Winter storm system hits eastern New Mexico, headed next to Texas, Oklahoma
The remnants of a slow-moving atmospheric river storm that battered California last week brought the first notable snowfall of the season to eastern New Mexico, with the National Weather Service warning Sunday of snowy and icy roads as the system moves toward the Texas Panhandle and the central part of Texas. Oklahoma.
A winter storm advisory was issued for eastern New Mexico, including the city of Roswell. The National Weather Service in Albuquerque said temperatures were in the mid-30s, which is up to 25 degrees below normal.
“Hopefully it will subside by sunset,” Jennifer Shoemake, a meteorologist for the weather service in Albuquerque, said Sunday.
She said the storm system appeared to be moving next to the Texas Panhandle and central Oklahoma, where warnings were already in effect.
The National Weather Service is predicting up to 8 inches of snow in the west Texas city of Lubbock on Sunday, while 1.3 inches of snow is already on the ground in Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle.
The storms are the result of a slow-moving system that first hit California early Wednesday. It receded after days of wind, record rains and heavy snow that caused power outages, street flooding and hundreds of devastating mudslides around Los Angeles.
It also dumped 3 feet (91 cm) of snow over three days in northern Arizona before moving east on Friday and making its way into New Mexico on Saturday.
Shoemake said Albuquerque received up to 4 inches of snow on Saturday, while neighboring mountains received anywhere from 6 inches to 9 inches.
“Probably decent skiing conditions,” Shoemake said.
She was right.
In Albuquerque, Sandia Peak Ski Area has opened for the first time since 2022, offering top-to-bottom skiing access over 0.7 miles on all 35 trails.
“It’s like we’re up there in the clouds,” snowboarder Jovanni Orozco told Albuquerque TV station KOB. “It’s literally so low you can’t even see anything and then the snow just covers your glasses, but it’s fun!”
The Arizona Snowbowl ski area, north of Flagstaff, has received 50 inches (139 cm) from the recent storms, bringing its snowfall total to 120 inches (355 cm) this season. All lifts and slopes in the ski area were open on Sunday.
National Park officials closed Bandelier National Monument near Los Alamos, New Mexico on Saturday afternoon due to worsening weather, but it reopened on Sunday after snow clearing work.