NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Cold air is the big weather story Friday morning with mostly clear skies, light winds, and dry air allowing for the radiational cooling process. Morning low temperatures are now mostly below the freezing mark for the northern three-fourths of the region, starting off in the upper single digits, teens, 20s, 30s, and low 40s from north-northwest to south-southeast in lower elevation. Despite afternoon clouds, conditions will remain dry with afternoon temperatures slightly higher than yesterday, except for southern areas, with the temperatures being slightly below-normal criteria to around normal criteria, reaching into the high 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and low 60s from north-northeast to south-southwest in lower elevation. With the passing clouds, it will be slightly breezier in The Northeast Highlands as westerly winds will pick up a bit, but then, the tail end of the faster-moving band of upper-level winds will leave behind a weak backdoor front with northeasterly winds overnight in the far northeastern areas of New Mexico. Only some passing occasional clouds will ensue ahead this weekend into next week with a gradual warm-up with mostly calmer winds after later today.