A positively tilted upper trough was dropping through the Four Corners region. At the same time, a strong surface high extending from the Great Basin into the central high plains was bringing in cold surface temperatures from the northeast.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 positively tilted upper trough was dropping through the Four Corners region. At the same time, a strong surface high extending from the Great Basin into the central high plains was bringing in cold surface temperatures from the northeast. These features combined to create a band of heavy snow from eastern Luna County into northern Otero County where up to 9 inches of snow was reported.
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 Jan 22, 4:05 AM MST, 55 minutes earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A Cooperative Observer in Sacramento reported 9 inches of snowfall. A CoCoRaHS Observer 5 miles northeast of Cloudcroft reported 7.4 inches of snow with the town of Cloudcroft receiving 7.0 inches of snow.
A CoCoRaHS observer reported 5.3 inches of snow about 4 miles north of Akela.
A CoCoRaHS Observer reported 8.2 inches of snow 16 miles northwest of Las Cruces.
A CoCoRaHS observer reported 5 inches of snow in 5 miles northwest of Las Cruces. Several other observers reported over 4 inches across the city of Las Cruces.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, January 2015
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: 555402, 555400, 555403, 555401.