Snow mostly finished, but bitterly cold temps remain

Snow flurries will end soon and the region should not expect any more measurable accumulation from Wednesday's storm.

But Dan Heerding, Clovis' emergency management coordinator, warned this morning that the weather still requires some respect.

"The cold and wind chill will be the factor till tomorrow (Friday) as we slowly start to warm again," he said.

The temperature in Clovis was 14 degrees at 11:45 a.m. Thursday. The wind-chill factor left it feeling like 2 below zero. The National Weather Service forecasts a low temperature barely above zero overnight throughout eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle.

Mostly sunny skies are expected Friday and throughout the weekend, but nighttime temperatures will remain well below freezing and high daytime temperatures are expected in the 40s and 50s.

Travelers can expect fair road conditions throughout the region and directly north. The map at nmroads.com shows road conditions become more difficult around Tucumcari and west on Interstate 40. Multiple roads were closed Thursday in the Albuquerque area, which expects to receive up to 8 inches of snow before the system moves east.

"One person was killed and another hospitalized after a vehicle rolled off Sandia Crest road down the mountain Wednesday afternoon as a heavy snowstorm created deadly driving conditions across central and northern New Mexico," the Albuquerque Journal reported.

"State Police urged drivers to stay home as temperatures dropped and road conditions deteriorated, leading to crashes along Interstate 25 south of Santa Fe and along Interstate 40 near Santa Rosa and Tucumcari."

In the metro area, the newspaper reported, a normal 10-minute commute home "turned into an hourlong nightmare navigating snowpacked roads that quickly turned to ice," on Wednesday night.

Patches of ice and snow on roads were also reported toward Lubbock and Amarillo, where schools across the area were closed or delayed due to the weather conditions.