Heavy Snow, Guadalupe Mountains of Eddy County
- When
- December 25, 1:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Guadalupe Mountains of Eddy County forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 32.472, -104.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in New Mexico, December 25 to 26, 1997
The last in the series of storms systems in one week passed through southeast New Mexico on Christmas Day, dumping 6+ inches of snow over most of Eddy County and 4+ inches over much of Lea County. In northwestern Eddy County, Hope finished the three events with an incredible 29 inches of snow.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS MAF wrote it up.
The last in the series of storms systems in one week passed through southeast New Mexico on Christmas Day, dumping 6+ inches of snow over most of Eddy County and 4+ inches over much of Lea County. This storm affected the area longer than the previous two events with snow falling in some part of southeast New Mexico for 24 hours.In northwestern Eddy County, Hope finished the three events with an incredible 29 inches of snow.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Eddy County Plains
- When
- December 25, 2:00 AM MST to 11:00 PM MST
- Where
- Eddy County Plains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 32.472, -104.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Lea
- When
- December 25, 7:00 AM MST to December 26, 1:00 AM MST
- Where
- Lea forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 32.792, -103.412 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
More
Every storm in New Mexico in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, December 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5626233, 5626232, 5626234.