Heavy Snow and High Wind in New Mexico, January 20 to 21, 2017

Name: Heavy Snow and High Wind in New Mexico, January 20 to 21, 2017
Start: 2017-01-20T15:00
End: 2017-01-21T18:00
Location: New Mexico

January 20 to 21, 2017 · NWS EPZ · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

An upper level trough moved across the Southern Rockies with a 130 knot jet moving right over the US/Mexico border area. This system brought very strong winds up to |88 mph to the region and up to a foot of snow in the Gila region.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 EPZ wrote it up.

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 El Paso, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 20, 1:43 PM MST, 1 hour 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 20, 1:43 PM MST, 1 hour 17 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 20, 5:41 AM MST, 9 hours 19 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM
541 AM MST FRI JAN 20 2017

NMZ401>417-TXZ418>424-211445-
UPPER GILA RIVER VALLEY-SOUTHERN GILA
HIGHLANDS/BLACK RANGE-SOUTHERN GILA FOOTHILLS/MIMBRES VALLEY-
SOUTHWEST DESERT/LOWER GILA RIVER VALLEY-LOWLANDS OF THE BOOTHEEL-
UPLANDS OF THE BOOTHEEL-SOUTHWEST DESERT/MIMBRES BASIN-EASTERN BLACK
RANGE FOOTHILLS-SIERRA COUNTY LAKES-NORTHERN DONA ANA COUNTY-
SOUTHERN DONA ANA COUNTY/MESILLA VALLEY-CENTRAL TULAROSA BASIN-
SOUTHERN TULAROSA BASIN-WEST SLOPES SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS BELOW 7500
FEET-SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 7500 FEET-EAST SLOPES SACRAMENTO
MOUNTAINS BELOW 7500 FEET-OTERO MESA-WESTERN EL PASO COUNTY-
EASTERN/CENTRAL EL PASO COUNTY-NORTHERN HUDSPETH HIGHLANDS/HUECO
MOUNTAINS-SALT BASIN-SOUTHERN HUDSPETH HIGHLANDS-RIO GRANDE VALLEY
OF EASTERN EL PASO/WESTERN HUDSPETH COUNTIES-RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF
EASTERN HUDSPETH COUNTY-
541 AM MST FRI JAN 20 2017

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
NEW MEXICO...SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO AND SOUTHWEST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

WEST WINDS WILL GUST AROUND 30 TO 40 MPH THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

LOWLAND RAIN SHOWERS AND MOUNTAIN SNOWS WILL INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON
AND BECOME WIDESPREAD OVERNIGHT. SNOW AMOUNTS WILL BE AROUND 5 TO 10
INCHES ESPECIALLY FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 7000 FEET. THE WIND AND SNOW
WILL CREATE DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS WITH ICY SNOW COVERED ROADS
AND LOW VISIBILITY UNDER A QUARTER MILE OVER A FEW MOUNTAIN
LOCATIONS.

UP TO AN INCH OF RAIN WILL FALL ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS
RESULTING IN ISOLATED AREAS OF FLOODING...MAINLY AROUND LOW WATER
CROSSINGS AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

VERY WINDY SATURDAY WITH WINDS GUSTING AROUND 55 TO 65 MPH. THE WIND
MAY CAUSE DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS AND OTHER PROPERTY AND CREATE
DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES.

WIDESPREAD LOWLAND RAIN SHOWERS AND HEAVY SNOWS OVER THE MOUNTAINS
WILL CONTINUE SATURDAY MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON BEFORE
DIMINISHING IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE COMBINATION OF
WIND AND SNOW MAY CREATE NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OVER SOME MOUNTAIN
LOCATIONS. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE AROUND 7 TO 14 INCHES
FOR MOUNTAIN AREAS ABOVE 7000 FEET WITH 3 TO 6 INCHES POSSIBLE
BETWEEN 5000 AND 7000 FEET.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER WILL OCCUR SUNDAY. ANOTHER DISTURBANCE WILL
PRODUCE A FEW LOWLAND RAIN SHOWERS AND SCATTERED MOUNTAIN SNOW
SHOWERS MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE MOSTLY
LIGHT WITH SNOW AMOUNTS OF UP TO 3 INCHES POSSIBLE FOR MOUNTAIN
AREAS ABOVE 7000 FEET. BREEZY TO WINDY TUESDAY WITH WINDS GUSTING
AROUND 30 TO 40 MPH.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER WILL OCCUR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS MAY BE REQUIRED TO REPORT HEAVY SNOW OR HEAVY RAINS THIS
AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING AND POSSIBLE WIND DAMAGE SATURDAY.

ROGASH

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 high wind, 2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Southern Gila Highlands/Black Range

When: January 20, 3:00 PM MST to January 21, 5:00 PM MST
Where: Southern Gila Highlands/Black Range forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

A foot of snow was reported at the Signal Peak SNOTEL. Additional snowfall reports across the zone included 11 inches of McKnight Cabin and Copperas Vista, 9 inches at Lookout Mountain, 8 inches at Pinos Altos and 6 inches 1 mile east-northeast of Fort Bayard. Lesser amounts of snow were reported below 7000 feet with 6.2 inches 5 miles northeast of Silver City, 5.5 inches 9 miles east of Hanover and 4.5 inches 4 miles northwest of Silver City.

Heavy Snow, Sacramento Mountains Above 7500 Feet

When: January 20, 3:00 PM MST to January 21, 8:00 AM MST
Where: Sacramento Mountains Above 7500 Feet forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 32.613, -105.742 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An observer 2 miles southwest of Cloudcroft reported 9.5 inches of snow with 6.5 inches in Cloudcroft and 6.0 inches 1 miles southeast of Cloudcroft.

High Wind, Southern Tularosa Basin

When: January 21, 9:00 AM MST to 6:00 PM MST
Where: Southern Tularosa Basin forecast zone
Measured: 76 kt (87 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

A peak gust of 88 mph was recorded at San Augustin Pass. Other strong wind reports included 71 mph 5 miles northeast of San Augustin Pass and 68 mph at Condron Field.

High Wind, Southern Dona Ana County/Mesilla Valley

When: January 21, 12:00 PM MST to 6:00 PM MST
Where: Southern Dona Ana County/Mesilla Valley forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 32.353, -106.833 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A Mesonet site at Twin Peaks near Las Cruces reported a peak gust of 68 mph. Other gusts included 64 mph 6 miles west-southwest of Las Cruces, 61 mph at the Las Cruces Airport AWOS, 61 mph at the National Weather Service Office in Santa Teresa and 60 mph 2 miles east-southeast of Talavera.

High Wind, Central Tularosa Basin

When: January 21, 1:00 PM MST to 6:00 PM MST
Where: Central Tularosa Basin forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Other Federal Agency

A peak gust of 65 mph was reported 1 mile southeast of the White Sands Missile Range Main Post. Other gusts included 61 mph 6 miles east-southeast of the WSMR Main Post, and 60 mph at the Main Post.

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 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in New Mexico, January 2017

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: 676443, 676445, 676448, 676451, 676452.