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

2017-03-23 to 2017-03-24 · West Slopes of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, New Mexico

Event narrative

Numerous observations all along the west slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains reported between 10 and 22 inches of snowfall. The area around Questa picked up nearly 2 feet of snowfall in less than 12 hours.

Wider weather episode

A low pressure system developing off the California coastline on the 22nd shifted quickly east into New Mexico on the 23rd and forced strong west to southwest winds across much of the state. This system intensified rapidly as it crossed the southern Rockies through the 24th. Strong north to northwest winds then impacted eastern New Mexico as the storm shifted into Texas and Oklahoma. Peak wind gusts averaged 60 to 70 mph. A couple thunderstorms near the Texas border with southeast New Mexico produced outflow winds near 70 mph with blowing dust and small hail. The most impressive aspect of the storm was the deep conveyor belt of moisture that wrapped around the upper low and slammed the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Raton Ridge with blizzard conditions. Snowfall rates up to two inches per hour occurred for around 10 hours along with wind gusts near 60 mph. This produced blizzard conditions for several hours and resulted in the closure of Interstate 25 at Raton Pass and portions of state highways 4, 72, and 150.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 676476. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.