Winter Weather in New Mexico
Every winter weather event the National Weather Service has filed in New Mexico, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
The most significant on the map
The most significant winter weather episodes in New Mexico.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 146
- Deaths
- 18
- Injuries
- 51
- Damage
- $2.5 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Winter Weather in New Mexico, January 15 to 16, 2018An arctic airmass moved southwest through northeastern New Mexico early in the morning on Martin Luther King Jr Day then surged through gaps in the central mountain chain by late in the afternoon.
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in New Mexico, December 15 to 17, 2016A powerful jet stream approaching from the eastern Pacific carved out a potent storm system over New Mexico the week before Christmas. This was the most impactful winter storm since the blizzard from December 2015 and the first significant storm of the 2016-2017 season.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in New Mexico, November 6 to 8, 2024An upper low dove south into the Four Corners area during the day November 6th with much colder air diving south into northern and central NM during the day. Snow developed across northwest and north central NM during the day.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Mexico, February 3 to 4, 2010Moisture spread from south to north across the state as an upper level low pressure system tracked from the boot-heel of New Mexico northeastward into the Texas panhandle.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Mexico, December 30 to 31, 2009A fast moving, but intense short wave trough moved from northwest to southeast across New Mexico later on the 30th into the 31st. The atmosphere was very unstable during this time and temperatures were well below freezing in many areas.
- Tornado and Avalanche in New Mexico, March 11 to 14, 2019A record breaking late winter storm system moved through New Mexico on March 12-14, 2019. A deep tap of subtropical moisture surged north into the state ahead of this system on March 12th as a surface low deepened over northeastern New Mexico.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in New Mexico, December 3 to 4, 2025An upper level storm system initially brought a mix of valley rain and mountain snow to northern and central NM.
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in New Mexico, November 21 to 25, 2013An arctic cold front pushed south across the eastern plains and through the central mountain chain and Rio Grande Valley late on the 21st through the 22nd. Record to near record cold temperatures moved into the area with this arctic air mass.
- Winter Storm and Damaging Winds in New Mexico, December 14 to 15, 2021An abnormally strong storm system more typical of spring rather than early winter strengthened over the western United States early in the week of December 13, 2021.
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in New Mexico, December 22 to 25, 2011A strong upper level low pressure system that slowly moved south over Arizona and then over southern New Mexico brought copious amounts of snow to the state. Some of the areas that were hit the hardest included the same areas that were blanketed by snow from the previous storm.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Mexico, December 4 to 6, 2013A powerful jet stream that surged over the area on the 3rd and 4th drove an arctic airmass south across a vast section of the western United States.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Mexico, March 14 to 15, 2010A strong closed upper low pressure system slid south across western New Mexico while dragging a strong back door cold front across the eastern plains.
- Winter Weather in New Mexico, March 30, 2009An Illinois man died when two vehicles crashed on Interstate 40, 12 miles west of Gallup. The freeway was coated with slush and ice from an overnight light snow event.
- High Wind and Winter Weather in New Mexico, February 26 to 27, 2023The second winter storm to bring widespread high wind damages and a snow squall to northern and central NM within the span of a week arrived on February 26, 2023.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Mexico, March 26 to 27, 2009A storm from the Pacific Northwest slowly advanced toward New Mexico on the 25th, reached the Four Corners Region late on the 26th and inched across the state on the 27th. A strong cold front also backed down the eastern plains with strong and gusty winds.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Mexico, February 7 to 8, 2010The active weather pattern continued through early February with the 6th storm in three weeks impacted New Mexico. This storm crossed the central portion of the state and provided the best dynamics and moisture from Interstate 40 north to the Colorado border.
- Hail and Lightning Strike in New Mexico, May 15 to 16, 2015The slow-moving upper level storm system responsible for isolated strong thunderstorms over New Mexico on the 14th edged closer to New Mexico on the 15th.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Mexico, January 25 to 26, 2022An upper-level storm system became organized over the Great Basin area on January 25, 2022. Meanwhile, a backdoor cold front moved westward across eastern New Mexico ahead of this system.
- Winter Weather in New Mexico, January 27, 2010A brief warm up after several rounds of snowfall across the Chuska Mountains led to melting snow and muddy roads. A woman died of exposure after her vehicle got stuck in the mud and she tried to continue on foot.
- Winter Weather in New Mexico, January 28, 2010Despite a respite from winter storms for a few days, icy roads were still a factor across much of northern New Mexico due to several rounds of winter storms the previous week.
- Flash Flood and Hail in New Mexico, May 4 to 5, 2015An upper level low pressure system lifted northwest out of southern California on the 4th, setting off widespread showers and thunderstorms across New Mexico.
- Tornado and Heavy Snow in New Mexico, December 27 to 29, 2019An upper level low pressure system that moved slowly northeast from Arizona into New Mexico on December 27, 2019 produced light to moderate mountain snow with valley rain.
- Winter Weather in New Mexico, December 1 to 2, 2020A 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.
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in New Mexico, January 5 to 6, 2017A major winter storm impacted nearly all of northern and central New Mexico just a few days after ringing in 2017.
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in New Mexico, November 26 to 28, 2015A deep layer of sub-tropical moisture that surged northeast off the eastern Pacific Ocean interacted with a shallow but potent cold airmass over eastern New Mexico around the Thanksgiving holiday.
More
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 2026-09-24.