Heavy Snow — West Slopes of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, New Mexico

2010-12-29 to 2010-12-30 · West Slopes of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, New Mexico

Event narrative

The Sipapu Ski area picked up around 15 inches of snow while areas near Tererro received around one foot. Areas east of Taos were also hit hard with heavy snow. A volunteer firefighter was killed just after 9 am on the 30th, when he lost control on an icy U.S. 64 around a sharp curve.

Wider weather episode

Strong winds and heavy snow plagued much of western and central New Mexico on the 29th and 30th. The heavy snow began on the 29th across northwest New Mexico as a very large and cold upper level system slid southward across the Great Basin. Several inches of snow quickly accumulated across the Northwest Plateau. After a brief lull on the night of the 29th, snow quickly picked back up along and behind a cold front that swept from west to east. Strong winds both ahead of and behind the front created areas of blowing snow and blizzard conditions across the southwest and south central mountains. Though little or no precipitation occurred across the southeast, high winds were noted along and behind the front.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 266523. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.