Snow dusts Curry, Roosevelt

A blast of arctic air swooped down on Curry and Roosevelt counties on Saturday, New Year’s Day, and Sunday, driving temperatures down to near zero as winds gusted up to 31 miles per hour, and dropping up to 1-1/2 inches of snow.

The high temperature on New Year’s Day was 45 degrees Fahrenheit at 1 a.m., and temperatures decreased steadily through the day as northeasterly winds increased to 26 miles per hour, with gusts up to 31. Temperatures overnight continued to drop as low as 4 in Roosevelt County.

Wind chills of 20 degrees below zero were recorded Saturday in Curry and Roosevelt counties, according to according to Brian Guyer, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Albuquerque. Weather data from Saturday shows afternoon temperatures as low as 10 degrees and northeast winds of up to 25 miles per hour.

Guyer said snow accumulation in Curry County on Saturday reached about a half-inch, but heavier snow in southern Roosevelt County in the Elida area left up to 1-1/2 inches on the ground.

Despite the wind and snow, Clovis and Curry County public safety officials reported that things were quiet on the New Year’s Day holiday and Sunday.

From 7 a.m. Friday to 12 a.m. Monday, the Clovis Fire Department responded to 33 calls, including 29 for emergency medical response, one house fire “possibly due to cold weather,” and two smoke detector activations without accompanying fires, Fire Chief Mike Nolen said.

Nolen said there was only one vehicle accident reported, but that was not attributed to weather.

Portales Fire Chief T.J. Cathey said the New Year’s weekend was quiet, with “no more calls than normal,” despite the frigid, windy conditions.

Curry County Fire Marshall David Kube said the county’s rural volunteer departments “did not respond to any emergency calls due to the cold weather and snow” on either day. “All was quiet,” he added.