paulalou

What is the weather like in late october?? Should we pack jeans/pants or is it still shorts weather? We will be out and about at the Pueblos and Old Town in the Santa Fe area....and Sandia Peak and other places near Albuquerque...what is appropriate dress??

egret

Go to weather.com. Put in the city then click. Once the city comes up, scroll down and click on "averages".
This will give you the average high and low for each month. If you scroll down a little further, it will also give you each month's precipitation average.

daveabq

Albuquerque is a high desert city situated in North central New Mexico. It is as far north as Memphis Tennessee. The city varies in elevation from 4900 ft downtown to almost 6500 ft in residential neighborhoods along a mountain range that form its eastern edge. The average elevation of the city is 5300 ft. Because Albuquerque is in a desert, daily temperatues shift by 30 degrees between day and night. Because Albuquerque is at l mile in elevation and as far north as Memphis the city has a very distinct four seasons. Early October temperatures are usually in the mid 70's during the day and mid to upper 40's at night. Layered clothing is best for a trip to balloon fiesta park. Cool mornings will require a jacket, while warm afternoons will require lighter atire. Remeber it is very easy to become quickly sun burned in a the high desert. Typically the weather is dry in October ... of course no guarentees where mother nature is concernd.
Have a good time! Balloon fiesta park is a beautiful venue with a huge grass field(something that has to be watered and nutured in a high desert), every kind of food and curio imaginable, a fine museum, and a number of arts and crafts booths. Over 100,000 people attend this event, make reservations early and plan to arrive at the park early.

beachbum

You can also get daily averages on the same site egret referenced. Check out Santa Fe; it's cooler (in more ways than one ;-)) than Albuquerque. We were in Santa Fe during late September last year, and I don't remember seeing too many people in shorts even then.

daveabq

Beachbum is correct (at least about the temperature's in ABQ and SF ) ... for every 1000 ft of elevation change in New Mexico the temperatures rises or falls 2 1/2 degrees. Santa Fe is at 7000 ft in altitude and Sandia Peak on Albuquerque's eastern edge is at 10,800 ft. Dress appropriatley for altitude.

To correct the record both Albuquerque and Santa Fe are fine cities. Experts say the following about Albuquerque:

1. Forbe's rated Albuquerque the #1 large metro area in the United States to start a new business in May 2006.

2. Kiplinger's rated Albuquerque the #3 city in the United States to start a new career in April 2006.

3. Biz Journal rated Albuquerque the #10 SMARTEST (educational attainment)cities in the United States in June 2006

4. Worldwide ERC rated Albuquerque #8 in the nation for best liefestyle options for families on the move.

paulalou

Thanks for your advice - we will be spending time in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, so we will get to enjoy both. I guess we will plan to pack jeans and dockers, with shirts and/or jackets to layer. In a way, it doesn't sound that much different than our Massachusetts weather at that time of year - except the vulnerability to sunburn!

Do many of the restaurants accept casual attire in the evenings? I suppose it depends on the restaurant!!! I don't think we plan on visiting any gourmet restaurants, but we do want to experiece/enjoy the flavors of the region.

daveabq

Many New Mexicans dress casually (Dockers or jeans)when attending religious services, going to the theatre or a better restaurant. You will find that most locals are accepting of you choice of attire. That is dress up if you enjoy it ... or go more casually if you enjoy that.
Remember you can always call a restaurant in advance if you have questions about attire.

ElendilPickle

This is New Mexico, where you'll often see men in tuxedo jackets and shirts with a bolo tie, jeans, and their best boots on opening night at the Santa Fe Opera. In other words, almost anything goes!

Dockers are fine for most restaurants, or something in the "dressy casual" area.

Dave, do you work for the Chamber of Commerce or something?

Lee Ann

paulalou

50 days and counting!! I cannot wait to hit Santa Fe. Thanks for the clothing advice -the restaurant attire was helpful. Coming form the east coast, where many "dress" for dinner, we will take the opposite tack and "dress down" for dinner!! It will sure make packing easier!!