Heavy Snow and High Wind in New Mexico, December 13 to 15, 2014

Name: Heavy Snow and High Wind in New Mexico, December 13 to 15, 2014
Start: 2014-12-13T16:00
End: 2014-12-15T00:00
Location: New Mexico

December 13 to 15, 2014 · NWS ABQ · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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.

An upper level low pressure system strengthened as it approached from California and swept through north central New Mexico. A subtropical moisture tap in association with this system produced heavy snow across the northern mountains on the 13th. Additional snow fell as the system exited on the 14th due to wrap around moisture, resulting in snowfall storm totals of up to 20 inches in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Strong mid level winds and lee side trough quickly shifted the focus to high winds on the 14th, with the strongest reports across the east central plains. Numerous hours with sustained winds of 40 mph along with gusts up to 60 mph were seen across the region during the late morning and early afternoon hours on the 14th.

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 Dec 13, 2:33 PM MST, 1 hour 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 13, 2:33 PM MST, 1 hour 27 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 13, 5:05 AM MST, 10 hours 55 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
505 AM MST SAT DEC 13 2014

NMZ501>540-141300-
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-
505 AM MST SAT DEC 13 2014

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

AREAS OF FOG WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE PECOS VALLEY IN CHAVES
COUNTY AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF THE ROOSEVELT COUNTY THIS MORNING.
SNOW MAY BEGIN TO ACCUMULATE OVER SOME OF THE HIGH TERRAIN OF WES
CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST NEW MEXICO LATE THIS AFTERNOON...BUT WILL
BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD AND HEAVIER OVER THE WEST CENTRAL...NORTHWEST
AND NORTH CENTRAL TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

ACCUMULATING SNOW IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE SUNDAY MORNING OVER THE
NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL BEFORE TAPERING OFF IN THE AFTERNOON. IN
ADDITION...WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 30 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS AS
HIGH AS 60 MPH WILL STRETCH ALONG PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN
CHAIN AND ADJACENT HIGHLANDS SUNDAY. UNSETTLED WEATHER WITH
POTENTIAL FOR HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW IS POSSIBLE NEXT WEDNESDAY
THROUGH FRIDAY.

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

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS THROUGH THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/ABQ OR
BY CALLING 1.888.386.7637.

Event by event

6 heavy snow, 6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, San Juan Mountains

When: December 13, 4:00 PM MST to December 14, 12:00 PM MST
Where: San Juan Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer

COOP and SNOTEL reports across the area indicated between 6 to 12 inches of snowfall.

Heavy Snow, Jemez Mountains

When: December 13, 4:00 PM MST to December 14, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Jemez Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

COOP and SNOTEL reports across the area indicated between 4 to 8 inches of snowfall.

Heavy Snow, West Slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

When: December 13, 6:00 PM MST to December 14, 5:00 PM MST
Where: West Slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

CoCoRaHS and SNOTEL reports across the area indicated between 5 to 11 inches of snowfall.

Heavy Snow, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 9500 Feet/Red River

When: December 13, 6:00 PM MST to December 14, 5:00 PM MST
Where: Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 9500 Feet/Red River forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer

COOP observer and Ski Resorts reports across the area indicated between 12 to 20 inches of snowfall.

Heavy Snow, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 9500 Feet

When: December 13, 6:00 PM MST to December 14, 5:00 PM MST
Where: Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 9500 Feet forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

SNOTEL reports across the area indicated between 5 to 10 inches of snowfall.

Heavy Snow, East Slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

When: December 13, 7:00 PM MST to December 15, 12:00 AM MST
Where: East Slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

SNOTEL reports across the area indicated between 2 to 10 inches of snowfall.

High Wind, Quay County

When: December 14, 9:00 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
Where: Quay County forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS

Tucumcari reported peak wind gust of 58 mph and sustained wind speeds of 43 mph.

High Wind, Roosevelt County

When: December 14, 9:00 AM MST to 4:30 PM MST
Where: Roosevelt County forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

DORA mesonet site reported wind gust of 60 mph and sustained wind speeds of 47 mph.

High Wind, Curry County

When: December 14, 11:00 AM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where: Curry County forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS

KCVS ASOS reported peak wind gust of 60 mph and sustained wind speeds of 40 mph. KCVN AWOS also reported sustained wind speeds of 40 mph.

High Wind, De Baca County

When: December 14, 11:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: De Baca County forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public

Public reported 59 mph gust at the Fort Sumner airport along with 55 mph sustained wind speeds.

High Wind, Central Highlands

When: December 14, 11:30 AM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where: Central Highlands forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS

KCQC ASOS reported peak wind gust of 58mph and sustained winds of 40mph.

High Wind, Guadalupe County

When: December 14, 12:00 PM MST to 3:30 PM MST
Where: Guadalupe County forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Public

Union Pacific railroad mesonet sites across Guadalupe county reported sustained winds in excess of 40 mph.

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New Mexico in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in New Mexico, December 2014

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: 545438, 545439, 545440, 545643, 545644, 545647, 545729, 545731, 545730, 545732, 545727, 545728.