A potent upper level storm moved into southern California, passed just south of Las Vegas, then crossed central Arizona and New Mexico. Large scale lift and mid level forcing, along with low level moisture, resulted in widespread light to moderate snow from roughly interstate 40 north to the Colorado Border.
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 potent upper level storm moved into southern California, passed just south of Las Vegas, then crossed central Arizona and New Mexico. Large scale lift and mid level forcing, along with low level moisture, resulted in widespread light to moderate snow from roughly interstate 40 north to the Colorado Border.
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 Mar 7, 3:13 PM MST, 8 hours 47 minutes earlier.
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 525 AM MST SUN MAR 7 2010 NMZ501>540-081300- NORTHWEST PLATEAU-CHUSKA MOUNTAINS-FAR NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS- NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS-WEST CENTRAL PLATEAU-WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS- WEST CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS- SAN FRANCISCO RIVER VALLEY-SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-JEMEZ MOUNTAINS- WEST SLOPES SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 9500 FEET/RED RIVER- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 9500 FEET- EAST SLOPES SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS-UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY- LOWER CHAMA RIVER VALLEY-SANTA FE METRO AREA-ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA- LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY-SANDIA/MANZANO MOUNTAINS-ESTANCIA VALLEY- CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-SOUTH CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-UPPER TULAROSA VALLEY- SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-RATON RIDGE/JOHNSON MESA- FAR NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS-NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS-UNION COUNTY- HARDING COUNTY-EASTERN SAN MIGUEL COUNTY-GUADALUPE COUNTY- QUAY COUNTY-CURRY COUNTY-ROOSEVELT COUNTY-DE BACA COUNTY- CHAVES COUNTY PLAINS-EASTERN LINCOLN COUNTY-SOUTHWEST CHAVES COUNTY- 525 AM MST SUN MAR 7 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN UPPER LEVEL STORM WILL IMPACT NEW MEXICO STARTING THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL CAN BE EXPECTED WITHIN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF NEW MEXICO...WHERE A WINTER STORM WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE AFOREMENTIONED UPPER LEVEL STORM WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK ACROSS NEW MEXICO ON MONDAY. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL SHOULD IMPACT THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF NEW MEXICO STARTING EARLY MONDAY MORNING AND PERSISTING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON BEFORE DIMINISHING BY EVENING. THE HIGHER TERRAIN ABOVE 8000 FEET MAY ACCUMULATE MORE THAN 8 INCHES OF SNOW...WITH LESSER AMOUNTS ACROSS THE ADJACENT LOWLANDS AS WELL AS THE SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. THERE IS A SMALL THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER EARLY MONDAY MORNING AS THE UPPER LEVEL STORM INTERACTS WITH A SURFACE DRYLINE OVER THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS. SMALL HAIL UP TO THREE-QUARTERS OF AN INCH AS WELL AS GUSTY WINDS UP TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGER STORMS... MAINLY OVER THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS. WEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE ON MONDAY AFTERNOON IN THE WAKE OF THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM. THE THREAT WILL BE ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40. MODERATE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY AS ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE PASSES THROUGH THE AREA. THIS STORM MAY ALSO BRING WINDY CONDITIONS TO THE I-40 CORRIDOR ALONG AND EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN FOR WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST FORECASTS... WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED STARTING THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR SNOW REPORTS...ESPECIALLY IN THE HIGH TERRAIN. IN ADDITION...SPOTTERS MAY BE REQUIRED FOR SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS OF NEW MEXICO EARLY MONDAY MORNING. DPORTER
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html><!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html><!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html><!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html><!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1105 PM MST SUN MAR 7 2010 NMZ529-532-533-080630- EASTERN SAN MIGUEL COUNTY-GUADALUPE COUNTY-NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS- 1105 PM MST SUN MAR 7 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN SAN MIGUEL AND CENTRAL GUADALUPE COUNTIES THROUGH 1130 PM MST... AT 1100 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS NEAR SANTA ROSA LAKE STATE PARK...OR ABOUT 7 MILES NORTHEAST OF SANTA ROSA...MOVING NORTH AT 40 MPH. HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN. AREAS AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF NORTHERN GUADALUPE AND SOUTHERN SAN MIGUEL COUNTIES. HOWERVER...SECTIONS OF INTERSTATE 40 CAN EXPECT HEAVY DOWNPOURS...SMALL HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS...PARTICULARLY BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 255 AND 285. MOTORISTS CAN EXPECT BRIEF...BUT SUDDEN CHANGES IN VISIBILITY AND PONDING OF WATER ON THE HIGHWAYS AS THIS STORM MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. LAT...LON 3543 10483 3535 10431 3478 10452 3482 10488 TIME...MOT...LOC 0604Z 189DEG 35KT 3507 10461 SHOEMAKE
5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Around a foot of snow fell across the highest elevations of the South Central Mountains, including at Ski Apache.
Up to nine inches of snow fell across the West Slopes of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.
Between 10 and 18 inches of snow accumulated over the high terrain of the northern Sangre de Cristo mountains.
Up to a foot of snow was reported over the high terrain of the southern Sangre de Cristo mountains.
Up to 16 inches of snow fell along the East Slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, March 2010
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: 210129, 210130, 210131, 210132, 210134.