A low pressure system moved southeast through the Great Basin and across New Mexico on December 1st and 2nd. A brief, intense burst of snowfall in the Chuska Mountains produced snowfall rates of one to two inches per hour for several hours.
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 low pressure system moved southeast through the Great Basin and across New Mexico on December 1st and 2nd. A brief, intense burst of snowfall in the Chuska Mountains produced snowfall rates of one to two inches per hour for several hours. The most significant precipitation in many months impacted the area as heavy snowfall. The Navajo Whiskey SNOTEL reported 12 inches of fresh snow with temperatures in the middle 20s. Light to moderate snowfall also impacted many other parts of northern New Mexico. The higher terrain of northern New Mexico picked up three to nine inches while a couple inches were even reported around the Albuquerque metro area. Difficult travel conditions were reported in many areas during the early morning hours of December 2nd.
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 1, 4:56 PM MST, 5 hours 4 minutes earlier.
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</html>Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 342 AM MST Sat Dec 1 2018 NMZ501>540-021200- 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 Cristos above 9500 feet/Red River- Southern Sangre de Cristos above 9500 feet- East Slopes Sangre de Cristo Mountains-Upper Rio Grande Valley- Lower Chama River Valley-Santa Fe Metro Area- Middle Rio Grande Valley/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- 342 AM MST Sat Dec 1 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of north and central New Mexico. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Strong west winds will continue across much of eastern NM, peaking 25 to 35 mph with occasional gusts of 45 to 50 mph. A winter storm system will enter into western New Mexico later this evening and overnight into Sunday morning. This system will likely bring difficult travel conditions along the continental divide by Sunday morning. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday The winter storm system will spread over much of western and northern New Mexico through the day Sunday, with two to four inches of snow possible and up to a foot atop the mountain peaks. High snow-to- liquid ratios will allow for high snowfall rates. Light snow accumulations are possible in the Albuquerque metro area through Sunday morning as temperatures struggle to warm. Weather conditions clear out to start next week, however Monday and Tuesday morning will see frigid low temperatures thanks to the expected fresh batch of snowfall. High valley areas will likely dip to near zero across western and northern New Mexico, particularly the Moreno Valley. Temperatures warm up through the middle of next week before another potentially impactful storm system arrives Thursday/Friday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated. 24
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall rates of one to two inches per hour at Navajo Whiskey SNOTEL resulted in 10 to 12 inches of snow. This was the heaviest precipitation in the Chuska Mountains in many months.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, December 2018
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: 788141.