Monsoonal weather doesn't mean monsoon has started

It was a monsoon weather pattern that brought rain to Curry and Roosevelt counties Sunday.

“Monsoonal weather isn’t characteristic of this time of year. It certainly has helped moisture-wise and the increase in moisture and humidity has helped with preventing wildfire starts,” Annette Mokry said. Mokry is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Albuquerque office.

According to the NWS station at Clovis Regional Airport the Clovis area picked up 1/100th of an inch of rain Sunday afternoon at about 1 p.m.

Sunday evening at about 6 p.m. a shower dropped about 3/10ths of an inch of rain and about 2/100ths of an inch around 9 p.m.

Portales received less rain than Clovis: Sunday around 9 p.m. 3/100ths of an inch was recorded, and 2/100ths around midnight Sunday night.

Mokry called the Sunday rain “a preview.”

“As we go into this week, we’re going to see a more typical pattern for this time in May and that’s dryline thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening,” Mokry said.

The dryline is an atmospheric feature that marks a boundary between humid air to the east and dryer air to the west, according to Mokry.

She said as of Monday the line was running through Carlsbad, Roswell and just south of Clovis it was trailing off into Texas.

“Precipitation is a possibility into the weekend especially those afternoon and evening storms,” Mokry said.

Monday the NWS forecast for the area called for a 30% chance of afternoon thunderstorms and a high temperature of 78 Wednesday.

Wednesday night the chance of rain is 40%.

Thursday forecasters call for a 40% chance of storms and an expected high of 78.

Thursday night rain chances are pegged at 50% with the same probability of precipitation for Friday.

The chance of storms for Friday night are 60%. That probability drops to 30% for Saturday.

Forecasts are subject to change.