On Thursday, Nov. 7, a winter storm caused 50,000 people to lose power throughout the northern half of New Mexico.
Impacted areas included Albuquerque, Valencia County, Santa Fe County and Sandoval County, according to Public Service Company of New Mexico spokesperson Jeff Buell.
The University of New Mexico and Albuquerque Public Schools were closed on Nov. 7 due to the snow.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared two statewide emergencies Nov. 7, providing $1.5 million to state agencies that were responding to the impacts of the storm, according to a press release.
Jennifer Shoemake, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, said northeast New Mexico was hit the hardest, with some areas getting 1.5 to 3 feet of snow.
According to Shoemake, Las Vegas potentially passed its existing record of 27 inches for a three-day snowfall, with recent reports varying between 24 to 30 inches.
In Albuquerque, the amount of snowfall was “certainly not a record,” she said.
With trees not having lost their leaves yet, the large amount of snowfall and the weight of the snow on the leaves damaged trees, according to Shoemake.
“Lots of branches broke, and even trees we’ve heard of snapped in half,” Shoemake said. “We’ve heard stories of tree damage across much of the state.”
Buell said areas with cottonwood trees were especially impacted by tree branches bending or breaking power lines and tripping safety switches.
When he drove through Corrales on Saturday, Nov. 9, he saw tree limbs on the side of the road “almost everywhere you look.”
“This is unprecedented. In my 20 years, I haven't seen anything like this before,” Buell said.
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Beyond the power outages, Buell said that several people lost trees that are valuable to them.
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, New Mexico Highlands University canceled classes at both its Las Vegas and Santa Fe campuses through Friday Nov. 8, according to the NMHU website.
Jennifer Mueller, a student at NMHU, wrote on Nov. 8 that she had not left her dorm since the storm hit.
“It was so bad that people couldn’t even get out of their parking spots because the car would just get stuck and slide,” Mueller wrote.
The New Mexico National Guard helped clear roads in Las Vegas, according to Lujan Grisham’s press release.
Annette Gallegos, co-owner of Auntie's Tiendita in Las Vegas, said on Nov. 9 that some businesses were still closed after the snowstorm.
Albuquerque received varying amounts of snowfall, with the Westside receiving 7-8 inches and the UNM area receiving up to 3 inches, according to Shoemake.
Shoemake said the high temperature was 20 degrees below normal for Nov. 8 in New Mexico.
David Gutzler, professor emeritus with the UNM earth and planetary sciences department, said that cold air in the north and warm air in the south contributed to the rapid temperature shift. It was about 80 degrees in late October and 20 degrees in early November with intense snowfall.
Despite this wave of moisture, Gutzler said the weather service is making a cautious forecast for a winter that is warmer and lower than average, with less-than-average snowpack accumulation.
The snowstorm has left New Mexico, but some places like Mora County and Las Vegas — near the burn scar of the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire — are still vulnerable to flooding, according to Source NM.
“We expect the temperatures to rise back above freezing, where snow can melt right away,” Gutzler said.
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on X @paloma_chapa88
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
