Freezing Fog — Quay County, New Mexico

2012-02-11 · Quay County, New Mexico

Event narrative

An animal rescue volunteer and an 8-week old puppy died in a crash on Interstate 40 near Tucumcari when freezing fog iced over the interstate. Her pickup slid off I-40 onto oncoming traffic around 10 am and hit a tractor-trailer rig. The semi then hit another vehicle and pinned it against the median barrier where both caught fire, but the occupants escaped. At the time of the accident, visibility was reduced to approximately 4 miles with a temperature of 19 degrees.

Wider weather episode

Freezing fog developed across much of the eastern plains of New Mexico during the early morning hours of the 11th. Fog continued through much of the day as temperatures struggled to reach the freezing mark behind an arctic front. Areas from Las Vegas to Clines Corners reported visibilities down to one quarter mile or less. Farther east, near Tucumcari, the fog was not as dense. However, the fog resulted in a coating of ice on Interstate 40 that caused an animal rescue volunteer to lose control of the pickup she was driving, which slid into oncoming traffic. The female driver and an 8-week old puppy died in the crash.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 356993. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.