The Dexes / Winter Storm, Blizzard & Heavy Snow / 5625081
Eventdex · Winter Storm, Blizzard & Heavy Snow
CHAVES COUNTY PLAINS
5625081
The record
Everything the slot carries, as measured. Series arrays are drawn above and listed here in full.
| Event typeevent_type | Winter Storm |
|---|---|
| NOAA NCEI event IDncei_event_id | 5,625,081 |
| Episode IDepisode_id | 2,071,339 |
| Begin UTCbegin_utc | 1997-12-22T01:00:00+00:00 |
| End UTCend_utc | 1997-12-26T06:59:00+00:00 |
| Statestate | NEW MEXICO |
| County/zone typecz_type | Z |
| County/zone namecz_name | CHAVES COUNTY PLAINS |
| Deaths directdeaths_direct | 0 |
| Deaths indirectdeaths_indirect | 0 |
| Injuries directinjuries_direct | 0 |
| Injuries indirectinjuries_indirect | 0 |
| Damage propertydamage_property | 2.5M |
| Damage cropsdamage_crops | 4M |
| Episode narrativeepisode_narrative | A series of heavy snow events produced totals of 15 to 30 inches across eastern and central New Mexico just before Christmas. Periods of light snow actually began about the 20th and then intensified during the 22nd through the 25th as tropical moisture began to feed a large, nearly stationary upper level low over southwest New Mexico. Heaviest snow was centered over Chaves, Lincoln, De Baca, Guadalupe, San Miguel, Quay and Torrance Counties. Roswell and Chaves County were especially hard hit where heavy wet snow pulled down power lines, trees, numerous small sheds, plus porch and driveway coverings. Numerous roads and highways across eastern New Mexico including sections of Interstate 40 between Albuquerque and Santa Rosa were closed, stranding hundreds of Christmas travellers. Vaughn, population 300, swelled to nearly 3000 people at one point with travellers forced into nearly all available shelter and private homes. Road clearing was overwhelmed by the widespread, deep snow and the steady winds that followed between the 26th and the 31st producing drifts as high as 6 to 10 feet. Some ranching areas north of Roswell to Fort Sumner and west into Torrance and Lincoln counties saw road closures that lasted 10 to 14 days into January. Ranchers were unable to feed and water stranded herds throughout the period and eventually relief efforts included air drops of nearly 400 tons of hay. Livestock losses were finally confirmed at near 10000 sheep and cattle, including 3000 yearling dairy animals which piled up against each other and suffocated during the height of the storm on the 23rd and 24th at a stock yard near Dexter in Chaves County. Direct losses were estimated at about $6.5 million, but indirect costs for clearing and repairing roads and highways reached as high as $20 million. Winds gusting 60-70 mph were also reported across eastern Albuquerque on the 19th and the 22nd as the upper level storm brought strong east winds over the top of the nearby Sandia and Manzano Mountains. One 69 year old man died from exposure in eastern Bernalillo County after he left his vehicle which had become stuck in a snowdrift. |
| Yearyear | 1,997 |
Provenance
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Storage: spine