A cold airmass encompassed southeast New Mexico and west Texas on 12/03/09. A shortwave trough translated eastward over the region on the night of the 3rd and resulted in 1 to 3 inches of snow across the region.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 MAF wrote it up.
A cold airmass encompassed southeast New Mexico and west Texas on 12/03/09. A shortwave trough translated eastward over the region on the night of the 3rd and resulted in 1 to 3 inches of snow across the region.
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 Midland/Odessa, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 2, 9:42 PM MST, 4 hours 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
1042 PM CST WED DEC 2 2009
.DISCUSSION...
SEE AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW.
&&
.AVIATION...
MAIN AVIATION CONCERNS OVER THE NEXT 24 HRS WILL BE CIGS. CIGS HAVE
IMPROVED OVER THE LAST 8 HRS TO VFR ALL TERMINALS XCPT
KFST/KPEQ...WHICH REMAIN MVFR. HOWEVER...FORECAST SOUNDINGS SUGGEST
CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE TO VFR EVERYWHERE BY EARLY
AFTERNOON THURSDAY. MODELS HAVE SLOWED THE TROUGH A LITTLE OVER THE
PAST 24 HRS...AND CIGS SHOULDN/T REALLY CRATER UNTIL AFTER 06Z
FRIDAY. THUS...ALL TERMINALS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN VFR FOR THE
LATTER PATER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. THE ONLY EXCEPTIONS MAY BE
KCNM/KHOB...WHICH COULD SEE MVFR CONDITIONS AND FLURRIES AFTER 00Z
FRIDAY.
&&
.MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NM...NONE.
TX...HIGH WIND WATCH FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH LATE THURSDAY
NIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS.
&&
44HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 207 PM CST WED DEC 2 2009 NMZ027>029-033-034-TXZ045>048-050>053-057>063-067>070-074-075- 079>082-258-032015- GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF EDDY COUNTY-EDDY COUNTY PLAINS- NORTHERN LEA COUNTY-CENTRAL LEA COUNTY-SOUTHERN LEA COUNTY-GAINES- DAWSON-BORDEN-SCURRY-ANDREWS-MARTIN-HOWARD-MITCHELL- VAN HORN AND HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR-REEVES COUNTY AND UPPER TRANS PECOS- LOVING-WINKLER-ECTOR-MIDLAND-GLASSCOCK-WARD-CRANE-UPTON-REAGAN- DAVIS/APACHE MOUNTAINS AREA-PECOS-PRESIDIO VALLEY-MARFA PLATEAU- BIG BEND AREA-TERRELL-GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS- 207 PM CST WED DEC 2 2009 /107 PM MST WED DEC 2 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO...SOUTHWEST TEXAS AND WEST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A COLD ARCTIC AIR MASS WILL REMAIN ENTRENCHED ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. SNOWFALL CHANCES WILL INCREASE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH AS AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. THE HIGHEST SNOWFALL TOTALS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ACROSS SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO AND THE PERMIAN BASIN WHERE 1 TO 3 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON. SKIES ARE EXPECTED TO CLEAR BY FRIDAY NIGHT ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO DROP INTO THE 20S AND TEENS ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA. IN ADDITION...A HIGH WIND WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS FRIDAY NIGHT AS SUSTAINED WINDS BETWEEN 40 AND 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED THROUGH GUADALUPE PASS. TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TO MODIFY ON SATURDAY WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES REBOUNDING INTO THE 40S. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES... AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN MIDLAND CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT /LOWER CASE/ HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/MIDLAND
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 1133 PM CST WED DEC 2 2009 NMZ027>029-033-034-TXZ045>048-050>053-057>063-067>070-074-075- 079>082-258-031100- GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF EDDY COUNTY-EDDY COUNTY PLAINS- NORTHERN LEA COUNTY-CENTRAL LEA COUNTY-SOUTHERN LEA COUNTY-GAINES- DAWSON-BORDEN-SCURRY-ANDREWS-MARTIN-HOWARD-MITCHELL- VAN HORN AND HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR- REEVES COUNTY AND UPPER TRANS PECOS-LOVING-WINKLER-ECTOR-MIDLAND- GLASSCOCK-WARD-CRANE-UPTON-REAGAN-DAVIS/APACHE MOUNTAINS AREA- PECOS-PRESIDIO VALLEY-MARFA PLATEAU-BIG BEND AREA-TERRELL- GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...QUEEN...ARTESIA...CARLSBAD... CARLSBAD CAVERNS NP...TATUM...HOBBS...LOVINGTON...EUNICE...JAL... SEMINOLE...LAMESA...GAIL...SNYDER...ANDREWS...STANTON... BIG SPRING...COLORADO CITY...VAN HORN...PECOS...MENTONE... RED BLUFF LAKE...KERMIT...ODESSA...MIDLAND...GARDEN CITY... MONAHANS...CRANE...MCCAMEY...RANKIN...BIG LAKE...ALPINE... FORT DAVIS...FORT STOCKTON...PRESIDIO...MARFA...BIG BEND NP... MARATHON...SANDERSON...GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS NP...PINE SPRINGS 1133 PM CST WED DEC 2 2009 /1033 PM MST WED DEC 2 2009/ ...COLD TEMPERATURES AND LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW TO AFFECT ALL OF SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO AND MOST OF WEST TEXAS FRIDAY MORNING... COLD...ARCTIC AIR WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD INTO THE REGION ON THURSDAY...AND LIKELY WILL NOT ALLOW HIGH TEMPERATURES TO EXCEED THE MID 30S ALONG AND EAST OF THE PECOS RIVER. AS THE COLD AIR MASS SETTLES IN THROUGH THE REST OF THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY...LOW TEMPERATURES FRIDAY MORNING WILL DROP INTO THE LOW 20S ACROSS SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO...AND THE DAVIS AND GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS. MID TO UPPER 20S ARE EXPECTED ELSEWHERE. HIGH TEMPERATURES FRIDAY COULD VERY WELL STAY BELOW FREEZING OVER ALL BUT THE RIO GRANDE RIVER VALLEY...BIG BEND REGION AND LOWER TRANS PECOS. THE NEXT UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO DROP RAPIDLY SOUTH INTO NEW MEXICO THURSDAY NIGHT...THEN REMAIN OVER THE REGION THROUGH FRIDAY. SINCE THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF COLD AIR ALREADY IN PLACE...THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO TONIGHT. THEN...SNOW CHANCES WILL INCREASE DRASTICALLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO...THE GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS...THE PERMIAN BASIN...AND UPPER TRANS PECOS BY EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. A CHANCE OF SNOW WILL PERSIST THROUGH MIDDAY FRIDAY ACROSS MOST OF WEST TEXAS BEFORE DECREASING FRIDAY AFTERNOON FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES COULD ACCUMULATE OVER MUCH OF THE AREA...ESPECIALLY LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING...IN WHICH CASE A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WOULD BE ISSUED. PLEASE STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB SITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MAF FOR THE LATEST WEATHER FORECAST.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
One half to one inch of snow fell in Jal from 12/03/09 to 12/04/09.
Two inches of snow fell in Queen from 12/03/09 to 12/04/09.
Three inches of snow fell in Hope from 12/03/09 to 12/04/09.
Three inches of snow fell in Hope from 12/03/09 to 12/04/09.
Three inches of snow fell in Carlsbad from 12/03/09 to 12/04/09.
Two inches of snow fell in and near Tatum from 12/03/09 to 12/04/09.
One to one and a half inches fell in Hobbs from 12/03/09 to 12/04/09.
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: 208555, 208556, 208545, 208552, 208553, 208544, 208554.