At least three people were killed in winter weather-related car crashes in New Mexico this week after a winter storm slammed much of the United States.
A multi-car pileup on Interstate 40 near Santa Rosa on Wednesday killed at least one person, according to KOAT. I-40 has since reopened after the crash.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office confirmed two additional fatalities on Sandia Crest Road after a fatal roll-over crash. Officials said a "vehicle rolled off the road and is approximately 100ft down the mountain."
Bernillio County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to nearly 30 car crashes Wednesday. Eleven of those didn't have injures while 13 did. There were also four roll-over accidents, KOAT reported. Another non-fatal crash alone Interstate 25 near Santa Fe involved a tractor-trailer. The highway was closed for several hours but has since reopened.
Parts of Albuquerque got 1.4-3.5 inches of snow while Santa Fe saw about an inch, according to the Farmington Daily Times. The most snow (7 inches) in New Mexico fell northwest of Angel Fire. Los Alamos reported 6 inches and Raton reported 4.8 inches.
"This probably the strongest winter storm so far in New Mexico, and it could turn out to be the strongest winter of the season because we don't really see any winter storms on the horizon," David Craft, a meteorologist for the Weather Service in Albuquerque, told the Farmington Daily Times.