Heavy Snow, Sangre de Cristo Mountains
- When
- December 15, 3:00 PM MST to December 16, 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- Public
Ten to 20 inches of snow fell over much of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.
Heavy Snow in New Mexico, December 15 to 16, 2008
A deep low pressure area centered over California continued to pump moisture into Mew Mexico on the 15th and 16th. A strong short wave trough ejected out of the low and helped bring widespread, heavy snow to much of the area near and north of Interstate 40.
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 8
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 deep low pressure area centered over California continued to pump moisture into Mew Mexico on the 15th and 16th. A strong short wave trough ejected out of the low and helped bring widespread, heavy snow to much of the area near and north of Interstate 40.
Event by event
8 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Upper Rio Grande Valley
- When
- December 15, 4:00 PM MST to December 16, 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Upper Rio Grande Valley forecast zone
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- CoCoRaHS
Eight to 12 inches of snow fell over much of the Upper Rio Grande Valley.
Heavy Snow, Northwest Plateau
- When
- December 15, 5:00 PM MST to December 16, 5:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northwest Plateau forecast zone
- Reported by
- CoCoRaHS
Two to 6 inches of snow fell over northern San Juan county.
Heavy Snow, Northwest Mountains Including Jemez
- When
- December 15, 5:00 PM MST to December 16, 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northwest Mountains Including Jemez forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
Four to 8 inches of snow at lower elevations and 10 to 18 inches in the higher elevations were common over the Northwest Mountains including the Jemez.
Heavy Snow, Northeast Highlands
- When
- December 15, 6:00 PM MST to December 16, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Northeast Highlands forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
Up to 6 inches of snow fell over central San Miguel county.
Heavy Snow, Middle Rio Grande Valley
- When
- December 15, 6:00 PM MST to December 16, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Middle Rio Grande Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS Employee
Three to 5 inches of snow fell over parts of Bernalillo county.
Heavy Snow, Sandia/Manzano Mountains
- When
- December 15, 6:00 PM MST to December 16, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Sandia/Manzano Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
Four to 10 inches of snow fell over the Sandia mountains.
Heavy Snow, Central High Plains/Estancia Valley County
- When
- December 15, 8:00 PM MST to December 16, 3:00 AM MST
- Where
- Central High Plains/Estancia Valley County forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
Up to 6 inches of snow fell over parts of the Central High Plains.
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.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Snow, Upper Rio Grande Valley | 2008-12-15 | 83 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heavy Snow, Upper Rio Grande Valley | 2008-12-15 | 25 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
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
- Winter Weather in Texas, December 15 to 16, 2008
- Winter Weather in Oklahoma, December 15 to 16, 2008
- Heavy Rain and Frost and Freeze in California, December 15 to 17, 2008
- Winter Storm in Missouri, December 15 to 16, 2008
- Winter Weather in Kansas, December 15 to 16, 2008
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Arkansas, December 15 to 16, 2008
- Winter Storm in Tennessee, December 15 to 16, 2008
- Cold in Illinois, December 15, 2008
- Heavy Snow and Heavy Rain in Arizona, December 15 to 18, 2008
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Arkansas, December 15 to 16, 2008
- Winter Storm in Kentucky, December 15 to 16, 2008
- Extreme Cold in Minnesota, December 15, 2008
More
Every storm in New Mexico in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, December 2008
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: 138169, 138168, 138166, 138167, 138170, 138171, 138172, 138173.