City of Las Vegas recovering after unexpected, record-breaking snow

LAS VEGAS, N.M. (KRQE) – Record-breaking snow hit areas across the state over the last few days, forcing road closures and keeping some residents of Las Vegas home.

It started with light snowflakes: “And then it started piling up more so it kind of shocked me. And to be stuck at home for the first time in a while not being able to get out was kind of crazy,” said Zachary Vigil, a Las Vegas resident.

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The storm started on Monday producing over 30 inches of snow blanketing parts of Las Vegas leading to hours-long power outages.

“We don’t typically see this powerful of a snowstorm come in this early in the season. So, roadways were not as equipped to deal with this amount of snowfall as it would be if we saw it late December, early January,” said Josh Redwine, KRQE News 13’s Meteorologist.

News 13’s Meteorologist Josh Redwine said Las Vegas averages about four inches of snow in all of November, meaning over the last few days, they saw nearly eight times the normal amount.

City Manager Tim Montgomery said the snow stopped early Thursday evening, allowing crews to manage the high volume of snowfall.

“We’ve made a lot of effort hauling snow out, but now with these conditions, we can resort to melting snow. So, what we’re doing currently is spreading windrows on warm pavement and with this temperature, we have hopes of getting a lot of snow melted this afternoon,” said Public Works Director Arnold Lopez with the City of Las Vegas.

For some residents the snow was a welcome sight, “It was a beautiful surprise for us, we loved it. We enjoyed staying home and just getting cozy. Of course, we have concerns for the community. So, we were all just doing our part as a wholesome town to just take care of each other.”

After facing fires and floods over the last couple of years, one resident speaks to the resilience of northern New Mexicans and how times of difficulty bring the community together.

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“We’re a very close-knit community, so we help each other out whenever hard times happen,” said Mario Lucero, a Las Vegas resident.

Sharing how neighbors helped in one family’s time of need, “Our truck got stuck in the snow when we were trying to get over here, so we had to get our neighbor to pull us out,” said Savannah Lucero, another Las Vegas resident.

Extreme weather this early has also pushed the city and residents to prepare for future storms.

“Actually, right now, I’m going to head to Harbor Freight and get some chains for my truck,” said Mario Lucero.

The city manager anticipates the city will be fully operational by Tuesday, following the observance of Veterans Day.

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