A slow moving upper level low slowly tracked across northern New Mexico during the 11th and 12th of April. In response, widespread rain and snow showers developed across much of New Mexico.
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.
A slow moving upper level low slowly tracked across northern New Mexico during the 11th and 12th of April. In response, widespread rain and snow showers developed across much of New Mexico. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms also developed and thundersnow lead to significant snowfall amounts from the upper Rio Grande Valley into the southern Sangre De Cristo Mountains as well as in the Sandia Mountains.
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 Apr 11, 2:11 AM MST, 4 hours 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 311 AM MDT SAT APR 11 2009 .DISCUSSION... SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS...THUNDERSTORMS AND HIGH TERRAIN SNOW SHOWERS EXPECTED TODAY AS AN UPPER LOW OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EARLY THIS MORNING EJECTS NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE FOUR CORNERS REGION BY TONIGHT. MODELS EXHIBIT GREATER VARIANCE NOW WITH THE TRACK OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW...AND THEY BROADEN IT SUGGESTING MORE THAN ONE AXIS OF INSTABILITY MAY DEVELOP. THE LOW MAY SLOWLY FILL AS IT CROSSES THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ROCKIES...THEN DEEPEN AGAIN DUE TO STRETCHING AS IT EXITS THE ROCKIES ONTO THE PLAINS. THE END RESULT SHOULD BE A WAVE OF PRECIPITATION THAT MOVES NORTH AND NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS CENTRAL AREAS THIS MORNING...THEN SHUNTS TO THE EAST WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SWEEPING ACROSS THE PLAINS DURING THE AFTERNOON. BEING CLOSER TO THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD CORE ALOFT...THE WESTERN AND NORTHERN BORDERS CAN EXPECT MORE PERSISTENT PRECIPITATION THAN CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN NEAR AND ABOVE 7500 FEET UNTIL TONIGHT...WHEN THEY WILL DROP TO AROUND 6000 FEET BY SUNDAY MORNING. BY THEN...MUCH OF THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD TAPER OFF...EXCEPT FOR THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND NORTHEAST PLAINS WHERE WRAP AROUND MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT AS THE STORM SYSTEM EXITS EAST. THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS STAND THE BEST CHANCE OF SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATION...ESPECIALLY ABOVE 7500 FEET WHERE AMOUNTS MAY RANGE FROM 4 TO 6 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS NEAR THE COLORADO BORDER. SOME LOCATIONS BELOW 7500 FEET COULD RECEIVE LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS BY SUNDAY MORNING. THUS...WE WILL CONTINUE THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS THROUGH TONIGHT. THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS SHOULD ALSO RECEIVE A FEW INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMULATION BY SUNDAY MORNING...BUT PROBABLY NOT ENOUGH TO WARRANT ANY SORT OF WINTER WEATHER HEADLINE. FARTHER EAST...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ON THE SOUTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON...WHERE FAVORABLE WIND SHEAR AND INSTABILITY ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP. WARMER AND DRY WEATHER ARE EXPECTED MONDAY AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BRIEFLY CROSSES...BUT PRECIPITATION CHANCES ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE AGAIN TUESDAY THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK AS MODELS NOW DIG ANOTHER BROAD UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM INTO THE WESTERN U.S.. TRACK AND TIMING ARE STILL UNCERTAIN...SO EXACT IMPACTS REMAIN UNCLEAR. 44 && .AVIATION... PRECIPITATION WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE THIS MORNING WITH MUCH OF THE SNOW CONFINED TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN. AS THE EARLY/MID MORNING PROGRESSES...EXPECT CIGS TO LOWER INTO THE MVFR/IFR RANGE. CIGS ARE EXPECTED TO BOUNCE UP AND DOWN DUE TO THE CONVECTIVE NATURE OF THE PRECIPITATION. ANTICIPATE MT OBSCURATIONS OVER THE NEXT 24 HRS. DUE TO THE STRENGTH OF THIS STORM SYSTEM...SCT LIGHTNING STRIKES CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE REGION...ESPECIALLY IN THE EAST BY EARLY TO MID-AFTERNOON. A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE EC/SE PLAINS WHERE DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL ARE THE PRIMARY THREATS. PRECIPITATION WILL REDUCE IN COVERAGE THIS EVENING...BUT IT APPEARS THAT AN EXTENSIVE BAND OF MVFR STRATUS COULD LINGER UNTIL DAYBREAK ON SUNDAY. NEXT AVIATION DISCUSSION SCHEDULED FOR 21Z. && .FIRE WEATHER... WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION WILL LINGER ACROSS THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING AS AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. SNOW WILL BE CONFINED TO THE HIGH TERRAIN...WHERE A FEW INCHES OF ACCUMULATION ARE EXPECTED...PARTICULARLY OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS. WINDS WILL BE BREEZY STATEWIDE...ESPECIALLY IN CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. BEST THREAT FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN...WHERE A FEW AREAS WILL EXPERIENCE AN LAL OF 3 OR 4. PRECIPITATION WILL GRADUALLY WANE FROM WEST TO EAST THIS EVENING... EXCLUDING THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND NORTHEAST PLAINS AS A SECONDARY LOBE OF ENERGY ROTATES AROUND THE UPPER LOW. THIS BIT OF ENERGY WILL LINGER THROUGH THE AFOREMENTIONED REGION THROUGH SUN BEFORE THE LOW EJECTS AWAY FROM THE AREA. SURFACE WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST AND BECOME BREEZY TO WINDY ON SUN...MAINLY WITHIN THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND LEE OF THE ROCKIES. A BREAK IN THE WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED ON MON AS A LOW AMPLITUDE RIDGE MIGRATES ACROSS THE STATE. TEMPERATURES WILL REBOUND COMPARED TO THIS AFTERNOON AND SUN. THE BREAK COULD BE SHORT-LIVED AS ANOTHER STRONG UPPER LOW ADVANCES TOWARD THE REGION. ATTM...THERE ARE LARGE MODEL DIFFERENCES WITH RESPECT TO THE TRACK AND TIMING OF THIS WAVE. THE GFS SUGGESTS STRONG WINDS WHILE THE ECMWF HINTS AT A SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION EVENT. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON...................... 54 31 61 33 / 60 30 20 5 GALLUP.......................... 47 26 58 25 / 60 30 20 0 GRANTS.......................... 49 26 56 27 / 60 30 20 5 GLENWOOD........................ 57 32 68 33 / 40 20 10 0 CHAMA........................... 44 23 51 23 / 90 50 40 10 LOS ALAMOS...................... 44 28 56 29 / 70 40 30 10 RED RIVER....................... 37 23 44 22 / 80 50 50 20 TAOS............................ 46 26 50 26 / 70 40 30 10 SANTA FE........................ 49 29 56 32 / 70 30 20 10 SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 51 31 57 32 / 60 30 20 10 ESPANOLA........................ 53 31 63 30 / 60 20 20 5 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 56 37 61 40 / 70 20 10 5 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 58 36 69 36 / 70 20 10 5 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 56 36 63 35 / 70 20 20 5 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 60 36 68 38 / 70 20 10 5 SOCORRO......................... 62 37 67 38 / 60 20 10 0 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 49 27 54 31 / 70 20 20 5 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 53 33 59 31 / 60 20 20 5 CARRIZOZO....................... 60 34 63 36 / 40 10 10 0 RUIDOSO......................... 50 29 55 31 / 60 10 20 0 RATON........................... 48 30 51 29 / 60 50 40 20 LAS VEGAS....................... 45 29 52 30 / 70 30 30 10 ROY............................. 45 34 51 34 / 60 40 30 20 CLAYTON......................... 49 35 51 36 / 60 50 50 30 SANTA ROSA...................... 59 37 64 36 / 60 30 20 10 TUCUMCARI....................... 55 39 60 39 / 60 40 30 20 FORT SUMNER..................... 59 40 66 40 / 40 30 20 5 CLOVIS.......................... 58 40 61 40 / 60 50 20 10 PORTALES........................ 61 41 63 40 / 60 50 20 10 ROSWELL......................... 66 44 70 44 / 30 20 10 5 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM MDT SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ002-004. && 44/46
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</html>3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Thundersnow resulted in significant snow amounts from Tesuque and Santa Fe to Cowles. 6 to 8 inches of snow was reported between Tesuque and Santa Fe which prompted Highway 285 to be closed for a time. A spotter in Cowles, near 8700 feet, reported 14 inches of snow these storms.
Thundersnow resulted in a quick 6 to 8 inches of snowfall between Pojoaque and Tesuque which prompted Highway 285 to be closed for a time.
Between 2 and 5 inches of snow were reported from near Sandia Park to south of Tijeras.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, April 2009
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: 154212, 154213, 154214.