Special Weather Statement for Southwest Mountains/lower Gila Region, NM
Issued by The National Weather Service
El Paso, TX
Sat, Dec 3, 2011, 2:55 PM MST
Updated Dec 3, 2011, 7:45pm MST
THE UNSTABLE WEATHER PATTERN WE HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS... AS TWO ADDITIONAL WINTER STORM SYSTEMS BRING MORE EPISODES OF COLDER AIR AND WINTRY MIXES OF PRECIPITATION TO OUR AREA.
THE NEXT SYSTEM... FORECAST TO QUICKLY MOVE THROUGH OUR AREA LATER SUNDAY AND EARLY SUNDAY EVENING... WILL BRING A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW ACROSS THE LOWLANDS... WITH UP TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE FOR HIGHER ELEVATIONS ABOVE 4000 FEET WITH FAVORED EXPOSURE TO THE SNOW AND WIND.
A THIRD MORE POWERFUL SYSTEM IN THIS SERIES OF STORMS... WILL MOVE INTO NEW MEXICO FROM THE NORTH LATER MONDAY... DELIVERING A STRONG BACK DOOR COLD FRONT WITH GUSTY EAST WINDS TO THE BORDERLAND OVERNIGHT MONDAY. AREAS IMMEDIATELY WEST OF AREA MOUNTAIN RANGES... WILL EXPERIENCE THE HIGHEST WINDS AND GUSTS... .WITH SPEEDS 30-40 MPH HIGHER THAN FOR LOCATIONS EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS. SINCE THE AIR WITH THIS SYSTEM IS COLDER... ANY SNOWFALL WILL ACCUMULATE MORE RAPIDLY THAN WITH SUNDAYS STORM. UP TO AN INCH OR TWO OF LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IS POSSIBLE FOR THE DESERT LOWLANDS BY TUESDAY... WITH OVER 3 INCHES POSSIBLE.
REMEMBER ICE FORMS ON BRIDGES FIRST... AND THIS IS ALSO WHERE SNOWFALL BEGINS TO FIRST ACCUMULATE.