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

2018-12-26 to 2018-12-27 · East Slopes of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, New Mexico

Event narrative

Snowfall amounts ranged from five to 10 inches across the area. U.S. Highway 64 from Angel Fire westward into the higher terrain was closed due for several hours due to extremely hazardous travel and vehicle accidents.

Wider weather episode

A winter storm system moved southeast through the Four Corners region on Christmas Day before ejecting eastward across northern New Mexico Christmas night and the following day. Rain and snow showers over the area on Christmas night changed over to snow then became heavy at times within the higher elevations. A weak back door cold front entered far northeastern New Mexico on the 26th and focused an area of heavy snowfall within the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Snowfall amounts of five to 10 inches were common in the higher terrain areas. U.S. 64 west of Angel Fire was closed for several hours due to impossible travel. Interstate 25 was also closed in the Santa Fe area where numerous vehicle crashes occurred during the morning commute. The combination of cold temperatures, snow, and blowing snow east of Raton resulted in the closure of U.S. Highway 64 between Raton, Des Moines, and Clayton. The Sandia and Manzano Mountains also picked up heavy snowfall amounts of four to eight inches.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 790899. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.