Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Tuesday starts clear and cold in Red River, and the roads closest to home are the easy part of today's travel picture. The morning temperature was 29 degrees and felt like 23, with sunny skies ahead, a high near 54, a low near 31 tonight, west winds around 11 miles per hour gusting near 19, and no weather alerts in effect. Sunset is at 6:09 PM. Morning checks of New Mexico, Colorado and Texas traveler sources found no closures reported on NM-38 over Bobcat Pass, the rest of the Enchanted Circle, US-64, or I-25 through Raton and Springer.
That said, a dry October morning at 8,750 feet still deserves respect. Frost can form on shaded canyon pavement and on bridges before the sun reaches them, and Bobcat Pass, the highest paved pass in New Mexico, stays colder than town well into the morning. Drivers heading out early on NM-38 toward Questa or Eagle Nest should slow down on shaded curves, watch for deer and elk near the road at dawn and dusk, and expect the climb over the pass to feel more like late autumn than the sunny afternoon waiting on the other side.
The drive-in routes tell a wetter story, and that is what today's radar image shows. Northern New Mexico and the Enchanted Circle are clear, but showers are falling north of Amarillo near Borger, storms stretch southeast toward Childress and Guthrie, rain covers northeastern Oklahoma around Tulsa with showers near McAlester, storms sit south of Dodge City in southwestern Kansas, and widespread rain covers central Kansas around Wichita, Hutchinson and Salina. Texas drivers should also use extra care around Dalhart, where US-87 was closed Monday by flooding at low water crossings before reopening later that day; low crossings there can stay slick, and standing water should never be driven through.
For Colorado drivers, the I-25 corridor through Raton Pass looked dry in this morning's checks, with no closure reported and sunny weather along the southern Colorado section of the route. Kansas and Oklahoma drivers on US-400, US-54 and the panhandle routes face the wettest going today, with rain-slick pavement and pockets of heavier storms, while US-285 drivers coming up through Santa Fe share the same dry, clear conditions as the rest of northern New Mexico. Wherever you start, checking NMRoads, COTrip, DriveTexas or your state's traveler map just before you leave is worth the two minutes it takes.
The good news is that the travel window stays open for several days. Wednesday should be mostly sunny with a high near 54 and a low near 30, Thursday turns partly cloudy and a little warmer at 57, Friday is mostly cloudy near 54, and Halloween Saturday looks partly cloudy with a high near 51, all with only small precipitation chances. The change arrives Sunday, when rain and snow are likely with a high near 46, snow is possible Sunday night with a low near 29, and Monday brings rain and snow showers and a high of only about 41.
So if you are coming to Red River this week, today through Saturday is the easy driving stretch, and it is a fine time to make the trip. Come up while the Enchanted Circle is dry, enjoy the sunny afternoons and cold, clear nights, and if your return trip falls on Sunday or Monday, build in extra time, pack warm layers and a basic winter kit, and check the road reports again before you start down the mountain. Safe travels, and we will see you in Red River.