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Official National Weather Service (NWS) point forecast and real-time wind conditions for Elephant Butte Reservoir (New Mexico). 24-hour hour-by-hour wind timelines, peak gusts, watercraft recreation safety thresholds, and 7-day marine outlook.
Today: High 80°F · Low 59°F
Peak gusts: 32 mph · Lake surface chop expected
Humidity: 38% · Barometer: 30.01 inHg
USGS water monitoring available for Elephant Butte Reservoir.
Very Poor / Avoid for boating (26/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: No active official alerts for this lake. 19% chance of precipitation. Working against it: Gusts to 36 mph. Wind 25 mph from the south-southwest. The forecast mentions thunderstorms, which carries a risk penalty. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility and conditions, verified water access. Confidence is moderate (84%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Poor for fishing (42/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Afternoon hours (17:00 local). 19% chance of precipitation. Working against it: Wind 25 mph from the south-southwest. The forecast mentions thunderstorms, which carries a risk penalty. Not available from a verified source for this lake: pressure trend, water temperature. Confidence is moderate (74%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Very Poor / Avoid for kayaking (25/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: No active official alerts for this lake. 19% chance of precipitation. Working against it: Gusts to 36 mph. Wind 25 mph from the south-southwest. The forecast mentions thunderstorms, which carries a risk penalty. Confidence is high (90%).
Water temperature is not available from a verified source for this lake. No swimming score is shown without it. Supporting this: No active official alerts for this lake. Air temperature 80°F. The forecast mentions thunderstorms, which carries a risk penalty. Not available from a verified source for this lake: water temperature.
| Time | Air Temp | Wind (mph) | Direction | Peak Gusts | Rain Chance | Sky & Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 PM | 80°F | 25 mph | SW | ⚡ 36 mph | 19% | Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms |
| 6 PM | 79°F | 21 mph | SW | ⚡ 29 mph | 18% | Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms |
| 7 PM | 76°F | 16 mph | SW | ⚡ 23 mph | 13% | Partly Cloudy |
| 8 PM | 71°F | 12 mph | SW | ⚡ 16 mph | 8% | Partly Cloudy |
| 9 PM | 70°F | 8 mph | SW | ⚡ 12 mph | 3% | Mostly Clear |
| 10 PM | 68°F | 6 mph | SW | ⚡ 8 mph | 2% | Mostly Clear |
| 11 PM | 66°F | 5 mph | S | ⚡ 7 mph | 2% | Mostly Clear |
| 12 AM | 65°F | 5 mph | S | ⚡ 7 mph | 1% | Mostly Clear |
| 1 AM | 64°F | 3 mph | S | ⚡ 5 mph | 1% | Mostly Cloudy |
| 2 AM | 62°F | 3 mph | S | ⚡ 5 mph | 1% | Partly Cloudy |
| 3 AM | 62°F | 3 mph | S | ⚡ 5 mph | 1% | Partly Cloudy |
| 4 AM | 61°F | 5 mph | S | ⚡ 7 mph | 1% | Mostly Clear |
| 5 AM | 60°F | 6 mph | S | ⚡ 8 mph | 0% | Mostly Clear |
| 6 AM | 59°F | 7 mph | S | ⚡ 9 mph | 0% | Sunny |
| 7 AM | 59°F | 9 mph | S | ⚡ 13 mph | 0% | Sunny |
| 8 AM | 61°F | 12 mph | SW | ⚡ 16 mph | 0% | Sunny |
| 9 AM | 63°F | 14 mph | SW | ⚡ 20 mph | 0% | Sunny |
| 10 AM | 68°F | 16 mph | SW | ⚡ 23 mph | 0% | Sunny |
| 11 AM | 72°F | 20 mph | SW | ⚡ 28 mph | 1% | Sunny |
| 12 PM | 74°F | 22 mph | SW | ⚡ 31 mph | 1% | Sunny |
| 1 PM | 76°F | 24 mph | SW | ⚡ 33 mph | 1% | Sunny |
| 2 PM | 78°F | 26 mph | SW | ⚡ 37 mph | 1% | Sunny |
| 3 PM | 78°F | 28 mph | SW | ⚡ 39 mph | 1% | Sunny |
| 4 PM | 78°F | 26 mph | SW | ⚡ 37 mph | 1% | Sunny |
Mirror-like to gentle rippled water. Optimal conditions for paddleboarding, kayaking, swimming, and beginner water skiing or wakeboarding.
Pleasant breeze with small wavelets. Great for sailing, pleasure cruising, pontoon boats, and trolling for trout and bass.
Moderate waves with whitecaps likely. Requires skilled boat handling; kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards should stay close to sheltered bays.
Steep waves, cold spray, and hazardous open water. Avoid small craft voyages. Always check official National Weather Service lake wind advisories.
A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 3pm and 5pm. Sunny, with a high near 85. South southwest wind 5 to 28 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny. High near 84, with temperatures falling to around 80 in the afternoon. South southwest wind 25 to 29 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. South southwest wind 3 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Sunny, with a high near 80. South southwest wind 7 to 28 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph.
Mostly clear, with a low around 57. South southwest wind 6 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.
Sunny, with a high near 79. South southwest wind 7 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 41 mph.
Mostly clear, with a low around 54. West southwest wind 2 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.
Sunny, with a high near 77. Southwest wind 3 to 13 mph.
Clear, with a low around 51. West wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
Sunny, with a high near 77. North northeast wind 12 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
Mostly clear, with a low around 54.
A chance of rain showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
A chance of rain showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 49. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
A chance of rain showers before noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Elephant Butte Reservoir currently reports 83°F with wind velocity near 22 mph from the S. Atmospheric forecasts and 24-hour hour-by-hour wind timelines are updated hourly from the National Weather Service gridpoint matching the lake's coordinates.
At Elephant Butte Reservoir and surrounding mountain valleys, diurnal heating of the surrounding terrain causes strong thermal pressure differentials known locally as afternoon breezes (such as the Washoe Zephyr at Lake Tahoe). Wind speeds typically peak between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM before calming near sunset.
For stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), canoeing, and light kayaks, winds under 7 mph (light breeze) offer the safest, glassiest surface conditions. Between 8–14 mph, small wavelets develop, suitable for sailboats and powerboats. Winds exceeding 15 mph create steep whitecaps and rapid drift; winds over 21 mph warrant small craft warnings.
All weather and wind telemetry is fetched directly from the National Weather Service (NOAA - WFO EPZ) high-resolution numerical point-forecast API. LakeRadar uses the official gridpoint for Elephant Butte Reservoir without artificial smoothing or third-party estimates.
Yes. Live hydrological sensor readings, 30-day elevation histories, full-pool benchmarks, and USGS station provenance are available on our dedicated Elephant Butte Reservoir Water Level & Temperature page.
View Elephant Butte Reservoir Water Level & Temperature →