Northeastern New Mexico and Colorado Heavy Snow –
Tuesday Night through Friday Night - Update #2…

Issued: 7:40 AM MST | Thursday November 7, 2024

• To address the northward expansion of the swath of heavy snowfall into the Denver & Colorado Springs Metros for today into Friday. 

Area At Risk for Impactful Winter Weather:

• Northeastern New Mexico & Colorado

Begins: Ongoing in central & southern Colorado and northeastern New Mexico and begins in northern Colorado late Friday morning.

Ends: Friday night

Threat(s): Heavy Snow

• Storm total snowfall amounts of 10-18 (locally 24) inches in most of northeastern New Mexico and southern Colorado
• Heaviest storm totals of 24-30 (locally 32) inches in Las Vegas
• Lesser storm totals of 4-10 inches in the greater Santa Fe Metro
• Storm totals of 5-10 inches now expected in the greater Denver & Colorado Springs Metros northward through Boulder

Additional Details:

• In central & southern Colorado through northeastern New Mexico, light snow showers ongoing this morning will become heavier as the day progresses and continue through Friday night before ending.
• In northern Colorado, ongoing light snow showers this morning will wind down by midday or early afternoon before beginning again on Friday morning. Snow will continue in these areas through Friday night before mixing with or changing to rain by Saturday morning.

• Ongoing light snowfall will reduce visibilities and result in minor travel slowdowns this morning across northern Colorado.
• In northern Colorado, the greatest impacts to travel are expected Friday afternoon through Friday night with conditions improving Saturday morning as the precipitation changes to plain rain.
• In northeastern New Mexico and southern Colorado, the heaviest snowfall and greatest impacts to travel are expected this morning through Friday evening. 
• Visibility may fall below 1/2 mile at times with snowfall rates as high as 1-2 inches per hour.
• Wind gusts of up to 35 mph will combine with the heavy snow across northeastern New Mexico this morning through Friday morning which may reduce visibility below 1/4 mile at times.   
• Where heavy snow results in depths approaching and/or exceeding 20 inches, roof loading will become an issue on uncleared flat roof buildings.
• Across the impacted region, high temperatures into the mid-30s F to lower 40s F on Friday and Saturday will rise into the mid-40s to mid-50s F on Sunday and Monday which will aid with the melting of accumulated snowfall on roadways.
• However, melted snowfall may refreeze in the overnight to early morning hours each day Saturday through Monday, resulting in patchy black ice formation on roads with the worst travel conditions on secondary roads.

• We will continue to closely monitor this threat and will issue an update should significant changes in the forecast warrant.