Winter Weather Advisory: Freezing temps follow early snow
EL PASO, Texas -- A Winter Weather Advisory issued by the National Weather Service remained in effect for much of the Borderland region after many woke up to their first snow of the season on Tuesday.
The advisory was triggered by a major, early season winter storm that arrived in the Borderland Monday night and was expected to impact the area through Wednesday morning.
Tuesday's dusting of snow arrived a day earlier in El Paso than the prior earliest snowfall on record, which was Oct. 28, 1980 with an inch. And in Las Cruces, where 1.7 inches of snow was officially measured, it surpassed the prior earliest measurable snow set on Nov. 13, 1976 at 1.6 inches.
ABC-7 First Alert StormTrack weather forecaster Iris Lopez said that aside from the snow, record-setting cold temperatures and wind chills were gripping the Borderland for Tuesday night into Wednesday morning as the cold air poured in.
"Below freezing temperatures are expected overnight as temperatures will reach the upper 20s in both El Paso and Las Cruces," she said.
Snow was expected to taper off late Tuesday night, but slick and icy roadways could make travel difficult through Wednesday morning.
Transmountain Road was closed in both directions through El Paso on Tuesday due to snowy and icy conditions, state transportation officials said.
Windy conditions associated with the storm triggered a power outage that affected about 4,100 homes and businesses in west El Paso for an hour or so late Monday night and into Tuesday morning.
The Borderland can expect drier conditions on Wednesday once the storm has passed, but temperatures were to remain well below average before warming up into the lower 70s by the weekend.
For current weather conditions, the latest forecast and live Doppler radar visit kvia.com/weather. For the latest traffic conditions, visit kvia.com/traffic.
Here's a look at the snowy conditions across the Borderland this morning. We're looking for snowfall reports -- how much snow do you have at your location? ❄️Everyone's temps are below freezing, so patchy black ice is possible on the roads. SLOW DOWN if traveling! #nmwx #txwx pic.twitter.com/bY03iSm4sZ
— NWS El Paso (@NWSElPaso) October 27, 2020
Earliest measurable snow in Las Cruces today. We recorded a snowdepth of 1.7" on the #NMSU campus at our official NWS Coop station. Previous earliest measurable snow was Nov 13, 1976 when we had 1.6". #nmwx #winterweather
— Dave DuBois (@NMClimate) October 27, 2020
