Winter storm smacks New Mexico, could dump several feet of snow

Residents across New Mexico and Colorado hunkered down in biting wintry conditions Thursday that made roads impassable, as forecasters predicted there could be historic amounts of snow in the region.

Several inches of snow were expected in lower elevations. Forecasters said it could be a matter of "feet, not inches" in the Sangre de Cristo, Jemez, and Sandia-Manzano mountains in New Mexico. By Thursday evening, the National Weather Service in Albuquerque said several locations along the central mountains had "already seen over a foot of snow with more to come."

Blizzard warnings, winter weather warnings, and advisories were in place across large parts of New Mexico and Colorado. The snowstorm was expected to continue through Friday evening, the weather service said.

About 20,000 people in New Mexico were without power on Thursday night, down from 45,000 earlier in the day, according to poweroutage.us. The Public Service Co. of New Mexico said on its website that crews are working quickly to restore power but that outages could be widespread and prolonged as the storm lingers.

Forecasters had been alerting residents of the coming storm for several days and urging them to take preparations such as gathering emergency supplies, filling up on gas, bringing pets indoors and checking on neighbors.

"If you are hearing numbers on the news that seem unbelievably high for snowfall amounts in November: believe them. This is a MAJOR storm," the weather service in Albuquerque warned Wednesday.

Lisa Pieniazek, an educational assistant who lives in Sandia Park, New Mexico, about 25 miles outside Albuquerque, told USA TODAY on Thursday that she got 17 inches of snow at her house, and roads nearby are icy and slushy.

Pieniazek said she knocked on snow-covered wood hoping the power would stay on. Not far from her, she knows people who lost power. At her house, the power flickered a few times overnight. About 25 miles west, the roads were wet but unobstructed, and 50 miles east, the interstate was shut down because of accidents and low visibility, she said.

"We're kind of right in the middle of it all," Pieniazek said. "It's a little bit more than we've had in recent memory."

Residents in Sandia Park, New Mexico, outside of Albuquerque, shovel snow as a major winter storm moves slowly through the state on Nov. 7, 2024.
Residents in Sandia Park, New Mexico, outside of Albuquerque, shovel snow as a major winter storm moves slowly through the state on Nov. 7, 2024.

Roads covered in snow and ice as cars get stranded

Over 100 vehicles are left stranded on Highways 56, 412 and 87, the weather service in Albuquerque said. People were urged to stay off the roads so emergency crews can rescue drivers. Multiple car accidents were reported in the east slopes of the Sangre De Cristo mountains.

"Travel is highly discouraged," the weather service said.

Portions of interstates in both directions were closed in the northeast corner of New Mexico on Thursday as ice and snow blanketed roads, the State Police said. To make travel conditions worse, dense fog was anticipated to develop Thursday night and Friday night, forecasters said.

Flamingo lawn ornaments are blanketed in snow at Lisa Pieniazek's home in Sandia Park, New Mexico, as much of the state is dumped on by a potentially record-breaking winter storm on Nov. 7, 2024.
Flamingo lawn ornaments are blanketed in snow at Lisa Pieniazek's home in Sandia Park, New Mexico, as much of the state is dumped on by a potentially record-breaking winter storm on Nov. 7, 2024.

Multiple feet of snow in parts of Colorado also possible

In Colorado, forecasters said several waves of snow would dump across the region through Saturday morning. The weight of heavy snow could lead to downed trees and power lines and disruptions to agriculture, the weather service in Pueblo said.

"Very heavy snow" is expected both Thursday and Friday along the South I-25 corridor. There could be 3 to 4 feet of snow in Huerfano and Las Animas counties, which could rival historical October and November snowfalls there.

Snowfall at its heaviest could come down at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour, and possibly up to 3 inches per hour. Visibility will fall to at or under one-quarter mile, the weather service said.

The weather service in Boulder said areas of the Palmer Divide and east-central plains will see the heaviest snow with up to 12 to 19 inches possible. The agency warned that the "strongest wave" of snowfall will start Friday morning in Elbert, Lincoln, and Washington counties.

In the Denver metro area and towards the town of Akron, heavier snowfall is forecast by Friday afternoon and could impact the evening commute for residents, the weather service added.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Mexico snow storm: Roads closed, power outages reported