Region could see 6-8 inches of snow

If not tonight, Curry and Roosevelt counties can expect to see snow on the ground Sunday. At least 2 inches are expected to fall by mid-day Sunday with a good chance of receiving more, according to the National Weather Service in Albuquerque.

“There is a high probability that eastern New Mexico will receive more than 2 inches. On the higher end, these areas could receive up to 6-8 inches of snowfall, with 3-6 inches seeming more likely. Models are in much better agreement, but there is still some uncertainty regarding the placement and timing of this event,” said Sharon Sullivan, a meteorologist at the NWS in Albuquerque.

On Friday, Clovis and Portales had over a 90% percent chance of receiving 2 inches of snow or more and over a 70% chance of seeing more than 4 inches, according to the NWS Probabilistic Snowfall Experiment. The expected snowfall amount still remained high, with the NWS showing that around 7 inches of snow was expected.

The area has not seen any major precipitation since October.

“A lot of our recent systems have been coming from the Pacific Northwest, including the one this upcoming weekend. There's been several of these, but they just haven't been able to deliver enough moisture by the time they get to us,” Sullivan said.

High winds are not expected to follow this storm, but gusts of 35 to 45 mph were expected to precede it Saturday.

“Once the snow tapers off, drier and cooler conditions will be left behind in its wake with highs on Sunday well below normal areawide. Any snow cover Sunday will also lend a hand to keeping temperatures on the cool side,” an NWS meteorologist wrote in the area forecast discussion on the NWS Albuquerque webpage Friday.

Temperatures in the mid-40s and low 50s should break the cold spell early this week, with little chance of precipitation on the horizon.