A strong upper level system brought snow to much of New Mexico over a four day period. Snow began over the northern mountains on November 28th and lingered through the morning hours of the 30th.
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 strong upper level system brought snow to much of New Mexico over a four day period. Snow began over the northern mountains on November 28th and lingered through the morning hours of the 30th. Then, as the system crossed northern old Mexico, significant snows developed over the south central mountains and adjacent plains to the east from November 30th through December 1st. More than one foot of snow was reported across several of these locations.
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Up to 15 inches of snow fell across the highest elevations of the south central mountains, including at the Sierra Blanca SNOTEL and at Ski Apache. However, 9 inches of snow was also reported on the southwest side of Ruidoso, with somewhat lesser amounts elsewhere.
Significant snow accumulations blanketed eastern Lincoln County. The heaviest amounts were across southeast Lincoln County where up to 9 inches of snow was reported.
Significant snow accumulations blanketed southwest Chaves County. Areas north and west of Dunken received up to 20 inches of snow.
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, December 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 198390, 199105, 199106.