New Mexico, 2001

Winter Storm in New Mexico, January 27 to 28, 2001

January 27 to 28, 2001 · NWS ABQ · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

A slow-moving winter storm howled into northern and central New Mexico with gusty winds, heavy snow which closed state highways and many rural roads and contributed to two deaths from exposure. Tribal police found one body just north of Gallup and another near Bluewater.

The toll

Deaths
2
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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 slow-moving winter storm howled into northern and central New Mexico with gusty winds, heavy snow which closed state highways and many rural roads and contributed to two deaths from exposure. Tribal police found one body just north of Gallup and another near Bluewater. Details were not released. The storm produced 18 to 36 inches of heavy snow that engulfed snow removal and closed roads from the eastern Sangre de Cristo Mountains south over Las Vegas into the central highlands to Vaughn and Corona and westward over the Estancia Valley and the east slope communities of the Sandia and Manzano Mountains. Some residents remained trapped in their homes for 4-5 days before enough snow removal opened both the major and minor county roads. A state of emergency was declared in several counties including Mora, San Miguel and Torrance. Travel in rural areas of the central highlands were only aggravated by excess mud as snowmelt continued into early February.

Event by event

9 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Northwest Mountains Including Jemez

When
January 27, 3:00 PM MST to January 28, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Northwest Mountains Including Jemez forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Winter Storm, Capitan/Northern Sacramento Mountains

When
January 27, 3:00 PM MST to January 28, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Capitan/Northern Sacramento Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Winter Storm, Central High Plains/Estancia Valley County

When
January 27, 3:00 PM MST to January 28, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Central High Plains/Estancia Valley County forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Winter Storm, Conchas Lake/Guadalupe

When
January 27, 3:00 PM MST to January 28, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Conchas Lake/Guadalupe forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Winter Storm, Lincoln County High Plains/Hondo Valley

When
January 27, 3:00 PM MST to January 28, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Lincoln County High Plains/Hondo Valley forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Winter Storm, Northeast Highlands

When
January 27, 3:00 PM MST to January 28, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Northeast Highlands forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Winter Storm, Sandia/Manzano Mountains

When
January 27, 3:00 PM MST to January 28, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Sandia/Manzano Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Winter Storm, Sangre de Cristo Mountains

When
January 27, 3:00 PM MST to January 28, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Winter Storm, Westcentral Mountains

When
January 27, 3:00 PM MST to January 28, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Westcentral Mountains forecast zone
Deaths
2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Winter Storm, Westcentral Mountains2001-01-27MaleOutside/Open AreasDirect
Winter Storm, Westcentral Mountains2001-01-27MaleOutside/Open AreasDirect

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, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5229841, 5229842, 5229843, 5229844, 5229845, 5229846, 5229847, 5229848, 5229849.