New Mexico Daily Snow

Heads up, there may be fresher snow! Read the latest New Mexico Daily Snow

By Julien Ross, Forecaster Posted 1 year ago March 18, 2023

Powder to the people

Summary

The March 15-17 storm cycle totals are 8 to 25" across all mountains. Saturday will offer the finest of leftovers and deep powder stashes. Conditions are all-time for mid-March. Chances for light snow exist Saturday through Monday and then another strong storm is on tap for March 21-23.

Short Term Forecast

Anyone who was able to get out on Friday is no doubt waking up on Saturday with a perma-grin from some of the best and deepest conditions of the season. And for that matter, any season.

For those heading up now on Saturday, phenomenal leftovers, powder stashes, and any remaining rope drops await you.

On Friday, the last wave of Pacific moisture and energy with this storm cycle combined with the more optimal cold temperatures to keep the snow cranking. We expected 1-5" more and that is about what happened with two upside surprises of 8" at Pajarito and 9" at Santa Fe.

Here are the storm cycle totals as reported on Saturday morning with overnight Wednesday + Thursday + Friday in parenthesis:

  • 25” Taos (5" + 16” + 4")
  • 23” Ski Santa Fe (3" + 11" + 9")
  • 22” Angel Fire (2" + 15" + 5")
  • 22” Sipapu (1" + 20" + 1")
  • 18” Red River (1" + 14" +3")
  • 12” Pajarito (2" + 3" + 7")
  • 12" Ski Apache (5" + 3" + 4" estimate)
  • 8" Sandia Peak (2" + 3" + 3"estimate)

Current conditions and snowpack are the finest we have seen in the Land of Enchantment since the 2018-2019 season.

Here are some reader-submitted shots from Friday.

I will post more pics on Sunday so keep 'em coming! And send videos too as I can convert them into cool gif's. 

On Saturday morning, a few lingering snow showers are clearing out in the northern mountains. We should have some sun and blue bird skies to start the day.

Later on Saturday afternoon, we could see a few snow showers pop up in the northern mountains with minimal accumulation expected but we could eke out an inch or so favoring Pajarito and Ski Santa Fe.

Monday could see another round of light snow of 1-3".

Extended Forecast

Looking further ahead, oh nothing really new to speak of, just another mid-week mega-storm!

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday should offer chances for powder and totals could be very deep in the 1-2 foot range once again by the end of the storm cycle. 

This is not a forecast as we are still 5 days out, but the liquid precipitation through Thursday shows huge potential with the March 21-23 storm.

If thinking about which days to play hooky, Wednesday and Thursday are likely to be the best days for the deepest powder potential.

I will post again on Sunday with more fine-tuning on the timing of the upcoming mid-week storm. Thanks as always for reading! 

¡Viva la nieve!

JULIEN ROSS
[email protected]

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New Mexico Geography Key

Northern Mountains
→ Red River, Taos Ski Valley (north side of northern mountains - Sangre de Cristos)
→ Angel Fire (northeast side of northern mountains - Sangre de Cristos)
→ Sipapu (middle of the northern mountains - Sangre de Cristos)
→ Ski Santa Fe (south side of the northern mountains - Sangre de Cristos)
→ Pajarito (southwest side of the northern mountains - Jemez)

Central Mountains
→ Sandia Peak (Sandias)
→ Mt. Taylor backcountry (San Mateos)

Southern Mountains
→ Ski Apache (Sacramentos)
→ Ski Cloudcroft (Sacramentos)

About Our Forecaster

Julien Ross

Forecaster

Julien was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico and was introduced to skiing at age 7 through the public schools subsidized ski program at Ski Santa Fe. It was love at first turn and Julien has been chasing deep powder and good mogul lines ever since. Julien grew up fascinated by weather and studied physical geography with a focus on meteorology at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

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