Heavy Snow — Southern Sangre De Cristo Mountains Above 9500 Feet, New Mexico

2019-02-17 to 2019-02-19 · Southern Sangre De Cristo Mountains Above 9500 Feet, New Mexico

Event narrative

Various sources in the higher terrain east of Santa Fe reported 6 to 11 inches of snowfall. Difficult travel conditions were reported.

Wider weather episode

A deep upper level low pressure system moved into the Great Basin on February 17, 2019 and forced moist southwest flow over New Mexico through the 18th and 19th. Meanwhile, a potent back door cold front shifted southwest through eastern New Mexico and set the stage for strong upslope flow along the central mountain chain. The combination of deep moisture and lift in association with the upper level low pressure system along with much colder air allowed widespread snow and blowing snow to develop over the region. The heaviest snowfall impacted areas along the Continental Divide and the northern mountains of New Mexico where six to 12 inches was reported. The Rio Grande Valley picked up lighter snowfall amounts anywhere from one to four inches. The very cold air in place over the area on the morning of the 18th led to widespread travel impacts with numerous motor vehicle accidents. This was the first storm system since the New Year's holiday to drop appreciable snowfall amounts over far northeastern New Mexico.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 797822. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.