Snow returns to Ruidoso with two storms this week

• Corona received 4 inches Tuesday

Snow fell consistently Tuesday in parts of Lincoln County, but it wasn’t until the temperature dropped and the sun disappeared that snow accumulated on roads and sent multiple vehicles into ditches.

Ski Apache reported four inches of new snow, bringing the base to 44 inches with 41 trails and six lifts open. Readings in other parts of the county included half an inch of snow in Ruidoso, four inches in Corona and three inches at Bonito Lake north of the village, said meteorologist Alyssa Clements with the Albuquerque office of the National Weather Service.

Sheriff Robert Shepperd said he was coming back from Alamogordo and found dangerous conditions on U.S. 54 as far south as the small settlement of Oscura, near Carrizozo.

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"On inch of snow turned into glazed ice," he said.

“I know the Ruidoso police department was busy and (the sheriff’s department) handled quite a few messes right there at Swiss Chalet Hill,” he said. “Nothing was really major anywhere, just a lot of little stuff all night and into the morning. No injuries were reported.”

One semi-tractor trailer truck jackknifed on the steep hill leading to Alto Crest, Ruidoso Police Chief Darren Hooker said. His officers were out all night answering calls for help as vehicles slid into ditches.

The storm performed about as predicted by the NWS, Clements said.

“We knew the heaviest snow was going to come overnight and into morning when temperatures got colder,” she said. “It’s been pretty warm recently.”

The storm arriving Friday will bring more precipitation and should scoot out of the state early Saturday, she said.

“It will be fairly slow moving, edging in Thursday and out by Saturday morning,” Clements said. “You probably will see the mountain snowfall primarily on Friday.”

According to the forecast, precipitation will begin as rain, then turn into a mixture of rain and snow and finally, snow about 5 p.m. Friday.

More:Weather historian: Ruidoso breaks snowfall record

The southwest mountains, badly in need of snowpack, should be the primary beneficiaries of the storm, Clements said. The Sacramento Mountains around Ruidoso only are expected to see about two inches of snow.