We have concluded live blogging snow storm updates for Jan. 19, 2010. You can still review today's entries and look over the reader submitted images. If there is significant snowfall Tuesday night, we will activate the live blog again Wednesday morning.

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A winter storm out of the Pacific that dumped snow across Northern New Mexico's mountains Monday is the first of three expected in the state this week.

"The doozy is coming later in the week," said Annette Mokry, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque. "The storm that's coming will be considerably colder than the other two and will have pretty strong winds and could bring a lot of snow with it.

"If the models are right, the skiers will be very happy," Mokry said of the model graphics and satellite images her colleagues match up to predict the impact of winter storms.

The National Weather Service posted a winter storm watch from 6 p.m. Monday through 6 p.m. today for the San Juan Mountains and for portions of the Jemez Mountains, where up to 10 inches of snow were predicted. The storm is expected to bring several inches of snow to the higher elevations on the west side of the Sangre de Cristos today. Between 3 and 6 inches were predicted in elevations below 7,500 feet, and only an inch in the city.

Monday's storm brought snow to the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff, Ariz., before continuing its easterly travel into New Mexico.

The second storm carries a 60 percent chance of bringing snow to Santa Fe's mountains Wednesday, tapering off in the evening. The third storm is expected in north-central New Mexico on Friday evening or Saturday, Mokry said. Snow predictions around Cuba and parts of the Jemez Mountains are better than 50 percent through Wednesday, with another snowstorm rolling into the area Friday.

Mokry said meteorologists run their weather models every six hours to see if storms are changing direction or intensity. "We like to see consistency in the model runs that what we're predicting may actually come true," Mokry said.

Weather forecasters warn drivers to beware of poor visibility, high winds and heavy snow through the week, especially in the northern mountain passes of New Mexico and Colorado.

In terms of precipitation to date, Santa Fe's mountains are running about average.

January's accumulated precipitation is lagging behind last year's as measured at the 11,445-foot elevation Santa Fe snow telemetry site. The site, monitored daily by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, notes the Santa Fe snotel site has accumulated 7.4 inches of moisture since Oct. 1. In 2009, the site had had accumulated 14 inches of precipitation in snow and rain. In 2006, it was a measly 3.5 inches.

The Santa Fe site had 23 inches of snow Monday. Ski Santa Fe was reporting a 34-inch snow base.

Contact Staci Matlock at smatlock@sfnewmexican.com.