Heavy Snow — Upper Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico

2023-02-15 · Upper Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico

Event narrative

Heavy snow impacted the eastern edge of the zone near Taos where there was a nearby report of 8 inches in Valdez. There were various other snow reports of 2 to 5 inches of snow from Taos to Questa.

Wider weather episode

An abnormally cold upper level winter storm system impacted northern and central NM on February 15, 2023. Widespread heavy snow was reported across western, northern, and central NM. Impacts began late in the day on February 14, 2023, peaking in intensity during the morning of February 15, 2023 before the storm exited late in the day. Snow accumulations of over a foot up to 15 inches were reported along the Continental Divide and northern mountain peaks. Blowing snow reducing visibility and snow packed roads caused reports of severe winter travel and forced some roads to be closed. These included I-25 at Raton Pass and U.S. Highway 64 from Raton to Clayton. Strong winds were also present with this storm system, although less pronounced compared to the prior storm system. A lone high wind report at the Roswell Airport was observed.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1077876. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.