Winter Storm Moves Into New Mexico This Weekend

Above, snow on the mesas across from Jamestown, New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

People in New Mexico are bracing for the incoming winter storm. 

The possibility of having high amounts of snowfall isn't upsetting to many people as drought conditions have rendered this winter drier than usual. Yes, we can use the moisture!

KRQE reported: 

A significant winter storm is still forecast to move into New Mexico starting Friday, bringing widespread snowfall. The heaviest snow will be Saturday as bitterly cold air moves into the state.

Another relatively quiet day of weather across New Mexico Wednesday. Temperatures were slightly cooler in northeast New Mexico this afternoon behind a weak cold front this morning. The rest of the state sat a couple degrees warmer. Clouds are increasing across New Mexico tonight. Despite the clouds, it will again be warmer across the state with a westerly, down sloping breeze.

A winter storm will start moving into New Mexico Friday morning. Light snow will develop Friday morning across northern and eastern New Mexico, mainly above 6,000′. Rain will move into western, central and southern parts of the state. A strong cold front with arctic air behind it is what will be producing the snow in eastern New Mexico and bringing much colder air. Unfortunately, this could lead to accumulating ice on roadways from Tucumcari down to Hobbs Friday night. Meanwhile, snow will continue in northern New Mexico and rain showers across the rest of the state.

Precipitation will increase across the state Saturday as colder air will move in through the day. This will cause snow levels to lower through the day as well. By noon on Saturday, the heaviest of the snow will start to develop in northern and eastern New Mexico as snow levels drop down to as low as 6,000′ and as far south as Roswell, while the rest of the state will continue to see rain. The snow level should drop down to below 5,000′ Saturday evening, causing a transition from rain to snow in the Albuquerque Metro and Rio Grande Valley through Saturday night. Snow could fall as far south as the I-10 corridor by Sunday morning. Snow will wrap up across the state from northwest to southeast through Sunday morning. Bitterly cold air will be settling in though, with high temperatures staying below freezing in northern and eastern New Mexico, and wind chills dropping down to near and below 0°.

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