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Balloon Fiesta Climatology

Characterized by clear, cool nights and sunny, mild days, October can be an ideal month for outdoor events.  The thunderstorm season has waned and the jet stream is usually situated too far north of New Mexico to bring any significant weather to the region.  However, on rare occasions, remnants of land-falling tropical systems from the eastern Pacific or western Gulf of Mexico can bring surges of moisture into the state particularly early in the month.  Also, weather systems moving far enough south through the Rocky Mountain region can and do bring strong winds, cooler than normal temperatures and widespread precipitation. 

Always check the latest NWS forecast for the Albuquerque Metro Area

Looking for information on the "Albuquerque Box"?

The data listed below includes 31 years of minimum and maximum temperatures, precipitation days and percent of sunshine for the first fifteen days of October at the Albuquerque International Sunport. 

Note: Due its valley location, morning low temperatures at Balloon Fiesta Park are often 5 to 10 degrees cooler than at the airport, while daytime maximum temperatures are 2 to 3 degrees warmer. 

October 1-15:  

Average minimum temperature at the airport: 47 degrees  (or upper 30s at Balloon Fiesta Park)

The coldest  morning low recorded at the airport was 30 degrees in 1976, while the warmest was 63 in 2003.

Average maximum temperature at the airport: 74 degrees (or mid to upper 70s at Balloon Fiesta Park)

The coolest afternoon high recorded the airport was 38 degrees in 1986 and the warmest was 91 in 1979. 

Average number of days with precipitation: 3 days.

1974, 1984, 1986, 1997 and 2000 were particularly wet years for the balloon fiesta. Although only a trace of rain was reported on two separate occasions in 2002, 1995 was the last year in which no precipitation fell during the first 15 days of October.  Snow, although rare, has been reported during the balloon fiesta. Snow fell on October 12th in both 1986 (3.2 inches) and 1997 (trace).

October 4-5, 2004 was especially memorable along the Middle Valley, including the Albuquerque Metro Area, as numerous severe thunderstorms struck the region between 1000 p.m.-130 a.m.  on the 4th/5th and again in  the afternoon of the 5th.  One of the more damaging storms hit NW Albuquerque and Rio Rancho at 12:30 am on the 5th.  Paradise Hills was especially hard hit with up to 1 foot of hail accumulation. The largest hailstone in this photo was ~ 1.75 inches. 

First 15 days of October

Year Coolest Morning Low Warmest Morning Low Coolest Afternoon High Warmest Afternoon High Number of days with precip. % of possible sunshine
1974 41 56 59 80 7 60
1975 34 48 66 83

0

 100
1976 30 59 60 81 2 80
1977 38 60 63 82 2 75
1978 38 57 67 89 1 95
1979 38 58 78 91 0 89
1980 38 55 64 90 1 94
1981 43 56 65 76 3 61
1982 31 51 58 83 1 87
1983 42 54 65 78 4 74
1984 34 54 47 78

5

56
1985 40 54 63 81 4 67
1986 31 51 38 80 6 62
1987 44 54 69 85 2 90
1988 43 54 67 81 4 78
1989 45 58 55 85 3 65

  1990 

36 56 61 80 2 89
1991 42 54 75 86 0 96
1992 35 53 69 84 0 94
1993 43 52 69 87 3 84
1994 41 57 62 85 4 74

1995

 40 53 65 82 0 98
1996 50 56 60 83 3 85
1997 35 59 67 85 5 88
1998 36 59 55 83 1 89
1999 43 57 62 83 2 90
2000 38 57 42 89 8 61
2001 33 58 62 83 5 84
2002 42 58 62 80 2 91
2003 45 63 66 82 7 66
2004 34 56 61 77 7 88
Avg 38.6 55.5 61.4 83.1 3.0 83

         

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