Winter Weather — Quay County, New Mexico

2025-01-20 · Quay County, New Mexico

Event narrative

A snow squall resulted in visibility below a quarter of a mile and near whiteout conditions according to a trained spotter 12 miles east of Tucumcari and a COOP observer 3 miles south of Ragland. North wind gusts of up to 40 mph were observed at Tucumcari Municipal Airport as the snow squall moved through.

Wider weather episode

A reinforcing Arctic cold front moved south across eastern NM during the day on January 20th. A snow squall developed along the cold front resulting in snow and blowing snow across Quay County. North wind gusts of up to 40 mph along with the blowing snow resulted in brief whiteout conditions across the county with visibility below a quarter of a mile during the early afternoon. Snow and blowing snow quickly tapered off during the late afternoon and early evening as very dry air moved in from the north.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1225867. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.