Heavy snow of 8 to 14 inches developed across the eastern plains of Torrance County and the western rangelands of Guadalupe County. Windswept conditions then kept state highways and rural roads closed or clogged by 3 to 6 foot snow drifts until late the next day.
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.
The episode as NWS ABQ wrote it up.
Heavy snow of 8 to 14 inches developed across the eastern plains of Torrance County and the western rangelands of Guadalupe County. Windswept conditions then kept state highways and rural roads closed or clogged by 3 to 6 foot snow drifts until late the next day. Travel in the Vaughn area saw delays of 5 to 8 hours.
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 Mar 7, 4:00 PM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
400 PM MST WED MAR 7 2001
BUSY WITH WEATHER, SO HERES THE HIGHLIGHTS. HAVE NO DOUBT THAT AREAS
ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN WILL SEE
WARNING-TYPE ACCUMULATIONS OVERNIGHT, BUT ON THE WHOLE WE FEEL
ADVISORIES SHOULD COVER. HEAVY RAIN STILL A GOOD BET ACROSS THE EAST
CENTRAL PLAINS AS GULF MOISTURE FEEDS NWWD. NO MORE TIME.
KJ
.ABQ...SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY
NMZ002-004-005-010>012-016-017
SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT
NMZ008-014-2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, March 2001
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: 5234855, 5234856.