Freezing Fog in New Mexico, February 10 to 11, 2012

Name: Freezing Fog in New Mexico, February 10 to 11, 2012
Start: 2012-02-10T09:15
End: 2012-02-11T23:00
Location: New Mexico

February 10 to 11, 2012 · NWS ABQ · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 13

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.

Freezing fog developed across much of the eastern plains of New Mexico during the early morning hours of the 11th. Fog continued through much of the day as temperatures struggled to reach the freezing mark behind an arctic front. Areas from Las Vegas to Clines Corners reported visibilities down to one quarter mile or less. Farther east, near Tucumcari, the fog was not as dense. However, the fog resulted in a coating of ice on Interstate 40 that caused an animal rescue volunteer to lose control of the pickup she was driving, which slid into oncoming traffic. The female driver and an 8-week old puppy died in the crash.

What forecasters said that day

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 Feb 10, 3:26 AM MST, 5 hours 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 10, 3:26 AM MST, 5 hours 49 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 10, 5:30 AM MST, 3 hours 45 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
530 AM MST FRI FEB 10 2012

NMZ501>540-111300-
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-
530 AM MST FRI FEB 10 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL
NEW MEXICO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

SNOW DEVELOPING OVER THE NORTHEAST AND EASTERN PLAINS SATURDAY
AFTERNOON WILL EXPAND RAPIDLY TO THE WEST AND SOUTH SATURDAY
NIGHT...AND EXPAND STATEWIDE ON SUNDAY BEFORE TAPERING OFF EARLY
MONDAY MORNING. EXPECT SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATION OVER THE SAN
JUAN...SANGRE DE CRISTO...AND JEMEZ MOUNTAINS THROUGH MONDAY
MORNING. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BECOME BLUSTERY SUNDAY AFTERNOON
OVER THE NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS AND ADJACENT PLAINS.

SNOW WILL DEVELOP OVER THE NORTHWEST MONDAY NIGHT AND EXPAND IN
COVERAGE TO THE EAST AND SOUTH MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY
MORNING. EXPECT HEAVIEST SNOW ACCUMULATION OVER THE NORTHERN THIRD
OF THE STATE THROUGH WEDNESDAY. WINDS WILL BECOME BLUSTERY MONDAY
OVER THE EASTERN SLOPES AND ADJACENT PLAINS OF THE CENTRAL
MOUNTAIN CHAIN...AND ACROSS THE SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS ON TUESDAY.

SNOW WILL DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS THURSDAY AFTERNOON
AND INCREASE IN INTENSITY AND COVERAGE THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT.

WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST FORECASTS...
WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

SHY

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 10, 3:49 AM MST, 5 hours 26 minutes before

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Event by event

13 freezing fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Freezing Fog, Union County

When: February 10, 9:15 AM MST to February 11, 11:00 AM MST
Where: Union County forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

Visibility bounced between two and four miles at Clayton, though briefly dropped as low as one quarter mile.

Freezing Fog, Harding County

When: February 10, 9:30 AM MST to February 11, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Harding County forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

Visibility was below four miles across Harding County for several hours.

Freezing Fog, Raton Ridge/Johnson Mesa

When: February 10, 10:00 PM MST to February 11, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Raton Ridge/Johnson Mesa forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer

One quarter mile visibility in freezing fog persisted for over 12 hours at Capulin.

Freezing Fog, East Slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

When: February 11, 3:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
Where: East Slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

The lower elevations of the east slopes had visibilities down to one quarter mile in freezing fog.

Freezing Fog, Far Northeast Highlands

When: February 11, 3:00 AM MST to 11:00 PM MST
Where: Far Northeast Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

Visibility bounced between one quarter mile and four miles at Raton for over 12 hours.

Freezing Fog, Eastern San Miguel County

When: February 11, 3:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
Where: Eastern San Miguel County forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

Visibility was below four miles across eastern San Miguel County for several hours.

Freezing Fog, Northeast Highlands

When: February 11, 3:30 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
Where: Northeast Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

One quarter mile visibility persisted at Las Vegas for over 8 hours.

Freezing Fog, Guadalupe County

When: February 11, 4:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
Where: Guadalupe County forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

Visibility was below four miles across Guadalupe County for several hours.

Freezing Fog, Curry County

When: February 11, 5:00 AM MST to 11:15 AM MST
Where: Curry County forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

Visibility was below two miles across Curry County for several hours, and briefly dropped down to one quarter mile.

Freezing Fog, Roosevelt County

When: February 11, 5:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where: Roosevelt County forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

Visibility was below 3 miles for several hours.

Freezing Fog, De Baca County

When: February 11, 5:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where: De Baca County forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

Visibility was below 3 miles for several hours.

Freezing Fog, Quay County

When: February 11, 5:15 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where: Quay County forecast zone
Deaths: 0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by: Broadcast Media

An animal rescue volunteer and an 8-week old puppy died in a crash on Interstate 40 near Tucumcari when freezing fog iced over the interstate. Her pickup slid off I-40 onto oncoming traffic around 10 am and hit a tractor-trailer rig. The semi then hit another vehicle and pinned it against the median barrier where both caught fire, but the occupants escaped. At the time of the accident, visibility was reduced to approximately 4 miles with a temperature of 19 degrees.

Freezing Fog, Central Highlands

When: February 11, 6:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
Where: Central Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

One quarter mile visibility in freezing fog persisted for over 12 hours at Clines Corners.

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
Freezing Fog, Quay County	2012-02-11		Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Indirect

What these are

Freezing Fog: Fog that froze on contact with roads, vehicles or structures.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New Mexico in 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in New Mexico, February 2012

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 356999, 357000, 356996, 356994, 356997, 357001, 356998, 357002, 357003, 357004, 357005, 356993, 356995.