Courtesy/NOAA

NWS Forecast for: Los Alamos NM
Issued by: National Weather Service Albuquerque, NM
Last Update: 4:11 pm MST Nov 9, 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 11 AM MST SUNDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM

403 PM MST FRI. NOV. 9, 2012

A VIGOROUS AND VAST UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL SLOWLY WORK ACROSS THE WESTERN U.S. THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY.

THE SYSTEM WILL BRING SUFFICIENT MOISTURE AND LIFT FOR PRECIPITATION INTO PARTS OF NEW MEXICO…MUCH OF WHICH WILL TURN TO SNOW IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS.

PERIODS OF INCREASING SNOW WILL BE OBSERVED TONIGHT…AND MORE EXTENSIVELY INTO SATURDAY.

THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL DEVELOP ALONG WEST AND SOUTHWEST FACING SLOPES OF THE SAN JUAN/TUSAS AND JEMEZ MOUNTAINS WITH DECENT SNOW TOTALS IN THE SANGRE DE CRISTO…CHUSKA…AND SAN MATEO MOUNTAINS.

SNOW WILL ALSO FALL IN SOME ADJACENT HIGHLANDS OF NORTHWESTERN NEW MEXICO. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY DECREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY SUNDAY.

TRAVELERS SHOULD STAY ABREAST TO THESE DETERIORATING CONDITIONS THIS WEEKEND.

FAR NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS-SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-JEMEZ MOUNTAINS-403 PM MST FRI NOV 9 2012

…WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 11 AM MST SUNDAY…

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…TWO TO SIX INCHES OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED IN MID SLOPE AREAS BETWEEN 6,500 AND 8,000 FEET WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS OF SIX TO 10 INCHES POSSIBLE ABOVE 8,500 FEET.

LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS OF NEAR A FOOT WILL BE POSSIBLE ABOVE 10,000 FEET.

* TIMING…PERIODS OF SNOW WILL BEGIN TONIGHT IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN…INCREASING IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY SATURDAY AS A COLD FRONT CROSSES.

PERIODS OF MODERATE SNOW WILL PERSIST SATURDAY NIGHT…BEFORE GRADUALLY TAPERING OFF SUNDAY MORNING.

* WINDS…SUSTAINED SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WILL BE COMMON TONIGHT AND SATURDAY WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 35 MPH. THESE STRONGER WIND GUSTS WILL BEGIN ACROSS THE HIGH TERRAIN AS EARLY AS TONIGHT. SOME AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE.

* SNOW LEVELS…TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY SNOW LEVELS WILL FLUCTUATE BETWEEN 6,500 AND 7,500 FEET. TEMPERATURES WILL STEADILY TURN COLD ENOUGH FOR SNOW AT ALL ELEVATIONS BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

* LOCAL IMPACTS…SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL PRODUCE SNOW PACKED AND ICY ROADS. TRAVELERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO POTENTIALLY TREACHEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS…ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING.

SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. STRONG WINDS ARE LIKELY. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL…KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT…FOOD…AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

LOS ALAMOS 7-DAY FORECAST:

Tonight: Scattered rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. South wind around 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Saturday: Scattered rain and snow showers before 11am, then scattered snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a temperature falling to around 37 by 5pm. Windy, with a south wind 20 to 25 mph increasing to 25 to 30 mph. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Saturday Night: Scattered snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 15. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.

Veterans Day: A 20 percent chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 35. West wind 10 to 15 mph.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 42.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 23.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 48.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26.

Wednesday: A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 53. Chance of precipitation is 10 percent.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.

Thursday: A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 51. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Thursday Night: A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Friday: A 10 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 49.

Point Forecast: Los Alamos, NM

35.9°N 106.28°W (Elev. 6,996 ft)