Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Mexico, March 14 to 15, 2010

Name: Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Mexico, March 14 to 15, 2010
Start: 2010-03-14T03:00
End: 2010-03-15T11:00
Location: New Mexico

March 14 to 15, 2010 · NWS ABQ · 19 events in 19 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 19

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS ABQ wrote it up.

A strong closed upper low pressure system slid south across western New Mexico while dragging a strong back door cold front across the eastern plains. The northern mountains as well as the east slopes of the central mountain chain were hit the hardest - with some locations receiving up to a foot of snow. The snow was responsible for several road closures, including portions of Interstate 25 and Interstate 40. State Highway 475, also known as Hyde Park Road, was closed by State Police which stranded travelers returning from a day of skiing at Santa Fe Ski Area.

Event by event

18 heavy snow, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northwest Plateau

When: March 14, 3:00 AM MST to 10:00 AM MST
Where: Northwest Plateau forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Up to 4 inches of snow fell around Bloomfield and areas just north of Farmington.

Heavy Snow, Far Northwest Highlands

When: March 14, 3:00 AM MST to 10:00 AM MST
Where: Far Northwest Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Up to 5.5 inches of snow fell across northeast San Juan County.

Winter Weather, West Central Plateau

When: March 14, 4:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where: West Central Plateau forecast zone
Deaths: 0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by: Newspaper

Approximately 1 to 3 inches of snow created slick and hazardous roadways across the West Central Plateau. A man, age 60, was killed after losing control of his SUV on Interstate 40 near Gallup around 645 am MST. His wife and grandchildren were also in the vehicle, but survived with only minor injuries. Almost 30 crashes were reported, though no others resulted in injuries.

Heavy Snow, San Juan Mountains

When: March 14, 6:00 AM MST to March 15, 1:00 AM MST
Where: San Juan Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

The southern San Juan Mountains received up to a foot of snow as snow bands continued to move from south to north.

Heavy Snow, Jemez Mountains

When: March 14, 6:00 AM MST to March 15, 2:00 AM MST
Where: Jemez Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: Public

The Jemez Mountains received up to a foot of snow, including at Pajarito Ski Area.

Heavy Snow, Upper Rio Grande Valley

When: March 14, 9:00 AM MST to 11:00 PM MST
Where: Upper Rio Grande Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A band of snow set up over Tres Piedras, dropping around 6 inches of snow. Most of it fell in a period of 4 hours.

Heavy Snow, Lower Chama River Valley

When: March 14, 11:00 AM MST to March 15, 12:00 AM MST
Where: Lower Chama River Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Between 5 and 10 inches of snow fell across the Lower Chama River Valley. The heaviest amounts were reported between Ghost Ranch and Youngsville as well as around Espanola.

Heavy Snow, Santa Fe Metro Area

When: March 14, 11:00 AM MST to March 15, 4:00 AM MST
Where: Santa Fe Metro Area forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Widespread snow amounts of 5 to 8 inches were reported across the Santa Fe Metro Area.

Heavy Snow, West Slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

When: March 14, 2:00 PM MST to March 15, 4:00 AM MST
Where: West Slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: Public

Up to 8 inches of snow was reported across the west slopes of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. The heaviest amounts were reported around Tres Ritos.

Heavy Snow, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 9500 Feet

When: March 14, 3:00 PM MST to March 15, 4:00 AM MST
Where: Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 9500 Feet forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

The Santa Fe Ski Area received around 15 inches of snow while the Wesner Springs SNOTEL received around 10 inches.

Heavy Snow, Sandia/Manzano Mountains

When: March 14, 3:00 PM MST to March 15, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Sandia/Manzano Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

The east slopes of the Sandia and Manzano Mountains was one of the hardest hit areas. Some reports included 14 inches south of Golden, around a foot just northeast of Tajique and near 10 inches around Sedillo.

Heavy Snow, Estancia Valley

When: March 14, 3:00 PM MST to March 15, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Estancia Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Areas west of a line from Moriarty to Willard received the most snow. Reports between 6 and 10 inches were received.

Heavy Snow, Central Highlands

When: March 14, 3:00 PM MST to March 15, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Central Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Between 6 and 12 inches of snow was reported across the Central Highlands.

Heavy Snow, East Slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

When: March 14, 4:00 PM MST to March 15, 4:00 AM MST
Where: East Slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

The east slopes were one of the hardest hit areas. Widespread snow amounts of 8 to 10 inches were reported.

Heavy Snow, South Central Highlands

When: March 14, 4:00 PM MST to March 15, 10:00 AM MST
Where: South Central Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Five to six inches of snow was reported around Corona.

Heavy Snow, Far Northeast Highlands

When: March 14, 4:00 PM MST to March 15, 7:00 AM MST
Where: Far Northeast Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Between 2 and 6 inches of snow fell across the area.

Heavy Snow, Northeast Highlands

When: March 14, 4:00 PM MST to March 15, 7:00 AM MST
Where: Northeast Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Between 5 and 10 inches fell across the area. The heaviest snow was reported west of Interstate 25.

Heavy Snow, Guadalupe County

When: March 14, 5:00 PM MST to March 15, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Guadalupe County forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Around 8 inches of snow fell near Anton Chico. Elsewhere, between 1 and 4 inches of snow fell.

Heavy Snow, Southwest Mountains

When: March 15, 2:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where: Southwest Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Up to a foot of snow fell in a short amount of time around Magdalena.

The people who died

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
Winter Weather, West Central Plateau	2010-03-14	60	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Indirect

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New Mexico in 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in New Mexico, March 2010

Sources

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: 211132, 211133, 211312, 211135, 211137, 211142, 211143, 211144, 211138, 211140, 211146, 211147, 211148, 211141, 211149, 211150, 211151, 211152, 211134.