Heavy Snow — San Agustin Plains and Adjacent Lowlands, New Mexico

2019-11-27 to 2019-11-28 · San Agustin Plains and Adjacent Lowlands, New Mexico

Event narrative

Various CoCoRaHS stations in the area from near Magdalena to Datil received 5 to 6 inches of snow.

Wider weather episode

A complex weather setup impacted New Mexico over the 2019 Thanksgiving holiday week. The first system off the coast of Baja California moved into the desert southwest on November 27, 2019, and anomalously high subtropical moisture streamed northward into the state. Precipitation initially formed over southern New Mexico in the form of rain, but as surface temperatures and snow levels fell overnight, it quickly changed over to snow. Warmer air aloft even allowed for a period of freezing rain across east central New Mexico early in the morning of the 28th. As temperatures warmed above freezing on the 28th, snow changed over to light rain for many areas. A second, stronger storm system originating from the Pacific northwest then moved southward into the Great Basin area on November 28th and crossed the central Rockies on the 29th. A strong Pacific cold front brought another round of cold temperatures and lower snow levels that allowed for another round of snow across the western and northern high terrain on the 29th. Hazardous travel conditions and vehicle accidents forced road closures along portions of Interstates 25 and 40 on Thanksgiving Day. The Albuquerque metro area even set a new daily record snow amount during this event.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 858337. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.