Freezing Fog — Central Highlands, New Mexico

2011-12-02 · Central Highlands, New Mexico

Event narrative

Two people were killed in separate rollover accidents on Interstate 40 near Clines Corners during the morning hours of the 2nd. The first crash occurred around 7 am near exit 218. The second occurred approximately 3 miles east a half an hour later, taking the life of a 70 year-old man. Both drivers lost control due to icy roadways.

Wider weather episode

After a very strong back door frontal passage on December 1st, which plowed through the eastern plains and westward through the gaps of the central mountain chain toward the Arizona border, much cooler temperatures were in place across the state. Then on the 2nd and 3rd, an upper level storm system swept across New Mexico. A nearly perfect setup for the state, significant snows were reported from south central New Mexico across far northeast New Mexico along a heavy band of snow. Lighter amounts of snow were reported elsewhere. Traffic was significantly impacted across the region.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 351578. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.