Alert archive / New Mexico / Snow Squall Warnings in 2021

Snow Squall Warning 4, NWS Albuquerque, NM

December 15, 20214 counties in New Mexico

NWS Albuquerque, NM issued this snow squall warning at Dec 15, 2021, 5:03 AM MST for 4 counties in New Mexico. It was in force for 27 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Dec 15, 2021, 5:03 AM MST (12:03 UTC)
Expired: Dec 15, 2021, 5:30 AM MST
In force: 27 min
Issued by: NWS Albuquerque, NM
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Cibola County, NM, McKinley County, NM, Rio Arriba County, NM, Sandoval County, NM

The radar

The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 105 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:06 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Dec 15, 5:07 AM MST	NON-TSTM WND GST 69	12 Ssw El Vado, NM	DEADMAN PEAK RAWS.
Dec 15, 5:33 AM MST	NON-TSTM WND GST 66	12 S Monero, NM	STONE LAKE RAWS.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM (KABQ), launched 12:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 121 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 9 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -44 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1356 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 89 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 401 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 663 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

939 
WWUS55 KABQ 151203
SQWABQ

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Snow Squall Warning
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
503 AM MST Wed Dec 15 2021

NMC006-031-039-043-151230-
/O.NEW.KABQ.SQ.W.0004.211215T1203Z-211215T1230Z/
Cibola-McKinley-Rio Arriba-Sandoval-
503 AM MST Wed Dec 15 2021

The National Weather Service in Albuquerque has issued a

* Snow Squall Warning for...
  Eastern Cibola County in west central New Mexico...
  East central McKinley County in west central New Mexico...
  Central Rio Arriba County in north central New Mexico...
  Central Sandoval County in north central New Mexico...

* Until 530 AM MST.

* At 459 AM MST, a powerful cold front producing isolated 
  thunderstorms with heavy snow and blowing snow was located along a 
  line extending from near Dulce to near Ojo Encino to 23 miles west 
  of Acoma Pueblo, moving east at 40 mph. 

  HAZARD...Extremely poor visibility in heavy snow and blowing snow. 
           Wind gusts greater than 45 mph.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated.

  IMPACT...Dangerous life-threatening travel.

* This includes the following highways...
   Interstate 40 between Mile Markers 87 and 116.
   Highway 550 between Mile Markers 39 and 86.
   Highway 64 between Mile Markers 120 and 180.

Locations impacted include...
Chama, Cuba, Laguna Pueblo, Dulce, Tierra Amarilla, Acoma Pueblo,
Cebolletita, Regina, El Vado and Lindrith.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Slow down and turn on headlights! The visibility will suddenly drop
to near zero in whiteout conditions.

&&

LAT...LON 3699 10640 3609 10661 3478 10751 3474 10804
      3597 10730 3700 10706
TIME...MOT...LOC 1159Z 257DEG 45KT 3694 10707 3597 10730 3481 10799 

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Albuquerque, NM issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 15, 5:32 AM MST	Snow Squall Warning	ABQ	Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Taos	28 min
Dec 15, 6:03 AM MST	Snow Squall Warning	ABQ	Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, San Miguel, Santa Fe and 1 more	27 min
Dec 15, 6:34 AM MST	Snow Squall Warning	ABQ	Colfax, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Taos	26 min
Dec 15, 6:35 AM MST	Snow Squall Warning	ABQ	Colfax, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Taos	25 min

Nearby

Snow Squall Warnings in New Mexico, 2021 Every snow squall warning in 2021

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.