Brutally Cold & Dangerous Winter Storm For NM!


Brutally Cold Arctic Airmass Arrives In SE NM Tonight!

Update 3:30 PM MST

The arctic cold front is located between Roswell and Clovis at 3:30 PM,
and is moving southward. It should arrive in the Pecos Valley,
and nearby areas by around sunset or shortly afterward.

Clayton was down to 19F at 3 PM with a wind chill value of 0.
Clovis is down to 28 with a wind chill value of 13 at 3:30 PM.
Northerly winds along and behind the cold front are gusting up to 40 mph.

Bitterly cold wind chill values tonight across SE NM and nearby areas.
By sunrise tomorrow morning, wind chill values will be -15F to -25F
in the Roswell and Ruidoso areas. And again Wednesday
and Thursday mornings!

They will be near -10F to -15F in Artesia, Carlsbad, Hobbs areas.
And again Wednesday and Thursday mornings!
Wind Chill values will be down to -25F to -30F
in the Guadalupe Mtn's.

Wind Chill Values of -25F to -40F are
forecast for the Albuquerque and Santa Fe
areas Wednesday and Thursday mornings!

These are potentially life threatening wind chill values!
Any exposed skin can freeze in less than 30 minutes
when wind chill temps drop below -10F.

A Wintry mix of rain/sleet/snow is forecast for tonight.
A few thunderstorms will also be possible.
Still looking for 1" - 3" of snow at the lower elevations.
Locally higher may be possible.
The Sacramento and Capitan Mtn's will see up to 1' - 2'.

Driving conditions will be extremely hazardous across the area
tonight into tomorrow. Snow; heavy at times, blowing snow
and drifting snow, will complicate matters, especially
across the mountains. Visibilities may drop down to near zero.
Some road closures may be possible!

Please visit this web page often to stay abreast of the latest details!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update 8:00 AM MST






It appears that this inbound Major Winter Storm, and it's associated brutally cold arctic airmass will be one for the history books by the time this week is over. There remains the possibility that new daily minimum high temperature records will be broken across the area, as well as some daily minimum temperature records. I cannot stress enough how cold this arctic airmass is going to be folks, and to make matters worse will be the brutally cold wind chill values!

Today will be our last day of warm weather until this weekend. A brutally cold arctic front will arrive in southeastern New Mexico by midnight tonight. Rapidly falling temperatures will accompany it's passage, along with northerly winds of 20-30 mph with stronger gusts. Please take the necessary precautions today to protect your pets, plumbing, and yourselves from the cold temperatures, and the dangerously low wind chill values this week!

Our temperatures will rapidly plunge below freezing tonight, and are forecast to remain below freezing until Friday. This will be the coldest airmass to affect the local area since at least 2005, and some are comparing it to the arctic outbreaks of January 1997, and December 1997.

The bad news is that each new model run continues to drop out local temperatures, and the models historically have a history of being too warm with these arctic outbreaks! So, do not be surprised if we end up being colder than what is being forecast, especially if we getting snow cover on the ground. Some of our high temps on Tuesday and Wednesday may not get out of the teens! Once our skies clear and the snow ends, it's very possible that we see our low temp's drop below zero in some locations!

Latest NWS Forecast High/Low Temps Today-

Clayton 29/0
Tucumcari 44/9
Clines Corners 44/8
Clovis 54/7
Lubbock 58/11
Hobbs 71/16
Roswell 68/24
Artesia 71/22
Carlsbad 72/23
Rudioso 51/16
Cloudcroft 38/15

Latest NWS Forecast High Temps Tuesday-

Clayton 7/-12
Tucumcari 15/-2
Clines Corners 12/-7
Clovis 15/-1
Lubbock 19/3
Hobbs 20/5
Roswell 26/8
Artesia 22/8
Carlsbad 24/12
Rudioso 22/0
Cloudcroft 26/2

Latest NWS Forecast High Temps Wednesday-

Clayton 8/2
Tucumcari 15/6
Clines Corners 5/-3
Clovis 12/5
Lubbock 16/4
Hobbs 17/10
Roswell 16/9
Artesia 23/11
Carlsbad 26/10
Rudioso 14/1
Cloudcroft 15/-2

Latest NWS Forecast High Temps Thursday-

Clayton 30/14
Tucumcari 29/10
Clines Corners 14/9
Clovis 23/11
Lubbock 25/12
Hobbs 28/12
Roswell 23/12
Artesia 27/13
Carlsbad 28/13
Rudioso 20/4
Cloudcroft 20/6

Wind Chill values are forecast to drop down to the -10F to -25F range across the northern Texas Panhandle tonight. They will crater down to -15F to -35F Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Please visit the Amarillo, Texas National Weather Service web page for additional information on this.

Wind Chill values of near zero,to a little below zero are forecast across the South Plains near the Lubbock, Texas area tonight. They will crater down to -15F to -20F Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Please visit the Lubbock, Texas National Weather Service Office web page for additional information on this.

Wind Chill values of near zero, to a little below zero are anticipated for SE NM late tonight into Tuesday morning. Wind Chill values will approach -5 to -15F Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Wind Chill Values of -15F to -30F are forecast for the Guadalupe Mtn's. Please visit the Midland National Weather Service Office web page, and the Albuquerque National Weather Service Office web page for additional information on this.

This is a Dangerous Winter Storm folks, and I'm not kidding in the least bit. Travel upon area roadways, and exposure to outdoor activities without proper clothing may become life threatening across many areas due to the very cold temperatures, dangerous to potentially life threatening wind chill values, heavy snow, blowing and drifting snow, and low visibilities.

Please prepare now for this extreme weather event that will affect all of the area this week. Please check back here often for the very latest on this potentially historic winter weather event! Or, visit your nearest National Weather Service Office web page, or listen to, or watch your favorite news media outlets.

The Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction!

Comments

Current Watches In Effect

Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Day 1 Severe Weather Outlook

SPC Mesoscale Discussions

Current NWS National Watches/Warnings In Effect

Current NWS National Watches/Warnings In Effect
Click On The Map For The Latest Updates

New Mexico

Chaves County Plains & Mtn's

Eddy County

Guadalupe Mtns In Culberson County

Lea County

Lincoln County

Otero County

NWS Regional Radar

NWS Regional Radar

GOES-East - Sector view: Southern Rockies - GEOColor

Current US Temps

Current US Wind Chill/Heat Index Temperatures

NWS Midland Radar

NWS Midland Regional Forecast

NWS Midland Regional Forecast

NWS Midland Regional Forecast

Cannon AFB Radar

NWS Albuquerque Radar

NWS Albuquerque Regional Forecast

NWS Albuquerque Regional Forecast

NWS Albuquerque Regional Forecast

NWS Albuquerque Regional Forecast

NWS Albuquerque Regional Forecast.

NWS Albuquerque Regional Forecast

NWS Albuquerque Regional Forecast

NWS Albuquerque Regional Forecast

NWS Albuquerque Regional Forecast

Holloman AFB Radar

NWS El Paso Radar

NWS El Paso Regional Forecast

NWS El Paso Regional Forecast

NWS Lubbock Radar

NWS Lubbock Regional Forecast.

NWS Lubbock Regional Forecast

NWS Lubbock Regional Forecasts

NWS Lubbock Regional Forecast

NWS Forecast High Temps Today

NWS Forecast Low Temps Tonight

24-Hour Minimum Wind Chill Forecast

NWS Albuquerque Storm Total Snowfall Forecast

NWS Albuquerque Storm Total Rainfall Forecast

NWS Midland Storm Total Rainfall Forecast

NWS El Paso Storm Total Rainfall Forecast

Average Daily High/Low Temperatures & Rainfall

Average Daily High/Low Temperatures & Rainfall