Although some people are still trying to wrap their minds around the idea that cacti and snow can co-exist, the rest of us are familiar with New Mexico’s dramatic weather patterns. We know that winter usually involves a few heavy snowstorms. However, the blizzard that struck at the end of 2006 broke records, dumping feet of snow across much of New Mexico and bringing the state to a virtual standstill.

On December 29th, an epic snowstorm began.
Flickr/Kyle Johnson
A whopping 11.3 inches blanketed the Albuquerque Sunport on that day alone, beating the previous one-day snowfall record by more than an inch.
Flickr/Keary O.
Throughout this three-day long blizzard, a total of 24 inches of snow accumulated in parts Duke City and Sandia Crest was buried under 100 inches of snow!
The highways and interstates shut to traffic and flights at the Sunport were grounded, leaving many people stranded.
Flickr/Keary O.
Those unable to find an available hotel room took refuge in Red Cross shelters. Truck drivers waited on Central Avenue for I-40 to reopen, turning the thoroughfare into a parking lot. And the central part of the state lost power.

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It wasn’t just Albuquerque that was affected: 25.3 inches of snow fell on Santa Fe, while Red River got 31 inches.
Flickr/Donna Sutton
As for Clayton, winds exceeding 50 miles per hour buffeted the town, which simultaneously received 30 inches of snow. The resulting snowdrifts were 15 feet high in places!
Then-Governor Bill Richardson declared a state of emergency for the following 12 counties: Bernalillo, Colfax, Guadalupe, Harding, Los Alamos, Mora, Quay, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Taos, Torrance, and Union.
YouTube/joel407654
The National Guard was called in to drop food supplies to stranded livestock.
The state’s 1100 snowplows and trucks were unable to keep up with the rate of snowfall.
Flickr/subindie
Stores ran out of snow shovels.
YouTube/joel407654

As a result, people like those featured in this video had to get creative. Who knew a wok could be so versatile!

Some New Mexicans embraced the snow and went sledding and even snowboarding…

Do you remember the 2006 blizzard? Was it the worst one you experienced in New Mexico, or were you living here during the blizzard of 1967?

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