Winter Storm — Johnson and Bartlett Mesas Including Raton Pass, New Mexico

2022-11-24 · Johnson and Bartlett Mesas Including Raton Pass, New Mexico

Event narrative

Snow and strong wind gusts up to 55 mph resulted in near-blizzard conditions along Interstate 25 at Raton Pass and portions of U.S. Highway 67/84 east of Raton. Five feet drifts were reported around Raton Pass. A semi-truck was blown over from high winds. Shockingly, no road closures were reported due to these impacts. Damage to the semi-truck is a rough estimate and there is no information on injuries.

Wider weather episode

An upper-level storm system approaching from the Pacific northwest moved southeast through the Great Basin into the southern Rockies on November 24, 2022. A potent backdoor cold front also moved south through the Front Range and delivered strong winds to the eastern plains along with much colder air. The upper-level storm system then became nearly stationary over the Permian Basin through November 25, 2022 and allowed widespread rain and snow to impact areas from the central mountain chain into eastern NM. Wind gusts of 45 to 65 mph impacted eastern NM, especially the northeast plains where a semi-truck was blown over along U.S. Highway 64/87. Snowfall amounts ranged from four to eight inches primarily across the east central and southeast plains where a couple road closures occurred.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1058615. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.