ABC-7 Storm Track Weather: Hot, humid with isolated storms: El Paso weather stays above average heading into the weekend

The Borderland will continue its stretch of above-average temperatures Friday as a stubborn upper-level high remains parked over western New Mexico.

Lowland temperatures will once again flirt with the triple digits, with afternoon highs generally ranging from 96 to 102 degrees. That is roughly 5 to 8 degrees above normal for the end of August. While temperatures are not expected to challenge daily records, the heat will remain noticeable across the region.

Storms elsewhere across the Borderland will be much more hit-or-miss. Most locations will remain dry, but any storm that does develop could produce brief heavy downpours and gusty outflow winds.

Storm activity should diminish quickly this evening, with most rain chances ending around sunset.

Weekend forecast: Storms favor western New Mexico

The upper-level high will begin to flatten and slowly shift eastward over the weekend. That change will allow better moisture to focus farther west across eastern Arizona and western New Mexico.

For our region, the best chances for thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday will be along and west of the Continental Divide, particularly across Grant and Hidalgo counties.

Storms in these areas could produce strong, gusty winds and blowing dust. A risk for blowing dust has been highlighted during the 4 to 8 p.m. timeframe Saturday and Sunday, especially near Lordsburg and along the I-10 corridor toward the New Mexico-Arizona state line.

Meanwhile, much of the Rio Grande and Tularosa basins will remain warm and mostly dry through the weekend.

Could rain chances increase next week?

Looking ahead to early September, the overall weather pattern could become more favorable for widespread rain chances across the region.

Some forecast guidance suggests an upper-level high shifting toward the southeastern United States, which could allow weak southerly flow aloft to transport additional moisture into southern New Mexico and far West Texas.

Long-range forecast models remain split on just how much moisture will return. Current guidance keeps rain chances relatively low at 5% to 10%, but forecasters expect those chances could increase as we move into next week.

For now, the expectation is for isolated showers and thunderstorms to return across the region next week, rather than the completely dry pattern shown by some of the current long-range forecasts.