A potent upper level storm system developed over Arizona on Christmas Day then moved slowly east along the Mexico border through the 27th. Snow developed quickly from south to north over New Mexico on the 26th while an arctic cold front raced south and west across the state. Wind gusts behind the front averaged 60 to 80 mph across the eastern plains. The combination of heavy snow and high winds created blizzard conditions across nearly the entire eastern half of New Mexico. Travel across all of eastern New Mexico was shut down. The entire stretch of Interstate 40 from Albuquerque to Amarillo was shut down for nearly 36 hours. A Civil Emergency was declared for Quay, Curry, Roosevelt, De Baca, Chaves, and eastern Lincoln counties as dozens of motorists were stranded in their vehicles in 6 to 10 foot snow drifts. Department of Public Safety assisted a total of 455 motorists. Emergency response personnel were even stranded trying to reach these motorists. Residents were blockaded in their homes with drifts up to the top of roofs. Xcel Energy reported power outages in at least 14,200 residences across eastern New Mexico and at least 30,000 residential disruptions during the storm. Numerous trees and power lines were downed as well as several structures due to the weight of heavy snow. Snowfall accumulations of 15 to 30 inches were common from the central mountain chain eastward across much of the plains. Ski Apache reported a whopping 41 inches. Department of Agriculture reported around 12,000 adult milking cows perished in the storm and between 30,000 and 50,000 young livestock died. A couple 1-day snowfall records were broken with this event. One person died from exposure in Albuquerque and another while shoveling snow in Roswell. The New Mexico EOC coordinated with the National Guard to assist several counties with disaster operations.

Blizzard in QUAY COUNTY, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 17:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 23:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Heavy snow and high winds paralyzed much of the county through the 29th. A peak wind gust to 70 mph blew a metal roof off of a barn in House. Snowfall amounts of 8 to 15 inches were reported with several feet drifts. The 12.0 inches at San Jon tied the 5th highest 1-day total snowfall on record dating back to 1907. The 10.0 inches 3 miles south southwest of Ragland tied the 10th highest 1-day total snowfall on record dating back to 1935. Two shelters were opened in the county. Numerous motorists and emergency vehicles were stranded across the county. One individual was reported in critical condition at a local hospital.  Interstate 40 was closed through the entire county.

Heavy Snow in SANTA FE METRO AREA, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 13:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 19:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Heavy snowfall and strong winds impacted mostly areas south of Santa Fe with this event. Snowfall amounts ranged from 1 to 8 inches, with the highest amounts in the area from Lamy to Stanley. A snow-hole area was observed around Santa Fe northward where amounts were less than 1 inch. The combination of north winds gusting near 50 mph and falling snow created severe travel impacts, particularly south and east of Santa Fe.

Blizzard in SOUTHWEST CHAVES COUNTY, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 15:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 22:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 100.00M
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Heavy snow and high winds paralyzed much of southwest Chaves County through the 30th. Snowfall amounts of 12 to 15 inches were reported along with drifts of 3 to 4 feet. The 15.0 inches at Elk was the 2nd highest 1-day total snowfall on record dating back to 1895. All roads were closed across this area.

Heavy Snow in WEST CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 09:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 08:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Snowfall amounts averaged 2 to 5 inches with gusty winds and blowing snow. Severe driving conditions were reported for a few hours along Interstate 40 between Grants and Albuquerque.

Blizzard in SOUTH CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 15:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 22:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Heavy snow and high winds paralyzed much of this area through the 30th. Numerous motorists were stranded including rescue vehicles with the National Guard. Snowfall amounts of 8 to 16 inches were reported with snow drifts of 6 to 10 feet. Nearly every roadway in this area was closed.

Heavy Snow in SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 10:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 18:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

The eastern slopes of the Magdalena Mountains and western Socorro County were slammed with heavy snowfall and gusty winds in this event. Snowfall amounts averaged 21 inches around Magdalena. Severe travel conditions were reported along U.S. Highway 60 west of Socorro.

Blizzard in GUADALUPE COUNTY, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 16:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 23:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Heavy snow and high winds paralyzed the entire county through the 30th. Numerous motorists were stranded across the county. A shelter at Vaughn High School housed 25 people during the storm. Snowfall amounts ranged from 4 to 8 inches along Interstate 40 and around 20 inches around Vaughn. Snow drifts ranged from 4 to 9 feet. Every road in the county was closed, including Interstate 40.

Blizzard in SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 18:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 21:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00M
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Amateur Radio

Heavy snow and high winds paralyzed much of the Ruidoso area through the 28th. Snowfall amounts averaged 12 to 20 inches. A peak wind gust to 59 mph was measured at Sierra Blanca Regional airport. Many roads were closed across the area with snow drifts of 3 to 5 feet, including along U.S. Highway 70. Several roads were closed for a couple days. Ski Apache reported a whopping 41 inches from this storm.

Blizzard in CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 10:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 22:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Heavy snow and strong winds paralyzed the entire area through the 29th. Numerous motorists were stranded on area roadways. Snowfall amounts up to 13 inches were reported around Clines Corners. Interstate 40 was closed for the entire duration of the blizzard event.

Heavy Snow in UPPER TULAROSA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 10:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 18:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Department of Highways

Heavy snowfall and strong winds paralyzed travel along the U.S. Highway 54 corridor around Carrizozo. Snowfall amounts averaged 8 inches with even higher drifts. A peak wind gust of 53 mph was reported around Carrizozo.

Blizzard in ESTANCIA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 10:30:00 to 27-DEC-15 21:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Heavy snow and strong winds paralyzed the entire area through the 28th. Snowfall amounts averaged 12 to 15 inches with even higher drifts. The 9.0 inches 4 miles north of Estancia was the 11th highest 1-day total snowfall on record dating back to 1904. Several motorists were stranded on area roadways. Emergency shelters were opened at the Lion's Club, the Moriarty Civic Center, and Moriarty High School. A state of emergency was declared for Torrance County. Interstate 40 was closed for the entire duration of the blizzard event.

Heavy Snow in WEST SLOPES OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 16:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 20:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: SNOTEL

Heavy snowfall impacted the higher terrain areas of the west slopes with up to 21 inches at the Santa Barbara SNOTEL. Other lower elevation sites picked up generally 2 to 6 inches. Difficult driving conditions were reported around the area.

Blizzard in HARDING COUNTY, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 18:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 23:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Heavy snow and strong winds paralyzed much of the county through the 28th. A peak wind gust to 51 mph was reported at Mills Canyon. Treacherous travel conditions closed nearly every road in the county. Snowfall amounts varied dramatically from north to south across the county. Areas near Union County only picked up around 2 inches while folks along the Quay County border picked up 12 to 18 inches with large snow drifts.

Heavy Snow in NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 9500 FEET/RED RIVER, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 16:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 20:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: SNOTEL

Heavy snowfall amounts around 14 inches were reported at Red River and Taos Ski Valley. Other lower elevation sites picked up generally 2 to 6 inches. Difficult driving conditions were reported around the area.

Blizzard in EASTERN SAN MIGUEL COUNTY, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 16:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 23:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Heavy snow and strong winds severely impacted eastern San Miguel County through the 28th. Snowfall amounts ranged from 4 to 8 inches however snow drifts piled up as high as 4 feet near Trementina. The 8.0 inches at Conchas Dam was the 11th highest 1-day total snowfall dating back to 1938. Several motorists were stranded on area roadways. Treacherous travel conditions were reported across the entire area.

Heavy Snow in SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 9500 FEET, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 16:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 20:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: SNOTEL

Heavy snowfall amounts averaged 15 to 20 inches in the high mountains east of Santa Fe. Difficult driving conditions were reported around the area.

Blizzard in NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 11:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 20:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Heavy snow and strong winds severely impacted the Interstate 25 corridor around Las Vegas through the 28th. Las Vegas airport reported a peak wind gust to 54 mph. Snowfall amounts ranged from 5 to 9 inches with drifts as high as 2 feet on the Las Vegas plaza. Treacherous travel conditions were reported.

Heavy Snow in EAST SLOPES OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 16:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 20:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Heavy snowfall and strong winds paralyzed portions of the east slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, particularly within Mora County. Snowfall amounts averaged 12 to 24 inches from Angel Fire southward, with up to 30 inches at San Ignacio. Mora County declared a state of emergency due to the heavy snowfall and impact to roadways.

Blizzard in FAR NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 14:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 20:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Heavy snow and strong winds severely impacted the Interstate 25 corridor within Mora County through the 28th. The heaviest snow impacted the area around Wagon Mound where 6 to 12 inches fell. Snow drifts of 3 to 5 feet were common resulting in treacherous travel conditions. Areas farther north around Raton received little impact from this event however a peak wind gust to 60 mph was reported at the airport.

Blizzard in UNION COUNTY, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 18:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 22:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Heavy snow and high winds severely impacted Union County. A peak wind gust to 71 mph was reported at Clayton. Snowfall amounts were not nearly as high as areas farther south however white out conditions occurred for several hours with blowing snow. Most locales picked up between 2 and 4 inches. The Clayton Fire Department reported visibilities below 5 feet. Despite the low snowfall amounts drifts were still reported to be several feet high.

Blizzard in RATON RIDGE/JOHNSON MESA, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 18:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 22:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Heavy snow and high winds severely impacted far eastern portions of Colfax and western Union counties. Snowfall amounts were not nearly as high as areas farther south in New Mexico however white out conditions occurred for several hours with blowing snow. Most locales picked up between 2 and 5 inches, particularly around Des Moines and Folsom. Snow drifts were still reported to reach 2 feet. U.S. Highway 64/87 was closed during this event.

Blizzard in CURRY COUNTY, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 16:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 23:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 100.00M
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Heavy snow and high winds paralyzed the entire county through the 30th. Snowfall amounts of 8 to 12 inches were reported across the county. The 10.0 inches at the COOP site 13 miles north of Clovis tied the 3rd highest 1-day total snowfall dating back to 1949. Peak wind gusts of 70 to 80 mph were reported along and behind the cold front. The Clovis airport reported a peak wind gust of 82 mph. Drifts of 6 to 10 feet were common. Numerous motorists were stranded including rescue vehicles with the National Guard. Power outages were the most widespread across Curry County, where over 14,000 residents were without power. The Department of Agriculture reported the most widespread livestock fatalities occurred in Curry and Roosevelt counties. Nearly 12,000 adult milking cows perished with over 300 in one dairy alone. Massive losses were suffered in young livestock with between 30,000 and 50,000 deaths. Estimates did not include sheep and beef cows.

Blizzard in EASTERN LINCOLN COUNTY, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 15:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 22:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 1.00M
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Heavy snow and high winds paralyzed much of eastern Lincoln County through the 30th. Snowfall amounts averaged 12 to 15 inches. The NM EOC reported that a several mile stretch of State Road 246 was buried in a drift up to 15 feet. All roads were closed across this area for a couple days. A large amount of livestock and range land animals were expected to have perished in this event.

Blizzard in ROOSEVELT COUNTY, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 16:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 23:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 100.00M
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Heavy snow and high winds paralyzed the entire county through the 30th. A peak gust to 67 mph was reported at Melrose Range. Snowfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches were reported across the county. Drifts of 6 to 10 feet were common. Numerous motorists were stranded including rescue vehicles with the National Guard. Thousands of power outages were reported. The Department of Agriculture reported the most widespread livestock fatalities occurred in Curry and Roosevelt counties. Nearly 12,000 adult milking cows perished. Massive losses were suffered in young livestock with between 30,000 and 50,000 deaths. Estimates did not include sheep and beef cows.

Blizzard in SANDIA/MANZANO MOUNTAINS, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 10:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 21:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Heavy snow and strong winds paralyzed the entire area through the 29th. Snowfall amounts averaged from 20 to 30 inches with drifts between 3 and 5 feet. Interstate 40 was closed for the entire duration of the blizzard event. The 17 to 21 inches around Sandia Park falls into the top 5 heaviest 1-day snowfall events for the record period 1939 to 2009. Many long time residents said this was the most significant blizzard event they have witnessed in the area.

Blizzard in CHAVES COUNTY PLAINS, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 16:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 23:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 100.00M
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Heavy snow and high winds paralyzed the entire county through the 31st. A peak wind gust to 60 mph was reported at Bitter Lake and Elkins. Numerous motorists were stranded including rescue vehicles with the National Guard. Snowfall amounts of 10 to 20 inches were reported across the county. The Roswell Industrial Airpark broke their all-time one day total snowfall record with 12.4 inches dating back to 1946. Drifts of 6 to 10 feet were common. Numerous power outages were reported across the county. At least four commercial roof collapses were reported, including a Diamond Shamrock gas station and a Hondo dealership. A fire was reported at Coca-Cola. The National Guard assisted with medical emergencies across the county. A 67-year old man died from a heart attack while shoveling snow in Roswell. Thousands of livestock and range land animals were expected to have perished in this storm. A state of emergency was declared for Chaves County.

Heavy Snow in LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 10:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 20:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

Snowfall amounts ranged from 4 to 16 inches along the Interstate 25 and U.S. Highway 380 corridors. The 16.0 inches at Socorro tied the all-time 1-day total snowfall record set in 1960. Travel along Interstate 25 was treacherous and U.S. Highway 380 was closed from San Antonio east to Lincoln County. Numerous accidents were reported during the event.

Blizzard in DE BACA COUNTY, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 16:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 23:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Heavy snow and high winds paralyzed much of the county through the 29th. A peak wind of 69 mph was reported at the Fort Sumner airport. A shelter was opened in the county at a local church where one family was housed. Numerous motorists and emergency vehicles were stranded across the county. Snowfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches were reported with several feet drifts. The De Baca County Courthouse and Detention Center lost heat during the blizzard. Fort Sumner lost power as well.

Heavy Snow in ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 11:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 18:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 5.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Heavy snowfall and strong winds produced treacherous travel and whiteout conditions at times in portions of the metro area. Snowfall amounts ranged from 2 to 6 inches, with the highest amounts in the foothills and west mesa. A snow-hole area was observed around UNM where amounts were only near one-half inch. Other parts of the city were at a standstill with over 100 accidents reported and several roads closed, including Paseo del Norte and Tramway. Winds gusted to near 40 mph during the event while temperatures fell into the teens. A homeless man was found dead at a local park as a result of exposure to the elements.