Update

As if the joy of snow falling amidst a terrible drought and extreme fire/smoke conditions wasn't cool enough, we also completely shattered the record books for the earliest measurable snowfall across northern New Mexico!

According to the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, September 17th, 1971 was the prior first measurable snow (at least .1") for northern New Mexico towns and we should now see September 9th, 2020 as the new record!

Angel Fire Resort reported today that this was their earliest snowfall ever and provided cool aerial footage video.

Here are some of the towns that we can expect Sept. 9, 2020, to be the new record first snow, awaiting official NWS declaration. Notice Santa Fe's old record of October 17, 1999, getting shattered by 5 weeks (I had an inch on my car this morning in Santa Fe).

Here is a montage of resort webcam snow shots on Wednesday from Sandia Peak up to Red River.

Sandia Peak





Pajarito





Angel Fire





Ski Santa Fe





Sipapu





Taos Ski Valley





Red River





Mountain Snow Totals from Tuesday Night

Based on my scan of precipitation sensor data and webcam photos, I would say:

2 to 4 inches for Taos, Angel Fire, Red River.

1 to 2 inches for Pajarito, Santa Fe, Sipapu, and Sandia Peak.

One precipitation sensor measured .57 inches of liquid near Taos Ski Valley which if we assume a very low snow ratio of 7:1 would equal about 4 inches of snow. Looking at the photos and factoring in melting that sounds about right.

We didn't receive enough for grassy pow turns in New Mexico as I had hoped (although, if you did attempt some "shallow" grassy turns please send me pics!).

Wolf Creek Resort reported 13" as did Alamosa so maybe some grassy slope turns were made just to our north.

We also have some other cool tools to work with to get a sense of snowfall totals when resorts aren't open. Below are a few snowfall maps that give us a sense of how much snow fell overnight Tuesday. The first is NOAA's NOHRSC "snowfall analysis" which is an interpolation of observations with limited or no model constraint around temperatures or other variables like melting, and the second map uses NOAA's "snowfall depth" data, which is model-based and does account for melting, solar, temperature, etc and in high resolution so is a more refined estimate.

Both maps show 1 to 4 inches across the Jemez and Sangres, while the first map shows a few small spots of 6" around Taos, Angel Fire, and Red River which is likely inflated. The Tusas Mountains north of Chama up into the San Juans of southern Colorado were the big winners as we expected with over a foot of snow in both maps.

By the way, if you like this second map as much as I do, it is available via the OpenSummit website and the OpenSummit mobile apps. You can zoom in to view the snow depth for any area here in New Mexico or across the United States and southern Canada. Choose the "Snow Depth" map overlay and zoom around!

We will add the Snow Depth map and lots of other maps to the OpenSnow website and mobile apps in time for this winter. The maps are currently available on OpenSummit to All-Access subscribers ($19/year) and also include real-time radar, forecast radar, and wildfire smoke forecasts.

To sign up for All-Access on our website, go here to enter your email address and then upgrade on the next screen: https://opensnow.com/user/register

You can also sign up in our mobile app by going to Settings.

Wintry Conditions into Thursday and Return to Warmer Fall Weather Friday through mid-September

Our storm is still spinning over the Four Corners though lacking the energy and moisture that we had Tuesday night. Nevertheless, we will see another round of freezing temperatures across northern New Mexico on Wednesday overnight and into Thursday with periodic snow showers and rain-snow mix with another 1 to 4" through Thursday. I don't expect much visible accumulation as temperatures are slowly warming but we could be pleasantly surprised with more snowy mountainscapes on Thursday. Let's hope for as much precipitation as possible to help combat drought and fire/smoke conditions.

Starting Friday we return to a more typical pattern for September in New Mexico: warm and dry with cool evenings and this should persist deep into September. This GFS Ensemble map for Sept. 15 to 25 below shows no signs of storms across the mountain west as the main jet stream activity pushes far into northern Canada.

The NOAA 8-14 day outlook for precipitation is aligned showing a strong probability for below-average precipitation through September 23.

Enjoy one more day of wintry conditions and then a classic New Mexico autumn. If any surprise early winter storms pop up again over the next 4 to 6 weeks, or if there is major news regarding New Mexico resort openings and plans, I will post again. Otherwise, I will check back in as we get closer to November with a 2020-2021 winter outlook and an official launch of the New Mexico skiing and riding season.

¡Que viva la nieve!

¡Que viva Nuevo Mexico!

JULIEN ROSS

[email protected]

Announcements

COVID-19

While this early and potentially historic winter storm is a nice dose of fun and snowy news, we are still in the middle of a pandemic. Continue to stay safe out there and do our part with social distancing, masks, and following all of the state and local precautions to make sure New Mexico contributes to our collective victory over this devastating virus.

We are all closely monitoring and patiently awaiting how our beloved New Mexico ski resorts will handle the 2020-2021 season. Follow your favorite mountain on social media for the latest updates and I will also try to provide updates on the NM Daily Snow.