Update: Snow, cold front headed to Northern New Mexico
Snow and a deep cold spell will slide into northern and central New Mexico beginning Wednesday night and lasting into Friday, forecasters say.
The northern mountain chains are expected to receive several inches of snow as an arctic cold front from the northeast meets up with an disturbance in the upper atmospheric flow over the state. Taos, Santa Fe and other valleys near the mountains could gain several inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service in Albuquerque. The Taos area is under a winter storm watch from Wednesday evening through most of Friday.
The heaviest snowfall is expected Thursday with a 51 percent chance of precipitation in Santa Fe, which could get up to four inches of snow. The Taos Valley could see snow accumulations of 8 to 12 inches.
Northeastern portions of the state could experience below freezing temperatures for 36 hours, according to the NWS.
Every inch of snow will be good news in the new year for a state that experienced among its warmest months on record in 2016. Statewide, February, March, June, July, October and November were all in the top 10 hottest on record, according to meteorologists.
The state was a bit behind on overall precipitation in 2016 but it was not among the driest years on record. In the last two decades, 10 years have been drier than average and 10 years have been wetter, according to National Weather Service data.
December started out dry but saw some snowstorms arrive over Christmas and New Year’s weekends.
Telemetry sites on Tuesday reported a total snow depth of 22 inches at the Santa Fe site and 34 inches at the Taos Powderhorn. The equivalent water contained in the snow at the Santa Fe site, if it was melted down, was a little over 6 inches, compared to 11 inches of snow to water equivalent in 2016 at this time.
The Taos News is a sister-paper of The Santa Fe New Mexican. Contact Staci Matlock at 505-986-3055 or smatlock@sfnewmexican.com.
