Winter Weather in East Slopes of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, New Mexico

Five inches of snowfall at the Eagle Nest COOP site set a new daily snowfall record for October 14th. Six inches of snowfall at the Angel Fire COOP site set a new daily snowfall record for October 14th. Travel impacts were limited to higher mountain passes.

An unseasonably strong upper level storm system over the southern Rockies combined with a potent back door cold front to produce very early season winter weather conditions over much of northern New Mexico. Rain and snow developed over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the far northeast plains during the early morning of the 14th as a potent back door cold front surged southwest into the area. Temperatures behind the front plummeted 30 to 40 degrees and changed rain quickly over to snow, freezing drizzle, and freezing fog. Wind chill values fell into the single digits behind the front over the eastern plains by the evening of the 14th. Moderate snow impacted the Sangre de Cristo Mountains through the overnight hours where total accumulations ranged from two to seven inches. Areas from the Santa Fe metro area southward toward Edgewood picked up a dusting to one inch of snowfall. Flurries were also reported in Albuquerque with wind chills in the upper teens to lower 20's. Difficult driving conditions were reported in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, along the Interstate 25 corridor between Raton Pass and Glorieta Pass, as well as along Interstate 40 near Clines Corners and U.S. Highway 285. Record low minimum and maximum temperatures occurred over much of central and eastern NM with this storm system.