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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Heavy Snow & Dangerous Travel Conditions For SE NM!

Click On The Maps To Enlarge Them.

Blog updated at 10:55 AM MST.


Note: This Map Does Not Update On This Blog.



Note: This Map Does Not Update On This Blog.




Note: This Map Does Not Update On This Blog.

MAJOR WINTER STORM FOR SE NM!

Chaves-Eddy-Northern Lea-Guadalupe Mtn's
Valid This Evening Through Friday Afternoon.
N-NE Winds 20-30G40 MPH.
4" - 8" Snow By Friday.
Heavy Snow-Blowing Snow-Drifting Snow.
Extremely Poor Visibiliteis.
Extremely Dangerous Travel Conditions.
Potentially Impossible In Some Areas.
Single Digit-Teens Wind Chills.

Lincoln County.
Continues In Effect Through 11 PM Friday.
N-NE Winds 10-20G30 MPH.
3" - 7" New Snow Below 7,500'.
6" - 12" New Snow Above 7,500'.
Heavy Snow-Blowing Snow-Drifting Snow.
Extremely Poor Visibiliteis.
Extremely Dangerous Travel Conditions.
Potentially Impossible In Some Areas.
Single Digit-Teens Wind Chills.

Southern Sacramento Mtn's.
In Effect From 5 PM This Aftn - 5 PM Friday.
NE-E Winds 10-20 MPH.
4" - 8" New Snow. East Slopes Psbly More.
Heavy Snow-Blowing Snow-Drifting Snow.
Extremely Poor Visibiliteis.
Extremely Dangerous Travel Conditions.
Potentially Impossible In Some Areas.
Single Digit-Teens Wind Chills.

Southern New Mexico Lowlands.
In Effect 11 PM This Evening - 5 PM Friday.
N-NE Winds 10-20 MPH.
1" - 4" New Snow By Friday.
Heavy Snow-Blowing Snow-Drifting Snow.
Extremely Poor Visibiliteis.
Extremely Dangerous Travel Conditions.
Potentially Impossible In Some Areas.
Single Digit-Teens Wind Chills.

Guadalupe Mtn's.
Valid From 5 PM This Afternoon - 11 AM MST Friday.
Northeast Winds 40 - 50G60 MPH .
4" - 8" New Snow By Friday.
Heavy Snow-Blowing Snow-Drifting Snow.
Extremely Poor Visibiliteis.
Extremely Dangerous Travel Conditions.
Potentially Impossible In Some Areas.
Single Digit-Teens Wind Chills.



Here is a really good example of why its a bad idea to head out into a winter storm alone, without letting anyone know where your are going.

College student stranded in Arizona Mtn's for 10 days.

The New Mexico State Police and National Guard have rescued people from 32 vehicles from our last winter storm. Please don't let this happen to you during this next storm!!

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Good morning everyone. A Major Winter Storm is getting ready to hammer New Mexico and southeastern New Mexico. Today will be the calm before the storm..so please take advantage of this, especially since rapidly deteriorating weather, and travel conditions are forecast to overspread the state and local area tonight into Friday!

Another High Wind Event is on tap today into tonight for the Middle and Lower Rio Grande Valley, including the Albuquerque Metro area. There is the potential for another over-topping high wind event tonight. Easterly winds will increase today into tonight at around 30 - 45 mph, with gusts near 65 mph in the Middle and Lower Rio Grande Valley, with the strongest gusts near the foothills and below the passes.

A Winter Storm Warning is now in effect for the Albuquerque area, 3" - 7" of snow will be possible across the Lower Rio Grande Valley, 1" - 2" across the Albuquerque Valley. Rio Rancho, and the West Mesa are expecting to see 3" - 6" of snow from this storm. Heavy snow, and Blowing snow may create very dangerous to impossible driving conditions in some of these areas. Wind chill values are forecast to drop below zero in these areas tonight.

A strong arctic cold front has entered SE NM early this morning. The colder air has arrived as forecast, so I don't think that our temperatures are going to get out of the 30's, maybe the low 40's for a few areas for most of today.

Heavy snow is coming to SE NM and nearby areas. It appears this morning that the snow should start falling by later this afternoon or early this evening, and will increase in coverage and intensity as we head into Friday. The snow may last into Christmas Eve in some areas including Eddy and Lea Counties.

Current National Weather Service Forecasts indicate that Eddy County is expected to receive 4" - 8" of snow by Friday evening, 3" - 5" is being forecast for northern and central Lea County, and 3" - 7" is forecast for the Chaves County plains.

In the Ruidoso area, 6" - 12" is forecast above 7,500', with 3" - 7" below that elevation. The Cloudcroft and surrounding areas of the southern Sacramento Mountains, are expecting to see 4" - 8" from this storm. Alamogordo and Tularosa are expecting to get 2" - 4" of snow, while Deming, Las Cruces, and the El Paso area is looking at 1" - 3".

Areas of heavy snow, along with areas of blowing and drifting snow, created by north to northeasterly winds at around 20-30 mph with gusts to near 40 mph in places tonight, along with very poor visibilites, which will be dropping down to less than 1/2 of a mile, will create very dangerous, if not impossible driving conditions across much of the area tonight into Friday.

Road closures are a real possibility across many parts of New Mexico, including SE NM, tonight into at least Friday, if not longer in some areas. Please visit this link for the latest Road Conditions across New Mexico. It simply may become too dangerous to travel across many of the state's roadways tonight through at least Friday!

Dangerous wind chill values will develop across many areas of the state tonight into Friday as well. Some areas may see wind chill values below zero, will most of SE NM will experience wind chill values in the single digits and teens.

For all of the latest up to date information concerning this next Major Winter Storm that is getting ready to pound New Mexico and surrounding areas, please visit our local National Weather Service Offices via their web pages listed below.


The Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction!

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