Ringing in new year with first snow of 2022

It didn’t take long for Santa Fe to record its first snowfall of the year.

Residents woke Saturday to a gleaming-white landscape to start 2022 — 10 days after the first day of winter — and have to contend with icy temperatures this weekend.

One to 4 inches of snow fell on the city overnight, depending on location and elevation, while Hyde Park Road saw more than 7 inches and the ski area had 13, according to the National Weather Service. Bitter cold was set to replace snow in the forecast on Sunday and Monday, with a high near freezing and a low of about 15 degrees both days, according to the weather service.

But the air was plenty warm enough for outdoor activities Saturday morning, as evidenced by the number of visitors at the snow-covered Plaza.

Tessa and Tripp Cornelius were visiting for the first time from Granbury, Texas, about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Tessa, 8, described Santa Fe as “pretty cool.”

Kenny Gonzales, 58, said he’d ridden his mountain bike from La Tierra Trails to the Plaza. He typically rides 30 to 40 miles a day, he said, adding that he’d only biked about a dozen miles on snowy Saturday morning.

Roads were filled with melting slush that pooled in front of crosswalks, while city Parks & Recreation Department crew members worked to clear the snow.

Randy Lopez, 52, said they finished working at 3 a.m. following a New Year’s Eve event, resuming work around 9 a.m.

“It’s wet and heavy,” he said of the snow. Palace Jewelers Manitou Galleries on West Palace Avenue opened at 10 a.m., along with lots of other shops around the Plaza.

Tsali Hall, the gallery’s director of jewelry, said New Year’s Day often is busy.

“A lot of people hanging out up at the ski basin coming down for the day,” he said.

Richard Savko, 58, and his girlfriend, Leah Tuttleman, came from Phoenix to celebrate a new year in Santa Fe for the first time.

They attended a party in the Plaza on New Year’s Eve, then strolled along Palace Avenue late Saturday morning.

“We came for the cold air,” Savko said.