2018-12-28 08:00:00
Staff and wire reports
| Las Cruces Sun-News
Snowstorm hits Ruidoso and areas of Lincoln hard
Snow is accumulating and will continue to do so throughout the day and maybe the entire weekend. Some 12″ of snow have already fell on Ruidoso.
Pamela L. Bonner, Ruidoso News
ALBUQUERQUE – The latest on New Mexico weather:
5:15 p.m.
3:20 p.m.:
Much of southern New Mexico and west Texas is in a winter weather advisory, according to the National Weather Service. The NWS reports scattered snow shows across the region Friday night and into Saturday morning.
The Sacramento Mountains could get an additional 6 to 8 inches, while the lowlands will see 1 to 4 inches of snow overnight, according to the weather station.
Low temperatures will run 5 to 10 degrees below average, including an expected 25 degrees Farenheit in Las Cruces.
11:55 a.m.:
A 24-mile stretch of Interstate 40 in central New Mexico is closed to traffic in both directions because of blizzard conditions.
According to the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s road-conditions website , the closure Friday is between Moriarity and Clines Corner.
Most of New Mexico is under a winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service due to heavy snow expected to continue through Saturday morning.
11:30 a.m.:
Dave Dubois, the state climatologist at New Mexico State University reports snow flurries in Las Cruces, a temperature of 34 degrees Fahrenheit and 0.05 inches of precipitation since midnight.
10:30 a.m.
The National Weather Service out of El Paso reports Silver City received about 6 to 8 inches of snow Friday morning. The storm has moved east to the Sacramento Mountains. Cloudcroft could get up to a foot of snow, NWS reports. US 82, the highway from Alamogordo to Cloudcroft is closed.
A Carlsbad family went missing after an elk hunting trip near Mayhill, which is on US 82 from Cloudcroft to Artesia.
9:50 a.m.
Light snow has fallen in some parts Las Cruces, mostly around the Organ Mountains. San Agustin Pass has snow, but is open for travel. The New Mexico Department of Transportation is updating road conditions across the state.
9:30 a.m.
Lincoln County Sheriff Robert Shepperd urged people to stay inside and off the roads Friday morning as heavy snowfall continued across the county.
With 8 inches of snow already reported in Carrizozo, County Manager Nita Taylor closed the courthouse for the day.
“No one in the county is working except the road crews (and deputies),” the sheriff said. Hes received calls about 8 inches to 10 inches covering Capitan, and Ruidoso nearly doubled the 7.5 inches it received Thursday with more on the way.
“The state (road crews) are hard at work, but they’re having a hard time keeping up,” he said.
9:15 a.m.
New Mexicans face disruption of some public services and hazardous travel conditions Friday due to a blizzard.
The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Albuquerque through Saturday morning and most of the rest of New Mexico is under a winter storm warning through Saturday morning.
State officials report severe driving conditions in south-central and east-central parts of the state, with fair driving conditions reported in the southern, north-central and northeastern regions. Meanwhile, the Albuquerque airport reports flight cancellations and delays.
The Albuquerque Police Department closed its Foothills Substation because of the weather and said it is discouraging residents from driving in that part of the city, while the Rio Metro Regional Transit District closed its Dial-a-Ride office and bus service Friday.
Public Service Co. of New Mexico reported that it had restored power to thousands of customers in the environs of Albuquerque but that thousands of others were still without power due to the storm.
7:25 a.m.
The National Weather Service on Friday issued a blizzard warning for Albuquerque where snow caused “treacherous travel conditions” on roadways and interfered with air travel as some flights were delayed or canceled at the city’s airport.
Albuquerque International Sunport officials reported “some delays and cancellations” of departing flights and advised passengers to check with their airlines.
Forecasters say the snowfall would decrease Friday night as drier air arrives over New Mexico but that snow accumulations would continue along and east of the state’s south-central mountains Saturday morning.
Albuquerque and Santa Fe were among cities announcing two-hour delays in the openings of municipal offices.
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