A deep upper low dove south out of the Great Basin into Northern Mexico. A cold front pushed in from the northeast and a second one from the west which brought sub-freezing temperatures to the region and a nice tap of moisture. As the storm peaked during the overnight hours, blizzard conditions with wind gusts up to 90 mph were reported in the Sacramento Mountains which brought down trees and power lines. Snowfall amounts were up to 30 inches in the Cloudcroft area with 6 to 12 inches common over the lowlands of New Mexico.

Heavy Snow in SOUTHWEST DESERT/MIMBRES BASIN, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 12:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 08:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Snowfall amounts across Luna County ranged from 4 to 8 inches with the highest report coming from 11 miles south-southeast of Deming.

Heavy Snow in SOUTHERN GILA HIGHLANDS/BLACK RANGE, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 02:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 08:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Snowfall amounts across the Gila region varied greatly. The greatest reported accumulation was 11.5 inches in Kingston and around 4 to 5 inches around Tyrone and White Signal. Most other locations across the zone received 1 to 4 inches of snow.

Winter Storm in WEST SLOPES SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS BELOW 7500 FEET, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 12:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 12:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 5.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

The Mountain Park Cooperative Observer reported 8 inches of snow. In addition to the snow, Timberon lost power due to strong winds and downed power lines for 3 days and later on Dec 29th, ran out of water.

Heavy Snow in EAST SLOPES SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS BELOW 7500 FEET, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 15:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 12:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A COOP Observer near Elk reported 17 inches of snow over a day and a half.

Heavy Snow in SOUTHERN DONA ANA COUNTY/MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 11:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 12:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: NWS Employee

A wide range of snowfall totals were reported across Southern Dona Ana County. The greatest accumulation was reported in Organ where 13 inches of snow fell. The National Weather Service Office reported 10.4 inches, while most other areas received 4 to 8 inches including Las Cruces.

Heavy Snow in EASTERN BLACK RANGE FOOTHILLS, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 12:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 06:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

An observer in Hillsboro reported a total snow accumulation of 4 inches.

Winter Storm in SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 7500 FEET, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 06:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 15:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 10.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall totals from Cloudcroft to Sunspot ranged from 15 to 30 inches for the duration of the event. Drifts were much higher as east winds of 80 to 90 mph were also reported during the storm at Sunspot and Apache Point. Numerous trees and power lines were downed along the Sunspot Highway south of Sunspot with power being reported out for several days after.

Heavy Snow in SOUTHWEST DESERT/LOWER GILA RIVER VALLEY, NEW MEXICO
From 26-DEC-15 08:00:00 to 27-DEC-15 03:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

A couple of reports north of Interstate 10 near the Grant-Hidalgo County line ranged from 4 to 5 inches of snow.