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

2017-01-23 to 2017-01-24 · West Slopes of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, New Mexico

Event narrative

Various observers reported between 4 and 12 inches of snowfall mainly in the area from Questa to Sipapu and Chamisal.

Wider weather episode

The very active pattern that settled into New Mexico in mid December came to an end with one final dump of heavy mountain snow in late January. Widespread snowfall amounts between 6 and 12 inches impacted northern and western New Mexico while the higher terrain racked up between 12 and 20 inches. Temperatures were rather warm initially as southwest flow delivered moisture into the area from the eastern Pacific. The heaviest amounts occurred toward the end of the event as much colder, unstable northwesterly flow shifted into the state. Winds also increased as the colder air moved into New Mexico, resulting in blowing snow and low visibility in the higher terrain. Many areas reported wind gusts near 50 mph on the back side of this storm system. The below normal snowpack conditions from mid December gradually improved with each passing winter storm until almost every basin was near normal to well above normal for late January.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 667790. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.