The third upper level trough of the Christmas week brought high winds and moderate snows to northern and central New Mexico. Snow amounts ranged from just a few inches at low elevations to one to two feet in the ski areas.
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.
The third upper level trough of the Christmas week brought high winds and moderate snows to northern and central New Mexico. Snow amounts ranged from just a few inches at low elevations to one to two feet in the ski areas.
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 Dec 24, 10:37 PM MST, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.
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</html>4 heavy snow, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
While much of the area only received a few inches of snow, Chama reported around two feet of snow over the 2 day period.
A peak wind gust to 76 mph was recorded at 414 am on the 26th. Sustained winds of 40 mph or greater and wind gusts of 58 mph or greater were recorded numerous times at the Sierra Blanca Airport between 11 am MST on the 25th through 3 pm MST on the 26th.
Up to four inches of snow fell over northern San Juan county.
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, Northwest Mountains Including Jemez | 2008-12-29 | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect | ||
| Heavy Snow, Northwest Mountains Including Jemez | 2008-12-29 | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, December 2008
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: 138993, 138971, 138995, 139155, 138992.