New Mexico school delays and closings

BUT, YOU KNOW, ROADS ARE ABOUT TO GET A LITTLE SLICK AS WE ARE TRACKING THIS WINTER STORM COMING IN. ERIC. YEAH, A LONG DURATION WINTER STORM, TOO. I MEAN, THIS THING MOVES IN TODAY AND DOESN’T DEPART UNTIL, LIKE, MIDDAY SUNDAY. FOR SOME OF US, A NOTE A BIG CHUNK OF NEW MEXICO IS EITHER UNDER WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES. THAT’S WEST CENTRAL NEW MEXICO AROUND GALLUP GRANTS AND ALBUQUERQUE. ALSO VALENCIA COUNTY UP AND DOWN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN AND OUT INTO MOST OF EASTERN NEW MEXICO. IT’S WINTER STORM WARNINGS. SO LET’S DO A COMPUTER MODEL COMPARISON HERE OF SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION. ONE THING YOU’RE GOING TO NOTICE IS THAT THERE IS NOT A BIG DIFFERENCE ANYMORE BETWEEN THE AMERICAN AND THE EUROPEAN MODEL. FIRST, THE AMERICAN MODEL UP TO FOUR INCHES OF SNOW FOR ALBUQUERQUE. ALSO, YOU KNOW ABOUT A FIVE INCH SNOW FOR SANTA FE AND UP TOWARDS TAOS, MAYBE EVEN A LITTLE MORE. THESE PINK AND BLUE BULL’S EYES THERE, UP AND DOWN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN, INDICATE THE POTENTIAL FOR 8 TO 12 PLUS INCHES OF SNOW. SO THAT’S THE AMERICAN MODEL. THIS IS THE EUROPEAN. AND IT DOES A BETTER JOB THAN DAYS PREVIOUS OF FILLING IN THIS HEAVIER SNOW BAND THROUGH WEST CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. SO CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING THAT THIS WILL ALSO BE A SIGNIFICANT EVENT WEST OF ALBUQUERQUE. THE EURO THROWS DOWN THREE INCHES FOR ALBUQUERQUE, ABOUT FIVE INCHES IN THE SANTA FE. A LITTLE MORE TOWARDS TAOS. AND IT ALSO HAS THESE SNOW BULL’S EYES INDICATING THE POTENTIAL FOR, YOU KNOW, SOME AREAS UP AND DOWN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN TO APPROACH A FOOT OR MAYBE EVEN GET ABOVE THAT. THAT’S A BIG NUMBER FOR RUIDOSO, 11IN OF SNOW. THIS IS THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST FOR ALBUQUERQUE’S SNOW ACCUMULATIONS. AND BASED ON THE RECENT, MOST RECENT MODELS, THESE NUMBERS MAY COME UP JUST A LITTLE BIT. I THINK THROUGH THE HEART OF THE CITY, IT WILL BE A 1 TO 3 INCH SNOWFALL. LOOK AT THE BIG SNOW BULL’S EYE ON THE SANDIAS UP ON SANDIA CREST. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR A FOOT OF SNOW FROM THIS STORM SYSTEM. AND IN THE EAST MOUNTAINS THERE WILL BE PROBABLY SIX PLUS INCHES. REMEMBER, THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR ICING INTO SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO AS SATURDAY PLAYS OUT AND INTO SUNDAY MORNING. SO HERE ARE THE IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS BIG WEEKEND STORM SYSTEM. WE DO HAVE HIGH CONFIDENCE THAT THE BIGGEST SNOW TOTALS WILL BE SEEN UP AND DOWN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN AND DOWN INTO PORTIONS OF EASTERN NEW MEXICO. FOR ALBUQUERQUE, WE’RE STILL EYEING UP THIS TIME PERIOD, YOU KNOW, SATURDAY EVENING, SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING FOR OUR 1 TO 3 INCH SNOWFALL AND TRAVEL CONDITIONS WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT THROUGH MUCH OF THE STATE. BOTH OF OUR INTERSTATE CORRIDORS GETTING HIT PRETTY HARD.