Cold in New Mexico, December 16 to 18, 1996

Frigid arctic air surged into eastern sections of the state producing heavy upslope snow of 4 to 8 inches across the Northeast Highlands from Raton south to Las Vegas. As the air mass deepened it plunged westward through the canyons and around the central mountains (gusts to 61 mph at Cedar Crest), filling the central valleys of the Rio Grande river and spreading snow onto the plateau areas of northwest New Mexico. Several new daily record low temperatures were established. The cold was aggravated by unusually harsh wind chill which dipped to minus 20 in many areas and to a low of minus 31 degrees at Dulce in northwest Rio Arriba county. Prolonged frigid temperatures aggravated frozen water pipes, especially in the rural areas, and also prevented the usual quick thaw of snow packed and icy roads.