A potent upper level low pressure system that moved slowly east across central New Mexico combined with a strong back door cold front to produce heavy late season snowfall across the higher terrain and the Santa Fe metro area. Widespread snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches were reported across the east central and northeast plains.
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 low pressure system that moved slowly east across central New Mexico combined with a strong back door cold front to produce heavy late season snowfall across the higher terrain and the Santa Fe metro area. Widespread snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches were reported across the east central and northeast plains. Very impressive accumulations of 10 to 18 inches were reported along the Sandia Mountains into the Santa Fe metro area and over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Numerous long-term daily snowfall records were smashed across the region, including 11 inches at Gascon, 8 inches at Mosquero and Pasamonte, 6 inches at Cimarron, and 5.5 inches at Tucumcari. The 7.5 inches of snowfall at Clayton established a new daily record for April 29th and was the greatest 24-hour snowfall amount of the entire winter season. Significant impacts to travel were noted along Interstate 25 and Interstate 40 north and east of Albuquerque. Interstate 25 was closed at Raton Pass.
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 Apr 28, 4:52 AM MST, 3 hours 8 minutes earlier.
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</html>13 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Various sources across the Jemez Mountains reported snowfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches. The Los Alamos and White Rock areas picked up 4 to 8 inches of snowfall in less than 10 hours. Ponderosa reported a whopping 13 inches. Hazardous travel conditions were also reported by NMDOT.
Spotters and COOP observers within the Moreno Valley reported 10 to 16 inches of snowfall. The 11 inches at Gascon set a new daily record for April 29th, breaking the previous record from 1953.
Local broadcast media reported via Twitter that heavy snow fell along the west slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, including 8 to 16 inches around Tres Ritos. Severe driving conditions were reported through mountain passes by NMDOT.
Various sources across the Santa Fe metro area reported very impressive snowfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches. The heaviest amounts occurred in the area from the Santa Fe Plaza to Lamy and Eldorado where near one foot of snow fell.
Various sources across the East Mountain communities within the Sandia and Manzano mountains reported snowfall amounts between 6 and 12 inches. Severe travel conditions developed in this area. A few sites set new daily records for snowfall on April 29th. Travel was severely impacted across portions of this area.
Various sources along the western portions of the Estancia reported snowfall amounts between 6 and 10 inches. The 6.7 inches of snow at Stanley set a new daily record for April 30th, breaking the previous record from 1954. Severe travel conditions developed along Interstate 40 around the Edgewood and Moriarty area.
Snowfall amounts up to one foot were reported within the high terrain of Taos County. Severe driving conditions were reported through the high terrain by NMDOT.
Snowfall amounts near one foot were reported within the high terrain east of Santa Fe. Severe driving conditions were reported through the high terrain by NMDOT.
Various sources around the Las Vegas area reported between 3 and 5 inches of snowfall. NMDOT reported severe driving conditions with slick travel and low visibility.
The combination of roughly 2 to 4 inches of snowfall, strong winds, low visibility, and temperatures in the 20's produced severe travel conditions along the Interstate 40 corridor around Clines Corners.
Observers in the area from Raton Pass to Folsom and Des Moines reported generally 4 to 8 inches of snow with strong winds and low visibility. Snow drifts to 18 inches were also reported. Interstate 25 at Raton Pass and U.S. Highway 64/87 were closed for over 12 hours.
The Clayton COOP observer reported a new daily record snowfall of 7.5 inches for April 29th. This was also the greatest 24-hour snowfall of the entire winter season. Grenville also set a new daily record snowfall amount of 5.0 inches. U.S. Highway 64/87 was closed for several hours due to extreme winter travel conditions.
The Mosquero COOP observer reported a new daily record snowfall of 8.0 inches for April 29th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, April 2017
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: 685398, 685402, 685399, 685473, 685475, 685478, 685400, 685401, 685535, 685486, 685523, 685539, 685540.