The aftermath of an atmospheric river winter storm that lingered from last week and battered California resulted in a significant snowfall for eastern New Mexico, which was considered noteworthy for the season. On Sunday, the National Weather Service warned of icy conditions and roads filled with snow as the system traveled toward central Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle.
Eastern New Mexico, including Roswell, issued a winter storm advisory as per the National Weather Service in Albuquerque. The meteorologists reported that temperatures were lingering around the mid-30s – an astonishing 25 degrees below what is seasonally expected.
Meteorologist Jennifer Shoemake from the Albuquerque Weather Service expressed her optimism that the storm would calm down before sunset on Sunday. She also pointed out that it was heading towards the Texas Panhandle and central Oklahoma, where advance warnings had already been issued.
The National Weather Service predicted that Lubbock, a city in western Texas, could experience up to 8 inches (20 cm) of snowfall on Sunday. Meanwhile, Amarillo – located in the Texas Panhandle region – had already received 1.3 inches (3.3 cm).
On Wednesday, a sluggish system first hit California and developed into a storm. The severe weather lasted for several days, leading to strong winds, record rainfall and significant snow. Consequently, power disruptions occurred alongside street inundations as well as numerous mudslides surrounding Los Angeles before the storm finally subsided. Before departing entirely from that area on Friday afternoon following three consecutive snowy days in Northern Arizona resulting in over 3 feet (91 cm) of accumulated snowfall; it eventually progressed eastward arriving at New Mexico by Saturday morning.
On Saturday, Albuquerque was blanketed with as much as 4 inches (10 cm) of snow and the surrounding mountains received between 6 to 9 inches (15-22cm). Shoemake noted that the fresh snow created excellent skiing conditions.
The Sandia Peak Ski Area in Albuquerque finally welcomed back skiers after a hiatus since 2022. All the 35 trails, spanning across an extensive area of around 300 acres (1.2 kilometers), facilitated uninterrupted top-to-bottom skiing for enthusiasts. Jovanni Orozco, who loves snowboarding and spoke to local TV station KOB, shared his surreal escapade amidst enormous clouds and thick blankets of snow while navigating through the hills on slippery boards or ski equipment.
North of Flagstaff, the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort has been blessed with a remarkable snowfall of 55 inches (139 cm) due to recent storms. This brings their seasonal accumulation up to an impressive 140 inches (355cm). Fortunately, all lifts and trails were open and operating on Sunday.
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National Park officials shut down Bandelier National Monument, situated close to Los Alamos in New Mexico, on Saturday because of the deteriorating weather conditions. The site was later accessible again after snow removal procedures concluded and it reopened on Sunday.
