New Mexico, 2020

Winter Weather in New Mexico, December 1 to 2, 2020

December 1 to 2, 2020 · NWS ABQ · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A weak upper level storm system drifting south through the southern Rockies interacted with a back door cold front sliding west into central New Mexico to produce a narrow band of heavy snowfall during the early morning hours of December 2, 2020. Snow first developed over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains before pushing south and west into the Santa Fe and Albuquerque metro areas where snow…

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
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
2
Property damage
$500,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

A weak upper level storm system drifting south through the southern Rockies interacted with a back door cold front sliding west into central New Mexico to produce a narrow band of heavy snowfall during the early morning hours of December 2, 2020. Snow first developed over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains before pushing south and west into the Santa Fe and Albuquerque metro areas where snow persisted for several hours. The heaviest snow was reported in a narrow band over southern Rio Rancho where four to eight inches fell. The remainder of central New Mexico picked up just a couple inches. The combination of very cold temperatures with snow resulted in significant travel impacts along Interstate 40 between Edgewood and Albuquerque. A major semi-truck accident took place near Sedillo Hill where 10 vehicles were damaged or destroyed. Remarkably, New Mexico State Police reported that only two drivers were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.

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 1, 3:18 PM MST, 6 hours 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 1, 3:18 PM MST, 6 hours 42 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Sandia/Manzano Mountains Including Edgewood

When
December 1, 10:00 PM MST to December 2, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Sandia/Manzano Mountains Including Edgewood forecast zone
Injuries
0 direct, 2 indirect
Property damage
$500,000
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
35.121, -106.434 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very slick travel conditions along Interstate 40 between Tijeras and Sedillo Hill resulted in multiple crashes involving 10 semi-trucks. Remarkably, only two motorists were sent to a local hospital for minor injuries. Damage amounts are a rough estimate for significant damage or total loss to several of the commercial vehicles.

Winter Weather, Middle Rio Grande Valley/Albuquerque Metro Area

When
December 2, 12:00 AM MST to 10:00 AM MST
Where
Middle Rio Grande Valley/Albuquerque Metro Area forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
35.002, -106.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A narrow band of heavy snow impacted the southern portion of Rio Rancho. Most locations within the Albuquerque metro reported only a trace to two inches, however folks within this narrow band in Rio Rancho picked up between three and eight inches. No significant travel impacts were noted from this heavier snowfall.

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Mexico in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, December 2020

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 923517, 923520.