'Snow Way, José!' Here's what New Mexicans named our snowplows

Snow news is good news, so don’t be giving this story the cold shoulder.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation is in with the winning names for its Name a Snowplow contest, and they’re pretty punny.

Down south, residents can expect to see “Scoop Dogg” and “Snow Way, José!” patrolling the streets. Meanwhile, “Alice Scooper” and “Taylor Drift” will rock the roads in Albuquerque, according to a news release.

The announcement came Wednesday just after snowstorms touched down from Las Cruces to Ruidoso, blanketing the area in ice and snow.

“I know snowstorms hate to see the Blizzard of Oz coming!” said U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., in a post on social media about District 4’s newly named snowplow. District 4 covers the northeast part of the state.

The NMDOT received close to 700 entries in its competition, now in its second year, and after careful consideration, judges settled on 12 names. Some hark back to classic New Mexican dishes like “Chips and Que Snow,” “En-CHILL-ada” and “Red Chilly Brrrr-ito,” while others celebrate historic figures like “Clear-o-Pathra” — though it rarely snows in Egypt.

Nonetheless, “Zia Later, Snow” will scrape the streets in Gallup, while “Snow Bueno” keeps the roads clear in Silver City. And people in Taos should look out for the “Blizzard Wizard.”

“Thank you, New Mexico for the most unique, fun, and New Mexico-inspired names for our hardworking snowplows,” NMDOT spokesperson Kristine Bustos-Mihelcic said in announcing the results. “These trucks play an important role in keeping our communities connected and our roads safe during the winter months — look for our newly named plows on roads near you.”