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Albuquerque weather update: No snow in the metro area, but farther north up to 7 inches

20231130-news-sfsnow-1 — Jose Ramos shovels snow off the sidewalk in front of the Old Santa Fe Inn in Santa Fe on Thursday. The City Different got several inches of snow Thursday morning, closing schools, state offices and several businesses.

20231130-news-sfsnow-3 — A crow voices its opinion about the weather from a pear tree along Galisteo Street in Santa Fe on Thursday.

Snow covers the sign at the corner of Constellation and Big Dipper Road in the East Mountains, south of Tijeras, on Thursday.

A thick layer of snow covers Big Dipper Road south of Tijeras on Thursday.

20231130-news-sfsnow-4 — Tim Steinhoff shovels snow from in front of the Pueblo Bonito Inn on Thursday in Santa Fe.

Snow covers a portion of the East Mountains south of Tijeras in November. State officials say groundwater is declining in the East Mountains so rapidly that 80% of wells will run dry within 40 years.

20231130-news-sfsnow-6 — Traffic slowly moves along Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe on Thursday.

20231130-news-sfsnow-5 — On Thursday, there were plenty of open spaces along Galisteo Street in Santa Fe, although paying the meter might be problematic.

Elizabeth Tucker Elizabeth Tucker Elizabeth Tucker Journal Staff Writer

Published November 30, 2023 - 6:00 p.m. Modified November 30, 2023 - 7:30 p.m.

Thursday was a damp and chilly day for northern and central New Mexicans, as precipitation entered from the west Wednesday night into early Thursday morning, bringing with it rain, snow and freezing fog.

The snow in the Albuquerque metro area didn't last long, as rain melted it, but at higher elevations, the snow continued throughout the day.

As of 4:30 p.m. Thursday, the Sandia and Manzano mountains had a top snowfall report of 7.3 inches with more still falling, but in general, snowfall in the area was closer to 2-4 inches, said Michael Anand, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, Albuquerque.

Anand said Ski Santa Fe recorded 6 inches of snow, and higher in the peaks it was estimated to be 7 inches.

“Down in Santa Fe, they got 4 to 7 inches,” Anand said. “We got a few reports of 7 inches on the west side of town and south of town.”

Sandia Park area recorded 1-2 inches, and as much as 3 inches in some places.

Anand said more precipitation was expected to move into the area Thursday night into early Friday morning, bringing more snow in the higher elevations.

Anand said in Albuquerque, the weather will remain “just warm enough” to have rain rather than snow.

He said Santa Fe could get another 1-3 inches Friday morning before lunchtime.

Anand added there is a chance of another round of rain and snow Friday night into Saturday morning, but things will clear up after that.

“Things clear out shortly after sunrise Saturday,” Anand said. “(The) clouds will break up during the morning hours on Saturday, and it should be mostly sunny by the afternoon.”

Current weather forecast

This winter, New Mexicans can expect more active storm systems bringing more rain and snow across the state as the El Niño brings wetter weather to the region.