New Mexico, 2001

Winter Storm in New Mexico, February 8, 2001

February 8, 2001 · NWS ABQ · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

A strong upper level disturbance tracked northeast across west central and northern New Mexico producing heavy snow and gusty winds. Snow amounts were particularly heavy on southwest facing slopes with 8 inches reported in the Chuska Mountains north of Gallup, 6 to 12 in the Zuni Mountains, and 12 to 15 inches at Los Alamos and in the Jemez Mountains.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

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 ABQ wrote it up.

A strong upper level disturbance tracked northeast across west central and northern New Mexico producing heavy snow and gusty winds. Snow amounts were particularly heavy on southwest facing slopes with 8 inches reported in the Chuska Mountains north of Gallup, 6 to 12 in the Zuni Mountains, and 12 to 15 inches at Los Alamos and in the Jemez Mountains. Snows of 5 to 7 inches also spread across the far northeast plains of Colfax and Union counties where grazing lands remained snow covered for the 4th week. A herd of 20 antelope froze to death in Mora County near Ocate after becoming trapped in a fence corner by snow and gusty winds.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Albuquerque, NM wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 7, 9:00 PM MST, 5 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 7, 9:00 PM MST, 5 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
900 PM MST WED FEB 7 2001

FORECAST PRETTY MUCH ON TRACK WITH STORM OVER EXTREME SRN CA NOW AND
HAS MADE THE TURN TO THE E. STORM WILL TRACK ACROSS AZ LATE TON AND
THU AM...AND NM THU PM INTO THE NIGHT. MINUS 32 DEGREE AIR AT 500 MB
WITH THIS SYSTEM. SHOULD BE QUITE UNSTABLE THU WITH ENOUGH MOISTURE
TO GENERATE DECENT SNOW SHOWERS WRN AND NRN MOUNTAINS...ESPECIALLY
SW AND W FACING SLOPES. WILL KEEP WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES IN PLACE.
OTHER AREA OF CONCERN IS THE NE AS FRONT CONTINUES TO MAKE DECENT
PROGRESS DOWN THRU SE CO AND IS NEAR NM BORDER NOW. BELIEVE MESO-ETA
ACCURATE WITH TAKING FRONT FARTEST S OF ALL MODELS AND GENERATING
GOOD PRECIP IN THE NE. WILL THEREFORE KEEP WATCH GOING FOR THE NE.
ADDED MENTION OF THUNDER TO MANY ZONES FOR THU. 40

.ABQ...WINTER STORM WARNING ZNS 2 & 4 LATE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY
    ...SNOW ADVISORY LATE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY ZNS 8 & 14
    ...WINTER STORM WATCH THURSDAY ZNS 1..5..6 & 7.

CHJ

Event by event

7 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Northwest Mountains Including Jemez

When
February 8, 2:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Northwest Mountains Including Jemez forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Winter Storm, Far Northeast Plains

When
February 8, 2:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Far Northeast Plains forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Winter Storm, Northeast Highlands

When
February 8, 2:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Northeast Highlands forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Winter Storm, Northwest Plateau

When
February 8, 2:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Northwest Plateau forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Winter Storm, Sangre de Cristo Mountains

When
February 8, 2:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Winter Storm, Southwest Mountains/Upper Gila Region

When
February 8, 2:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Southwest Mountains/Upper Gila Region forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Winter Storm, Westcentral Mountains

When
February 8, 2:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Westcentral Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Mexico in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, February 2001

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5234844, 5234845, 5234846, 5234847, 5234848, 5234849, 5234850.