Winter blast brings strong winds and blend of rain, snow

Temperatures in S.F. expected to plummet to single digits Wednesday and Thursday nights

The first strike of a one-two punch of winter weather hit the Santa Fe area Monday afternoon, with strong winds and a mix of rain and snow.

Forecasters predicted the worst was yet to come in what they described as a serious blast of winter.

Thunderstorms and high winds Monday were expected to be followed by snow, ice and increasingly hazardous driving conditions overnight as the temperatures dropped below freezing.

About 1 to 3 inches of snow were expected Monday night.

The “second punch” was forecast to hit Tuesday evening, with 2 to 4 inches of snow and gusts up to 45 mph, said meteorologist Brian Guyer at the National Weather Service in Albuquerque.

“We will see rain and snow continue across the area,” Guyer said. “It’s probably going to be more like snow, especially toward the [downtown] Plaza area.”

The high winds blowing into New Mexico this week will compound winter storm hazards and could be potentially damaging in some areas, especially in the mountains, said National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Overpeck during a weekly weather briefing Monday.

“This is going to be a pretty widespread wind event for much of the state,” Overpeck said. “Even locally along the I-25 from Santa Fe to Albuquerque, there’s still some areas we could get some pretty good wind gusts.”

Temperatures in Santa Fe are expected to plummet to single digits Wednesday and Thursday nights.

A brighter spot of news is the region will get a brief respite from the harsh weather.

The snow and winds are expected to subside by Thursday and temperatures should warm Friday through Sunday, Guyer said.

But people should keep their winter gear in hand because another snowstorm is brewing and could arrive early next week, he said.

“There will be more winter,” Guyer said.

A graphic on the extended two-week forecast shows most of New Mexico having a lower-than-average chance of below-normal temperatures, though those conditions could change.

This month, the wetter conditions are beginning to defy the La Niña weather pattern that has formed for the third year in a row and typically brings

drier-than-normal conditions to the Southwest.

This third iteration of La Niña appears to be weaker than the previous two that kept the region dry well into spring, Guyer said. This winter, more precipitation is materializing and the La Niña is showing signs of dissipating earlier than in 2022, he said.

Last year’s exceptionally dry winter conditions increased stress for the regional irrigation districts and farmers who faced low river flows because of sparse precipitation and a weaker snowpack depleted even more by fierce winds.

The dry spell also boosted wildfire risks throughout the state’s forests and grasslands, which contributed to several infernos igniting — including the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the largest blaze in the state’s recorded history.

“We’re in much better shape than we were at this time last year,” Guyer said.