Snowy surprise for Ruidoso last week
Next week may see a stronger storm with more significant snow
Dianne L. Stallings- Weak to moderate El Nino still forecast to bring wetter than average winter
Ruidoso residents woke up last Thursday to a snowy surprise.
The storm that moved through the state was forecast to deliver more wind than snow for most places in New Mexico. Ruidoso was one of the few areas that saw white, Dwight Koehn with the Albuquerque office of the National Weather Service said Monday.
The area around Bonito Lake north of the village received 1.3 inches and the automated telemetry course on Sierra Blanca Peak saw 1.8 inches, he said.
"It was mostly a wind event and veered to the north," he said.
Ruidoso was overcast Monday with widespread clouds and the possibility of brief showers, because of a pair of disturbances in Texas. No snow was in sight, because of temperatures being too high, Koehn said.
He was more optimistic that Ruidoso will see significant snow around Wednesday of next week.
"The models are in agreement on a pretty strong storm system," which should bring more snow than the last two dropped, Koehn said.
As for the winter ahead, he is optimistic about the effects of the El Nino on Ruidoso.
"That whole process is delayed a little bit , but it looks like a weak to moderate El Nino," he said of the southern oscillation in the Pacific Ocean that warms currents and usually translates to much more precipitation for New Mexico..