Heavy Snow, Southwest Mountains/Upper Gila Region
- When
- December 6, 3:00 PM MST to 8:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southwest Mountains/Upper Gila Region forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Heavy Snow in New Mexico, December 6, 2004
Brief heavy snow of 4 to 7 inches was reported across west central and central New Mexico mainly south of Interstate 40 from Quemado east to Magdalena, Mountainair and Estancia. Although snow amounts were much lighter at 2 to 3 inches, paved roadways across Cibola and McKinley counties became very slick resulting in numerous vehicle accidents between Grants and Gallup as drivers sped too fast…
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 ABQ wrote it up.
Brief heavy snow of 4 to 7 inches was reported across west central and central New Mexico mainly south of Interstate 40 from Quemado east to Magdalena, Mountainair and Estancia. Although snow amounts were much lighter at 2 to 3 inches, paved roadways across Cibola and McKinley counties became very slick resulting in numerous vehicle accidents between Grants and Gallup as drivers sped too fast for the conditions. One indirect fatality occurred near Tohatchi when a 21 year man died after his vehicle was struck by an oncoming car that had spun out of control on snow packed road.
Event by event
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Lower Rio Grande Valley
- When
- December 6, 3:00 PM MST to 8:00 PM MST
- Where
- Lower Rio Grande Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Heavy Snow, Central High Plains/Estancia Valley County
- When
- December 6, 3:00 PM MST to 8:00 PM MST
- Where
- Central High Plains/Estancia Valley County forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
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
- Tornado in Texas, December 6, 2004
- Tornado in Texas, December 6, 2004
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, December 6, 2004
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, December 6 to 7, 2004
- Damaging Winds in Texas, December 6, 2004
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Alabama, December 6 to 7, 2004
- Dense Fog in Wisconsin, December 6 to 7, 2004
- Heavy Snow in California, December 6 to 7, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 6 to 7, 2004
- Damaging Winds in Texas, December 6, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, December 6 to 8, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Utah, December 6 to 9, 2004
More
Every storm in New Mexico in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, December 2004
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: 5432427, 5432428, 5432429.