A strong upper low moved through northern Mexico allowing cold air to drop into far west Texas. Heavy snow was reported in El Paso and Hudspeth counties.
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 EPZ wrote it up.
A strong upper low moved through northern Mexico allowing cold air to drop into far west Texas. Heavy snow was reported in El Paso and Hudspeth counties.
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 El Paso, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 30, 1:25 PM MST, 10 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM
125 PM MST MON NOV 30 2009
.SYNOPSIS...
A VERY COLD LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ALOFT AROUND 100 MILES SOUTH OF
TUCSON ARIZONA CONTINUES TO MOVE EASTWARD AND SPREAD A WINTRY MIX OF
PRECIPITATION NORTHWARD...OVERRUNNING COLDER AIR AT THE SURFACE OVER
THE BORDERLAND. THIS LOW WILL BE LOCATED DUE SOUTH OF EL PASO
AROUND SUNRISE TUESDAY. THUS ALL WEATHER PARAMETERS REMAIN
FAVORABLE FOR WINTER STORM CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY
MORNING MORNING HOURS OF TUESDAY WITH GENERAL LOWLAND SNOW AMOUNTS
ANYWHERE FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES...WITH 6 TO 12 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS
OF SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO. THIS STORM SYSTEM SHOULD EXIT THE AREA
TUESDAY AFTERNOON...ALLOWING THE SNOW TO END AND THE SKIES TO
GRADUALLY CLEAR EXCEPT FOR EXTREME EASTERN OTERO COUNTY AND
HUDSPETH COUNTY WHERE SOME SNOW MAY LINGER UNTIL TUESDAY EVENING.
THE REMAINDER OF THE WORK WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND SHOULD SEE
GRADUALLY WARMER TEMPERATURES AND OCCASIONAL PERIODS OF HIGH LEVEL
CLOUDINESS.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
PER SIM/RADAR CLOSED UPPER LOW (AT LEAST -25C/H5) APPX 100 MI SOUTH
OF KTUS CONTINUES TO DRIFT EAST PER PROGS. ALL THREE MODELS (GFS NAM
ECMWF) IN GOOD AGREEMENT OUT 72 HOURS AND WILL LEAN TO NAM FOR FINER
DETAILS.
ALL FCST PARAMETERS REMAIN IN LINE ENOUGH TO KEEP WINTER STORM CONDITIONS
GOING. UPPER LOW FCST DUE SOUTH KELP 12Z TUE IN IDEAL POSITION
WITH THICKNESS VALUES SUPPORTING CHANGE OVER TO SNOW AFTER DARK.
PRECIPITABLE WATER REMAINS FAIRLY HIGH AT ELP FROM 12Z RUN AT .43
INCHES. ONLY POSSIBLE FLY IN OINTMENT IS THE SURFACE TEMP FIELD
(OBSERVED AND FORECAST). TEMPS RUNNING/FCST JUST A TAD HIGHER THAN
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE BUT WITH DARKNESS/LOW MOVING IN SOUTH AND
CAUSING MORE PRESSURE DROPS...COOLER AIR TO EAST SHOULD HELP IN
THE EVAPORATIVE COOLING PROCESS LOWERING WET BULB ZEROS SOME MORE.
MAY WANT TO CONSIDER DEPENDING HOW IT LOOKS TONIGHT ABOUT HAVING A
SNOW ADVISORY FOR HUDSPETH COUNTY FOR TUESDAY INTO THE AFTERNOON
AS THEY ARE STILL CLOSE TO THE BACKSIDE OF THE LOW S IT MOVES OUT.
ALSO THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK (AFTER LOOKING AT FORECAST SOUNDINGS
OF A FREEZING RAIN THREAT EMBEDDED IN THIS MESS FOR FAR E/SE EL
PASO AND ESPECIALLY HUDSPETH COUNTY TONIGHT AND EARLY TUES SO THAT
WILL HAVE TO BE WATCHED. THE CONVECTIVE BAND THAT WENT THOUGH
AROUND MIDDAY STARTED THE EVAPORATIVE COOLING PROCESS AND HAS SET
US UP FOR MORE FROZEN PRECIPITATION TONIGHT. THE OMEGA (VERTICAL
VELOCITY) AND PVA FIELDS ARE SHOWING MAX VALUES FROM 21Z MON TO
09Z ALSO A RISK OF FOG IN THE PRECIPITATION TONIGHT GROUND FOG IN
SOME OF THE LOWEST LOWLAND LOCATIONS LATE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY
MORNING WITH LINGERING WET GROUND AND COLD TEMPS. PROGS SUGGEST
EVEN A LEE SURFACE TROF FORMING OVER E NE NEW MEXICO AS EARLY AS
TUESDAY AFTERNOON HELPING TO SHOVE OUT OUR WINTER SYSTEM FOR MOST
OF THE BORDERLAND EXCEPT FOR THE EXTREME EASTERN PORTIONS.
WED-WEEKEND: UPPER FLOW TO GO MORE W TO NW BRINGING GRADUAL WARMING
BUT MODELS ARE STARTING TO SHOW A WEAK S/WV DROPPING SOUTHWARD WED
NIGHT INTO THURSDAY JUST TOUCHING THE SACS WITH SOME INCREASED CLOUD
COVER AND PERHAPS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SOME LIGHT SNOWS. THIS S/WV
MAY BE FOLLOWED BY A MINOR SECONDARY SURE OF COOLER AIR AT THE
SURFACE MOVING INTO THE BORDERLAND ON THURSDAY WHICH MAY SLOW THE
TEMP RECOVER JUST A LITTLE.
IN THE LONGER TERM A LARGER PACIFIC SYSTEMS MAY MOVE INTO THE
BORDERLAND IN THE NEXT MONDAY TUESDAY TIME FRAME BRING INCREASING
CLOUDS...WIND...AND CHANCE OF SHOWERS
&&
.AVIATION...VALID 01/00Z-02/00Z...
UPPER LOW MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN MEXICO AND INTO FAR WEST TX OVER
THE NEXT 24 HRS. RAIN WILL CHANGE OVER TO SNOW AT ALL TAF SITES BY
03Z-06Z. HEAVIEST SNOWS EXPECTED AT KLRU AND KELP BEFORE 06Z WHERE
VSBYS COULD FALL TO <= 1SM WITH CIGS BLO BKN010. GENERALLY EXPECT
VSBYS 1-3SM WITH CIGS AOA BKN010 AT KTCS AND KDMN THROUGH MUCH OF
THE NIGHT AND RISING TO MVFR AT KDMN AND TO VFR AT KTCS AFTER 15Z.
CIGS WILL GRADUALLY RISE THROUGH THE LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTN AT
KLRU AND KELP TO VFR.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
UPPER LOW CURRENTLY OVER NORTHERN MEXICO WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE
EASTWARD OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS THROUGH WEST TEXAS AND INTO
THE SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY BY WEDNESDAY. RAIN WILL CHANGE
OVER TO SNOW AT VALLEY LOCATIONS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2-5 INCHES IN LOWLANDS AND 8 TO 12 INCHES IN
THE SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS ARE EXPECTED. AS THE UPPER LOW MOVES OUT OF
THE AREA...TEMPERATURES WILL GRADUALLY WARM OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL
DAYS...BUT STILL REMAINING SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL WITH ANOTHER SURGE
OF COLD AIR EXPECTED AROUND FRIDAY AS A DISTURBANCE MOVES SOUTH
ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. FIRE DANGER IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN LOW
THROUGH THE WEEK.
26 GRZYWACZ
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
EL PASO 29 44 28 50 33 / 90 30 0 0 0
SIERRA BLANCA TX 29 36 24 46 28 / 90 40 10 0 0
LAS CRUCES 28 44 25 50 30 / 90 30 0 0 0
ALAMOGORDO 25 43 24 48 28 / 90 30 10 0 0
CLOUDCROFT 17 32 12 36 18 / 90 40 10 0 0
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 25 42 24 48 25 / 80 20 0 0 0
SILVER CITY 23 39 22 44 25 / 70 10 0 0 0
DEMING 28 45 26 52 29 / 90 20 0 0 0
LORDSBURG 27 46 23 53 28 / 60 10 0 0 0
&&
.EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NM...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST TUESDAY FOR NMZ022>024-031-
032.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON MST TUESDAY FOR NMZ025.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 5 AM MST
TUESDAY FOR NMZ030.
TX...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST TUESDAY FOR TXZ055-056.
&&
20/26 NOVLAN / GRZYWACZHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 645 AM MST MON NOV 30 2009 NMZ022>025-030>032-TXZ055-056-011300- SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS/LOWER GILA REGION-SIERRA COUNTY LAKES REGION- TULAROSA BASIN/SOUTHERN DESERT-SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS- SOUTHWEST DESERT/BOOTHEEL-SOUTHWEST DESERT/MIMBRES BASIN- SOUTHERN DESERT-EL PASO-HUDSPETH- 645 AM MST MON NOV 30 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO...SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO AND SOUTHWEST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE. THE SHOWERS SHOULD CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. THE SNOW SHOULD BECOME HEAVIER AGAIN BY THIS EVENING. WINTER STORM WARNINGS FOR HEAVY SNOW ARE IN EFFECT. THE MOUNTAIN AREAS WILL LIKELY SEE ABOUT 6 TO 12 INCHES...WHILE 3 TO 6 INCHES IS FORECAST FOR THE LOWLANDS...ALL THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. A FEW SNOW SHOWERS WILL LINGER INTO TUESDAY AFTERNOON EAST OF EL PASO. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS MAY BE REQUIRED TO REPORT SNOW AMOUNTS MAINLY SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING...ESPECIALLY AROUND MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX 616 PM MST MON NOV 30 2009 NMZ024-025-032-TXZ055-056-010215- SOUTHERN DESERT NM-SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS NM-HUDSPETH TX- EL PASO TX-TULAROSA BASIN/SOUTHERN DESERT NM- 616 PM MST MON NOV 30 2009 ...WINTER PRECIPITATION MIX CAUSING TREACHEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS ACROSS FAR WEST TEXAS AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO... AT 600PM MDT THIS EVENING A VARIETY OF LIGHT TO MODERATE PRECIPITATION WAS FALLING ACROSS A LARGE PORTION OF FAR WEST TEXAS AND MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. TEMPERATURES WERE HOVERING NEAR AND JUST ABOVE FREEZING AT DESERT FLOOR OBSERVATION SITES. ACROSS THE LOWLANDS A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW WAS BEING REPORTED ACROSS THE REGION. AT HIGHER LOCATIONS ALL PRECIPITATION WAS FALLING IN THE FORM OF SNOWFALL. THIS STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE PRECIPITATION THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING WITH MUCH OF IT IN THE FORM OF SNOW OVERNIGHT. IN TEXAS...INTERSTATE 10 THROUGH HUDSPETH COUNTY WAS REPORTED AS SNOWPACK. IN ADDITION TRANSMOUNTAIN ROAD IN EL PASO IS CLOSED. ELEVATED ROAD SURFACES IN EL PASO ARE STARTING TO GET SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ON THE SHOULDERS. IN NEW MEXICO... HIGHWAY 404 THROUGH ANTHONY GAP IS CLOSED. HIGHWAY 152 OVER EMORY PASS IS ALSO CLOSED. HIGHWAY 70 EAST OF LAS CRUCES OVER SAN AUGUSTINE PASS IS REPORTED AS SNOW PACKED. ROADS IN THE SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS ARE ALSO SNOW PACKED AND TIRE CHAINS ARE REQUIRED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL MEDIA FOR THE LATEST WEATHER UPDATES. BIRD
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX 925 PM MST MON NOV 30 2009 NMZ024-025-032-TXZ055-056-010700- SOUTHERN DESERT NM-SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS NM-HUDSPETH TX- EL PASO TX-TULAROSA BASIN/SOUTHERN DESERT NM- 925 PM MST MON NOV 30 2009 ...WINTER PRECIPITATION MIX CAUSING DIFFICULT DRIVING CONDITIONS ACROSS FAR WEST TEXAS AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO... AT 900PM MDT THIS EVENING A VARIETY OF LIGHT TO MODERATE PRECIPITATION WAS FALLING ACROSS A LARGE PORTION OF FAR WEST TEXAS AND MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. TEMPERATURES WERE HOVERING NEAR AND JUST ABOVE FREEZING AT DESERT FLOOR OBSERVATION SITES. ACROSS THE LOWLANDS A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW WAS BEING REPORTED ACROSS THE REGION. ALL PRECIPITATION AT LOCATIONS ABOVE 4500 FT WAS FALLING AS SNOW. THIS STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE PRECIPITATION THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING WITH MUCH OF IT IN THE FORM OF SNOW OVERNIGHT. IN TEXAS...INTERSTATE 10 THROUGH HUDSPETH COUNTY WAS REPORTED AS SNOWPACKED. HIGHWAY 62 1 18 WAS ALSO REPORTED AS SNOWPACKED THROUGH HUDSPETH COUNTY. IN ADDITION TRANSMOUNTAIN ROAD IN EL PASO IS CLOSED. ALL BRIDGES AND ELEVATED ROAD SURFACES IN EL PASO ARE LIKELY TO HAVE SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION ON THEM. IN NEW MEXICO... HIGHWAY 4 04 THROUGH ANTHONY GAP IS CLOSED. HIGHWAY 152 OVER EMORY PASS IS ALSO CLOSED. HIGHWAY 70 EAST OF LAS CRUCES OVER SAN AUGUSTINE PASS IS REPORTED AS SNOW PACKED. ROADS IN THE SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS ARE ALSO SNOW PACKED AND TIRE CHAINS ARE REQUIRED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL MEDIA FOR THE LATEST WEATHER UPDATES. BIRD
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow was reported across El Paso county with up to 5.5 inches at McKelligon Canyon, 3.1 inches 18 miles east of El Paso and 3 inches officially at the El Paso Airport. Snow originally started on the evening of 11/30.
Twelve inches of snow was reported 20 miles east of Sierra Blanca near the Hudspeth/Culberson County line. Other snowfall amounts included 4 inches in Dell City, 5 inches in Sierra Blanca and 6 to 8 inches across northwestern Hudspeth County.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, 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: 202317, 202318.