New Mexico snow forecast predicts record-breaking totals for Las Vegas, Raton, and Capulin
A severe snowstorm has been impacting New Mexico and Colorado since Wednesday, November 6, 2024, dropping nearly 30.5 cm (1 foot) of snow as of Thursday morning, November 7 in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Several parts of New Mexico are expecting to see record-breaking snowfall by Friday, November 8 with Colorado expecting heavy snow starting Friday and into Saturday, November 9.
Image credit: NWS, The Watchers
A major winter storm has been impacting Colorado and New Mexico since Wednesday, with heavy snow and strong winds across both states causing significant tree damage, disrupting travel along interstate highways, and leading to power outages in New Mexico.
As of 10:00 MST (17:00 UTC) on November 7, 47 820 customers across New Mexico were without power — approximately 120 000 people. The number is down from 62 200 customers at 21:00 LT on November 6.
Snow is still falling across the mountains and lower elevations of northern and central New Mexico, as well as southeastern and east-central Colorado.
Roughly 25.4 cm (10 inches) of snow accumulated in Santa Fe, while Las Vegas, New Mexico, recorded nearly 30.5 cm (1 foot) of accumulated snow on Thursday morning—nearly half of its annual average of 55.9 cm (22 inches).
Regions including Sangre de Cristos, Raton Mesa, and neighboring foothills could receive up to 61 cm (2 feet) of snow through Friday night, with local maximums of up to 122 cm (4 feet) being expected.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), parts of New Mexico could see record-breaking snowfall with Las Vegas, Raton, and Capulin expected to break all-time snow records.
Parts of Interstates 40 and 25 were shut down on Thursday morning due to snowfall, which is expected to continue into Friday, November 8.
The US66/77 route has also been closed from Raton to Clayton in both directions, while the US56 route has also been closed from Springer to Clayton in both directions.
The winter storm, named Anya by the Weather Channel due to its severity, is expected to bring heavy snow to Denver, Colorado on Friday, November 8. Winter storm watches are in effect in the Denver metro area, with Colorado expecting 15.2 cm (6 inches) or more of snowfall from Friday through Saturday.
Snow started falling in Denver on Tuesday, November 5, with amounts across the Denver metro area and eastern Colorado ranging from 12.7 cm (5 inches) to over 30.5 cm (1 foot) in some spots. Denver International Airport recorded 14 cm (5.5 inches) of snow, while more than 30.5 cm (1 foot) was reported in Genesee and Limon.
Areas from Castle Rock to Limon can expect steady snowfall through Thursday, with a few inches of accumulation. The Denver metro area is likely to see lighter snowfall, with around 2.5 – 7.6 cm (1 – 3 inches) of snow through Thursday.
The storm will bring moderate to heavy snow starting on Friday and continuing into Saturday morning, November 8. Around 10.2 – 20.3 cm (4 – 8 inches) of wet snow is expected across the region, with some areas seeing up to 25.4 cm (10 inches) of snow.
The effects of the storm are expected to diminish by Saturday morning, with calmer weather anticipated from Sunday, November 10, into the following week.
References:
1 Short Range Forecast Discussion – WPC – November 7, 2024
2 Winter Storm Anya Hammering Colorado, New Mexico With Heavy Snow – Weather.com – November 7, 2024
3 Significant winter storm on its way to Denver area – 9News – November 7, 2024
4 Denver records first measurable snow of the season, more on the way before the weekend – CBS -November 6, 2024
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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