Heavy Snow — Northeast Highlands, New Mexico

2025-04-04 to 2025-04-05 · Northeast Highlands, New Mexico

Event narrative

A CoCoRaHS observer in San Geronimo measured 6 inches of snowfall. Elsewhere in the zone, a CoCoRaHS observer in Las Vegas measured 4 inches of snowfall.

Wider weather episode

An upper-level trough dove south and closed off into a low over Arizona during the day of April 4th. Lift ahead of the low along with a backdoor front diving south and west across eastern New Mexico and into the Rio Grande Valley resulted in the development of snow across eastern, northern and west central New Mexico late April 4th into April 5th. Snow peaked in intensity, especially along the east slopes of the central mountain chain during the morning hours of April 5th due to upslope flow behind the backdoor front along with the upper low approaching the bootheel in southwest New Mexico. Snow waned slowly from north to south across central and eastern New Mexico during afternoon hours as the low moved across the southern portion of the state into West Texas. Overall, snowfall amounts of 10 to 18 inches were observed across the east slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Sandia and Manzano Mountains, around 5 to 10 inches across the northern mountains, and 4 to 8 inches across the west central highlands and northeast and east central highlands and plains. Snow and blowing snow resulted in the closure of U.S. Highway 64/87 in far northeast NM for several hours as well as sections of I-40 from Tijeras Canyon to Santa Rosa due to several vehicle accidents.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1236202. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.