. In that situation Dry Canyon is again your best bet - thermals should create some launchable winds sometime during the day. I'd be interested in flying Dry Canyon on Saturday afternoon, if anyone is interested in it; I could be in the Cox Field LZ by about 2:00 pm. Let me know! And fly safe, everyone; turbulence is the general rule for July conditions.
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JULY 17 to SUNDAY, JULY 19:
This weekend looks flyable for our area. A hurricane off the coast of Mexico should be breaking up, putting some moisture into Arizona but not a lot our way in Southern New Mexico. The Sod Farm should be suitable for winch towing all weekend. I expect westerly winds at our foot-launched sites on Friday, then southwesterly on Saturday, light to moderate both days. Sunday looks like it starts out light and variable, going to light west in the afternoon. My recommendations: Friday, fly at Dry Canyon, La Luz, Little Floridas and Agave Hill sites, with Dry probably the best. Saturday, add Magdalena Rim to that list. On Sunday, try the Friday sites again. I'll be taking my astronomy class up to Sunspot on Saturday afternoon, in the Sacramento mountains, so I won't be available to fly that day, but I'd like to fly at Dry Canyon on Sunday afternoon if anyone wants to join me. My cell phone number is 575-621-1118 when I'm on the road, or call me at 575-541-5744 at home. Let's fly! (And be safe out there...)
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JULY 24 to SUNDAY, JULY 26:
This looks like another flyable weekend. We should get a lot less precipitation for the next few days. Winds should be light to moderate all weekend, mostly westerly and southwest. I think it will be too westerly to make Magdalena Rim a good site, but Dry Canyon, La Luz, Little Floridas and Agave Hill should all be flyable. Good luck if you fly, and be safe!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JULY 31 to SUNDAY, AUGUST 2:
This weekend looks chancier than last. We still have a good deal of moisture in our area, though the models show most precipitation happening to the north and west of our particular part of New Mexico the next few days. I'd expect thunderstorms over the Sacramento Mountains at some times. Winds are unfavorable for most of our foot-launched sites; the forecasts show mostly southeast winds this weekend, fairly light. Anapra might be flyable for PG's, but a little light for HG's, I think. The lone exception for flight is Dry Canyon. Winds in Alamogordo (which tends to create its own weather conditions) appear to be light south and southwest for this weekend, Friday through Sunday, and tending to due west by Sunday evening. Dry Canyon can take these directions. La Luz is less certain - southwest is good, south is too crossed. After the rain we had on Wednesday night I would recommend giving the Dry Canyon road at least a day or two to dry out - otherwise you'll be driving through a bog, and ruining the road in the process. Saturday, then, looks like the best day for flying this weekend, though Sunday has possibilities as well. Give me a call if you want to go out, and we'll see what we can arrange.
-Robin
575-541-5744