KASAroads's Blog

Looks like more dicey driving on the horizon for Friday and Saturday.

Latest word is that the storm will mostly stay north and in the high country although the weather watches extend to lower elevations and farther south.

As usual there will be updates on KRQE.com, and road conditions are reported by the New Mexico Department of Transportation at www.nmroads.com and on the road advisory hotline 1-800-432-4269.

And the New Mexico State Police today released a list of winter driving tips (my favorite is still just stay home).

Santa Fe:  (December 20, 2007) - State Police warn that winter hazards greatly increase the chances of becoming involved in an automobile crash.  State Police offer the following winter driving tips.

• Plan ahead and leave earlier.  Don’t try to make up time on the road.

   

• When driving on icy or snow packed roads, slow to a SAFE speed.  Much slower than the speed limit. 

   

• Many drivers with front or four-wheel drive develop a false sense of security because they may have plenty of traction to keep them going.  What they forget, is they have to stop at some point or may have to react to avoid a crash. On that point, you should; Allow plenty of room between you and the car in front.  At least four times the normal distance.  This will give you room and time to stop or maneuver around the hazard and avoid a crash. 

   

• Turn on your lights for greater visibility.

   

• Turn off cruise control and use a slower gear.  Turn off automatic overdrive.

   

• Stay behind the snow plow trucks and avoid passing big rigs as they cannot see you coming up behind them.

   

• Keep your windshield and headlights clean.

   

• Take extra precautions on bridges and overpasses as they tend to freeze sooner.

   

If you start to slide

• Take your foot off the accelerator.

   

• Steer in the direction you want to go.  Towards or into the slide.

   

• If your car is sliding to the left, steer to the left

   

• If you car is sliding to the right, steer to the right

   

• It may take several attempts of steering left/right to bring your vehicle in line again.

   

• If you have standard (non-ABS) brakes, you should pump them lightly and attempt to steer out of trouble.  If you cause the wheels to skid, you cannot steer.  At that point release the brakes and steer, then pump the brakes again until you are out of danger.

   

• If you have ABS brakes, do not pump them.   Apply steady pressure to them.  You will feel them pulsating back on your foot.  This is normal and you should be able to steer to avoid the hazard.

   

Tips for you car

• Always have gloves, caps, blankets, flares, flashlights, ice scraper, shovel, tire chains, jumper cables, dried fruits, nuts, hard candy and water in case you become stranded.

   

• Carry sand or kitty litter in your trunk to use as traction if you get stuck.  Clear a path with the shovel and pour it in the path of the tires.

   

• Do not spin the tires; slowly ease your way forward or backward.

   

• Make sure your battery is maintained for those cold starts.

   

• If you become stranded, start your car every ten minutes to stay warm.  Make sure your exhaust pipe is clear of debris and snow. 

   

• Do not leave your car unless you know where you are and help is not far.

   

• Call 911 and help will come as soon as possible.

   

Practice, patience, plan ahead and drive slow

The storm which dampened and whitened a good part of New Mexico isn’t done yet.

The center of the storm’s energy was still in southeastern Arizona late this afternoon and is forecast to move northeast across the state overnight producing rain and snow from southern counties to Colorado as it goes.

KRQE News 13 meteorologist Mark Ronchetti said snow can be expected in the northern and western counties where winter storm warnings are out.  The warnings drop to a winter storm advisory farther south in the Gila country.

The Albuquerque metro area also may get some snow although Ronchetti said the amount will depend on where the cold air and incoming moisture collide.  It is cold enough, however, that any precipitation around Albuquerque tonight will be snow, he added.

Late Tuesday afternoon weather radar showed snow showers over Interstate 40 east of Albuquerque and Interstate 25 between Santo Domingo pueblo and Santa Fe.  Snow was also falling on U. S. Highways 60 and 28 in east-central New Mexico while the precipitation was falling as rain near Roswell.

Santa Fe got several inches of snow overnight delaying the opening of some schools and state officers and contributing to numerous minor accidents.  Albuquerque’s East Mountain residents woke up to about 6 inches and icy roads slowing traffic and delaying school openings.

Taos Ski Valley, which had delayed its opening for want of snow and snow-making conditions, now will open Friday with the most snow it's ever seen on an opening day.

Road conditions around the state ranged from clear and dry to slushy or snow-covered with patches of ice.  U. S. 64 east of Tierra Amarilla has been closed since Saturday by snow.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation maintains a Web site detailing road conditions at nmroads.com as well as a road advisory hotline at 1-800-432-4269.

Weather updates also can be found at the KRQE.com Weather section.

The latest blast of late-fall weather is spreading rain and snow from the bootheel to Raton Pass, but so far only one major highway is closed by snow.

US 64 east of Tierra Amarilla on the high road to Tres Piedras is reported closed until further notice because of snow.

As of late Monday afternoon light rain was being report in Luna and Hidalgo counties turning to light snow with icy patches of pavement just to the north in Grant County.

North of there in Catron County roads were reported to be wet with concerns the pavement will ice over tonight.  Roads also were reported to be wet with fair driving conditions and good visibility in the Gallup area.

Into the Four Corners, however, the New Mexico Department of Transportation is describing driving conditions as difficult with rain, snow and ice.  The DOT is discouraging travel on 22 snowpacked and icy miles of NM 134 from Sheep Springs to Crystal.

In the Albuquerque area roads in the East Mountains were becoming slushy with reduced visibility and likelihood of the pavement becoming slick as temperatures drop overnight.

North of Bernalillo County weather generally was rain at lower elevations turning to snow in higher country and farther north.    Raton Pass on Interstate 25 was described as slushy with light snow falling.

Snow also was accumulating along I-25 from Santa Fe to Las Vegas over Glorieta Pass, on NM 502 from Pojoaque to Los Alamos, in the Penasco area and elsewhere in the northern counties.  Travel was being discouraged on NM 38 in the Red River area.

In the south and east the only advisory currently posted by the DOT is a requirement for chains on the road to Ski Apache above Ruidoso.  However there is a snow advisory for the Sacramento Mountains tonight.

To monitor these changing conditions, check out the DOT Web site NM Roads or call the Road Advisory hotline at 1-800-432-4269.  Also track weather and school closures at KRQE.com, and watch this space for occasional updates.

Yep, just in time for the weekend, a big blow blows this way.

Sounds like most of the snow maybe measured in feet will be up high with rain or a rain-snow mix down here in the low country.  Good for skiers.  Not so good if business takes you above 7,500 feet or so.  That's barely a belt notch above the Continental Divide on I-40 between Grants and Gallup where things could get sloppy.

Above that elevation are Apache Summit on U.S. 70 going through the Sacramento Mountains near Ruidoso, Glorieta Pass on I-25 between Santa Fe and Las Vegas and Raton Pass on I-25 at the Colorado border.  Many miles of state and county roads above that elevation, too.  Could be real interesting around here from Friday into Sunday.

And this just in:  The National Weather Service in El Paso has put out an advisory warning about possible flash flooding especially around mountains as the storm tracks across the southern part of New Mexico.

Don't go by these musings, though.  Slow down, pack well, keep an ear on the radio, an eye on TV, check the NMDOT updates at nmroads.com (which already has weather advisories posted) and follow Web news and weather postings at KRQE.com.

Oh, yeah, and watch this space.

Both directions of Interstate 25 are closed just south of Santa Fe this evening because of black ice, wet roads and a series of accidents. Be careful out there.

• New Mexico - 1-800-432-4269
• Colorado - (303) 639-1111
• Texas - 1-800-452-9292
• Arizona - 1-888-411-7623
  

A fire burning near Mountainair has closed several roads in the area:

If you're traveling around there, you may run into traffic issues. We'll keep everything updated on KRQE.com.

Coming up:  Stormy travel followed by closing a main highway into Santa Fe.

Looks like the first winter storm blowing in for Thanksgiving will mostly clip the northeast counties including I-25 and up near the Colorado border before making a mess of air and road travel farther east.  The rest of us just get a big thrust of chilled air giving the bum’s rush to the balmy fall that has lingered here almost to December.

Things seem pretty quiet at the Albuquerque Sunport this evening as seen in streaming video in the 2007 Holiday Guide at KRQE.com which also has links to weather and airline schedule updates.

The next wave hits us Thursday when rain, snow and wind begin spreading across the state through the weekend.  This nastiness is supposed to blow out just in time for the work week, which is also when the state is going to close State Road 14 in southwest Santa Fe for two weeks as part of the Rail Runner construction project.

Basically NM 14, aka Cerrillos Road, will be closed under I-25 although the highway may open on nights and weekends as work allows.  The implications of all this are a little unclear, though.

A state Department of Transportation news releases suggests this only affects people going south on NM 14 trying to turn left to northbound I-25 and everyone going north on 14 trying to get to Santa Fe.  The posting at the DOT weather-and-construction site nmroads.com mentions driving south on NM 14 to Santa Fe when they apparently mean driving north.

Neither the release nor the Web site talks about the I-25 northbound exit to NM 14/Cerrillos Road used by a lot of commuters and other traffic into the city.  No doubt this will get sorted out Monday once folks still groggy from the holiday wonder what all the road-closed signs mean.

The prospect of wintry weather prompted the state’s emergency-management agency to remind folks to be prepared with home and car supply kits to keep warm, fed and watered if stranded by bad weather.  The Web site provides a list of tips.  No one is talking about another big dump like last New Year’s mini-disaster, but it still could get dicey in some areas.

It’s that time of year when posole and crackling piñon scent the air, and a lot of orange barrels fly south for the winter only to return in the spring.

Road work slows down when it gets too cold to lay asphalt, which is not to say construction delays go away completely. One new twist is railroad work slowing cars and trucks as Rail Runner Express track construction closes lanes on Interstate 25 in both directions near Santa Fe next week.

Folks at the NMDOT say they’ll open everything up by early Wednesday afternoon to get out of the way of holiday travelers. The DOT announcement doesn’t say exactly where the lane closures are presumably figuring motorists know them when they see them.

The Rail Runner tracks are intersecting I-25 below the La Bajada rest area and running down to median much of the way to Santa Fe. Trains are supposed to be operating by late 2008, but given the well-publicized money problems at the DOT, a new fight with the feds over the accuracy of DOT accounting and a likely funding dust-up when the Legislature convenes in two months, we’ll see.

And I-25 south of the I-40 interchange in Albuquerque is going to be down to one lane overnight Sunday into Monday so the contractor landscaping the Big I can haul in material. That closes the Martin Luther King Boulevard onramp to I-25 from around 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. Monday. The DOT says use the frontage road as a detour, but it’s a long way and a number of stop lights to the next I-25 north onramp at Comanche or to I-40 at University or 4th Street.

You can follow road work around the state at nmroads.com.

Meteorologists are still salivating over the big storm about to blow out of the Gulf of Alaska and ride an unusual dip in the jet stream all the way to New Mexico in time for Thanksgiving. But it now looks like any snow may only clip the northeast on Tuesday and Wednesday, but that includes I-25 from around Las Vegas into Colorado. No telling what this disturbance will to to travelers plans as it moves east from here.

The National Weather Service says another system tracks in as the first turkey leftovers come out, but that may go north, too. You can thank the La Niña weather pattern if your winter sport is shoveling, or curse it if you’re a skier.

You knew this nice fall weather couldn’t last, right?  So of course it will give way to something nasty next week as folks begin trekking toward family gatherings, turkey dinners and other holiday entertainments.

Right now the National Weather Service is tracking a strong storm churning out of the Gulf of Alaska seemingly on a path to crash New Mexico’s party starting Tuesday night.  That’s still a ways out for a dependable forecast, but the prospect of cold, wind, rain and snow spreading into Wednesday and moving eastward suggests anyone with travel plans needs to stay alert and be prepared.

Watch this space for updates and travel information.