A major winter storm brought significant snowfall accumulations to portions of the U.S. Sun Belt before most major Canadian cities have even seen their first accumulating snow of the season.
Blizzard warnings were hoisted for portions of New Mexico as forecasters expected as much as 100 cm of snow to fall through Saturday. Widespread road closures and school cancellations resulted from the disruptive winter storm plastering the region.
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New Mexico is a diverse landscape nestled in the southern latitudes of the U.S., a stretch of land often called the Sun Belt. Barren deserts, lush prairies, and rugged mountains cover the state.
This diversity spills over to New Mexico’s climate, which is no stranger to snow—just not this much, nor this early in the season.
A formidable upper-level trough diving over the Rockies this week whipped up a wicked winter storm across portions of New Mexico and Colorado. This trough helped kick off a powerful Texas low that’s tapped into frigid air and an influx of Pacific moisture to unload heaps of snow on the region.
Forecasters issued widespread winter storm and blizzard warnings ahead of the storm’s arrival, where widespread snowfall totals of 50-75 cm were expected. Some mountainous communities in northeastern New Mexico were at risk of seeing more than 100 cm of snow by Saturday.
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This is an unusual storm for so early in the year.
Take a look at Albuquerque, which is the most populous city in New Mexico with more than half a million residents. The city averages 17-20 cm of snow in a typical winter season, with about 2.5 cm of that snow falling during a typical November.
Albuquerque was on track to see about 15 cm of snow from this storm alone, which would nearly meet the city’s average annual snowfall in just the first week of November.
What’s even more impressive is that this southwestern U.S. city has seen its first accumulating snow before most major Canadian cities.
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Several cities across the country have seen measurable snow over the past couple of weeks. Measurable snow is considered 0.2 cm or greater. We’ve already seen some accumulations across the Far North, with portions of the Prairies—including Calgary, Edmonton, and Regina—registering some snow on the ground already.
We haven’t yet seen any accumulating snow in Winnipeg or Saskatoon, nor have folks farther east in Toronto or Montreal seen at least a dusting on the ground just yet. In the case of Toronto and Montreal, at least, the pattern has been too warm lately to sustain any real opportunities for snow.
Snow is a common sight across Canada through the month of November, though, so don’t let your guard down as we head deeper into the month.