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

2018-11-11 to 2018-11-12 · West Slopes of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, New Mexico

Event narrative

Observations showed 5 to 15 inches of snow fell across the area.

Wider weather episode

An unseasonably cold upper level storm system moved slowly south from the northern Rockies with an associated potent surface cold front. Rain and higher terrain snow developed along the cold front as it plunged south into New Mexico on the 11th. Very heavy snow fell in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains where up to a foot was reported in less than 12 hours. A sharp band of snow then developed over eastern New Mexico along the Interstate 40 corridor east of the Sandia Mountains. The area from Santa Rosa to Tucumcari was slammed with snowfall rates on the order of one to two inches per hour on the evening of the 11th. Severe travel conditions developed over the area with numerous rollovers and closed roadways. Snow gradually ended over the eastern plains during the overnight hours but persisted through the 12th over the high terrain of northern New Mexico. Storm total accumulations in the higher terrain of northern New Mexico ranged from 12 to 20 inches. Clearing skies, exceptionally dry air, and snow pack led to record temperatures across parts of New Mexico in the wake of this system.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 785838. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.