Heavy Snow — Guadalupe County, New Mexico

2009-12-02 to 2009-12-03 · Guadalupe County, New Mexico

Event narrative

Widespread snowfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches were reported, mainly across the western portion of the county. However, an isolated amount of 8 inches was also reported.

Wider weather episode

A perturbation within the flow of a long wave upper level trough rotated across New Mexico during the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of December. A band of moderate snow moved southward across the plains along a mid level cold front where isentropic lift was maximized. In general, the highest snowfall amounts were reported just east of the central mountain chain in response to easterly upslope flow at the surface, though sporadic higher amounts were noted elsewhere. The storm resulted in numerous traffic accidents, including a semi-truck that jackknifed along Interstate 40 in Quay County and one death on Interstate 40 at Santa Rosa, when a 1997 Ford Astro van lost control and hit a semi-truck. Jackelyn Zimmerman, 67 years old, was killed in the crash.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 198478. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.