Snowy mountains, wintry weather on the way

Hard freeze expected Thursday night for much of the state

A strong weather system was expected to dump as much as a foot of snow Wednesday night into Thursday in areas of northern New Mexico, making travel hazardous along the Interstate 25 corridor from Las Vegas to Raton.

A few snowflakes may even fall in the Albuquerque metro, although no accumulation is expected, National Weather Service meteorologist Clay Anderson said.

Snowfall amounts were expected to range from 3 to 6 inches over the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, 4 to 8 inches over the northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and 6 to 10 inches over Raton Pass and the Johnson and Bartlett mesas. Up to a foot was possible over Raton Pass, on the Colorado border.

Lesser amounts of between 1 to 4 inches are possible through the I-25 corridor from Las Vegas to Raton, creating slick road conditions.

“Some of the areas along the I-25 corridor could get hit pretty hard, especially Raton Pass,” Anderson said. “Raton Pass may have to be shut down for periods of time.”

New Mexico Department of Transportation crews have been loading up salt and cinder trucks for the past two days, the department said Wednesday. Snowplows are also ready to roll. Twenty-five trucks/plows will be in the area. Patrols will be assessing the northeastern part of the state throughout the night, providing frequent road condition updates.

“We’re ready. Safety is the department’s No. 1 priority, and we are fully prepared for this storm,” Transportation Secretary Mike Sandoval said. “Our crews make every effort to make the roads passable and keep the public informed.”

Extended periods of freezing and nearfreezing temperatures from Raton to Capulin were expected starting Wednes

day night-Thursday morning and lasting until Friday morning. Breezy northerly winds will make it feel even colder.

The first hard freeze of the season is expected for much of the state Thursday night. Single digits are forecast for Raton, Springer, Taos and Angel Fire. A low of 15 is expected in Moriarty.

Mid-20s are expected for much of the Albuquerque area, and a low of 20 is forecast at the Santa Fe airport.

Anderson said temperatures may even be lower than originally forecast earlier this week, with some areas expecting as much as a 30-degree drop in high temperatures. A high temperature of 51 degrees was forecast for Albuquerque on Thursday, dropping from near 70 Wednesday.

“But the Albuquerque area may not get out of the 40s on Thursday,” Anderson said.

Gradual warming is expected to begin Friday, with temperatures reaching the upper 60s in Albuquerque on Saturday, Anderson said.

“Temperatures should be about normal over the weekend,” he said.