MARCH 2003 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS FOR NEW MEXICO

March 2003 was wet and white across much of western and northern New Mexico with above normal precipitation, while the southeast was generally drier than normal.  Meanwhile, temperatures were near to a little above normal. 

March began just the way February ended with a series of disturbances racing across the state, including one on the first and another on the second.  Precipitation with these systems was generally light, although substantial snow was reported on the second in the northeast, including Raton Pass with 8 inches, 6 to 7 inches in Springer, and 2 to 3 inches in Raton.  A cold front moved into the northeast on the 4th sending temperatures into the 20s in Clayton during the afternoon while Tucumcari enjoyed highs in the 60s.  Strong winds were noted on the 4th across much of the east and south.  Another weak disturbance crossed the state on the 5th, delivering a period of snow across the northern mountains.  A drier and warmer weather pattern returned across the Land of Enchantment from the 6th through 15th.  Even the usually gusty March winds were lacking much of this time. But that all changed during the period from the 16th through the 21st, thanks to two storm systems.  The first storm approached from the west on the 17th, deepened over New Mexico on the 18th, then moved east on the 19th.  Moisture and winds wrapped around the storm and sent plenty of snow and blowing snow into the northeast, with rain showers and isolated thunderstorms elsewhere.  The second storm approached from the west on the 20th, crossed southern New Mexico on the 21st, before departing early on the 22nd.  While this second storm was not as strong as the first, it still managed to produce widespread precipitation, including an impressive 18 inches of snow at Red River, and a strong thunderstorm between Tucumcari and Clovis during the evening of the 21st.  The one-two punch from these storms brought considerable and much needed moisture to the state.  A brief break from the stormy pattern ensued as dry weather returned for the 22nd and 23rd.  A weak, fast-moving storm passed to the north of the state later on the 24th into the 25th, then a stronger system affected much of the state on the 27th into the 28th.  Mostly light precipitation was reported across the northern and eastern half of the state with these two storms, while strong winds and cooler temperatures were the primary weather factor, especially with the latter storm.  A dry and warmer weather pattern followed for the last few days of the month.    

A Large Storm Delivers Snow and Rain to the North and East on the 18th and 19th

A large storm moved into New Mexico from the west on the 17th and deepened over the east and the Texas Panhandle on the 18th.  The infrared satellite image above shows the position of the storm on the afternoon of the 18th.  Note the enhanced clouds from Oklahoma to Colorado.  Deep moisture was drawn northward from the Gulf of Mexico with this system.  The infrared satellite image above and to the right, overlaid with 500 mb heights, shows the band of enhanced clouds had moved south into northern New Mexico early on the 19th.  Snow developed over north central and northeast portions of the state during the early morning hours of the 19th and continued throughout the day and into the following night.  In addition to the snow were strong north winds that averaged 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.  This resulted in considerable blowing and drifting snow over northeast New Mexico with white-out conditions reported around Raton Pass. The Doppler radar loop to the right reveals a solid band of precipitation that drifted south during the midday hours of the 19th. Impressive snowfall totals were reported over the northern mountains and across northeast portions of the state.  The table below lists some of the higher snowfall amounts.  Temperatures took a tumble across much of the state from the warm readings during the middle of the month.  The table below and to the right illustrates the cooling trend over the state from the 15th through the 19th.
Total Snowfall from the 18th - 19th Location Amount (inches) Lake Maloya 36 Sipapu (ski area) 30 Taos Ski Valley 29 Ski Santa Fe 22 Raton Pass-Port of Entry at least 20 Angel Fire 19 Ski Apache 19 Des Moines 10 -14 Folsom 7 - 10 Raton 9.5 Chama 6 Roy 5-6 Taos and Questa 3 - 5	Max. Temperatures from the 15th-19th (oF) Location 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th Clayton 71 71 58 57 38 Raton 68 62 52 57 32 Las Vegas 67 59 53 43 37 Tucumcari 76 76 66 57 45 Clines Corners 64 56 47 44 34 Clovis 76 74 65 57 43 Roswell 80 80 68 60 57 Carlsbad 76 81 68 62 66 Hobbs 81 83 70 62 62 Farmington 66 54 50 50 51 Gallup 63 47 42 37 43 Albuquerque 67 58 54 50 40 Taos 63 52 45 39 39

TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION DATA FOR ALBUQUERQUE - MARCH 2003

Albuquerque daily actual maximum (red bars) and normal maximum (purple line) temperatures - March 2003

The average maximum temperature in Albuquerque during March 2003 was 59.6o, which was 2.8 degrees below the 30 year normal (1971 - 2000) of 62.4o.  The high of 40o on the 19th was a record low maximum temperature for the date, and the high of 44o on the 28th tied a record low maximum for the date.

Albuquerque daily actual minimum (blue bars) and normal minimum (purple line) temperatures - March 2003

The average minimum temperature for March 2003 was 35.4o, which was 1.7 degrees above the normal of 33.7o.  This was the 12th month in a row with above normal average minimum temperatures.  The average temperature for the month was 47.5o which was only 0.6 degrees below the 30 year normal of 48.1o.

Albuquerque daily precipitation - March 2003

Albuquerque daily Snowfall - March 2003

SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS NEW MEXICO - MARCH 2003