Freezing rain, high winds herald arrival of major storm

Jonnie Sue Orr shovels snow on Monday afternoon as the snow flies. Orr was shoveling her mothers driveway on Piano Avenue. — © 2008 Gallup Independent / Brian Leddy

Cars race by on Interstate 40 on Monday afternoon. A number of accidents occured this past weekend due to the winter weather. — © 2008 Gallup Independent / Brian Leddy

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Phil Stake
Staff writer

As snow and freezing rain continue to coat the streets of Gallup today, auto accidents have already marked the coming of the season. Overnight snow turned to rain and back again and by midmorning about 2 inches had accumulated in Gallup.

Rain hit Gallup and the surrounding area Friday evening. As temperatures dropped overnight, roads, hills and driveways froze, making driving more dangerous. Snow came Saturday evening around 8, heralded by 30- to 50-mph winds, and then more snow and freezing rain Sunday morning. And through it all nearly 50 auto crashes were reported: Gallup Police Department took 16 crash calls over the weekend; Gallup District State Police took 21; and McKinley County Sheriff’s Department responded to eight.

Most of the crashes were minor, according to N.M. State Police spokesman Lt. Eric Garcia. Of the 21 to which state police responded, only two reported injuries.

A Gamerco woman experienced winter driving without even leaving her driveway Saturday. As she backed down the inclined drive, her car slid to the bottom where a cinder block wall finally stopped it, according to a McKinley County Sheriff’s Department accident report.

Another Gamerco accident took place about 10:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the accident report. A small Ford car partially careened off Chino Loop. The tail-end lingered in the roadway, causing a white Buick to hit the brakes.

Its tires slid along the ice-packed roadway. The Buick collided with the tail-end of the Ford. Nobody was injured.

On Interstate Highway 40 Saturday morning, a U-Haul van was apparently unable to slow down as it approached a green truck around 9. The van bumped the truck, causing the smaller truck to spin out of control. Fortunately, nobody was injured and both drivers continued on their way without a tow, according to the accident report.

Early Saturday morning, a car driving along north U.S. Highway 491, near the 2 mile marker, lost control completely. The car pitched sideways into a slide and eventually crossed the median and stopped, finally, in the southbound lanes where it knocked out a light pole. The driver was uninjured but the car had to be towed, according to the accident report.

The season has just begun. Roads remained hazardous Monday to the point where police responding to a minor accident near mile marker 15 on N.M. Highway 602 were sliding off the road en route. As of 7 a.m., only rain was visible in the cold air, which continues to freeze roads. So drive with care.

In Grants, the first set of serious winter storms has caused traffic delays and seasonal road hazards leaving drivers concerned about travel conditions.

New Mexico State Police in Grants investigated 11 crashes in the Cibola substation district between 4 p.m. Monday and 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Sgt. Richard Doty said NMSP encountered two accidents involving injuries, both minor. Overnight conditions were snow packed and icy in Cibola County.

State police remind drivers that motorists can find current information on road conditions by dialing 511 on any phone or using the Internet road conditions service.

The storm was predicted to continue in parts of the state through Wednesday night. The National Weather Service said a very strong upper level system in the Southwest brought the snow to northern and western New Mexico.

Heavy snow fell Monday in the Chama area, where about 7 inches were reported by late Monday. Ice and snowpacked spots were reported in the Los Alamos and Santa Fe areas. Interstate 40 between Moriarty and Clines Corners and Interstate 25 from La Bajada to Santa Fe were also slick, as were roads in the Datil, Gallup, Grants, Cuba, Penasco and Taos areas.

The National Weather Service reported that snow accumulations by early Thursday could approach 3 feet in the San Juan Mountains, including Chama, while the Santa Fe area can anticipate 2 to 6 inches.

A winter storm warning is in effect for the northern and western mountains, the Four Corners region and the upper Rio Grande Valley through late Tuesday night and could be extended into Wednesday night. Winter weather advisories are in effect for the central and southwest mountains, the Estancia Valley and the northeast highlands.

Travelers can get information on current closures, cautions, weather effects, accidents and seasonal closures at http://www.nmroads.com.

Staff writer Helen Davis in Grants and The Associated Press contributed to this story.