ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Much of New Mexico woke up to a winter wonderland of snow Saturday morning.

“We were excited, we woke up excited, didn’t we- it was fun and super pretty,” said Lucas Meyers, visiting from Albuquerque. 

Most people knew snow was coming, but didn’t expect how much. The cold didn’t stop people from coming out and enjoying it.

“It’s very surprising, but we’re going to walk around, and luckily I have my boots on today. But otherwise we’re just going to walk around and enjoy the beautiful city,” said Elizabeth Blocher, visiting from Denmark.

The weather did put a hold on some winter fun.

“We heard it might snow a little bit up on the mountain so we thought it would be a fun day to get up, but when we woke up we chose not to brave the roads this morning,” said Meyers. 

He says they decided to skip the slopes and stay in town. 

According to the New Mexico Department of Transportation, crews were out all night salting, sanding, and plowing the roads.

James Murray with NMDOT says roads were much better Saturday. 

“Right now they’re reporting mostly wet, slushy roads down south. It’s almost all clear at this point and up north it’s slowly clearing,” said Murray.  

He says there were a few problem spots in his patrol area near Taos, and of course, Clines Corners.

“There’s nothing to block the wind. I’ve been to every patrol in this district several times and that’s by far the windiest,” said Murray.

The snow started melting by the afternoon, but people were excited about the first real snow storm of the year.

“It was super shocking, it’s super beautiful though, and I just can’t believe the amount of snow that we’ve gotten so quickly,” said Sarah Lemon, visiting Santa Fe. 

Murray says NMDOT keeps their website constantly updating so you can get the latest look at road conditions.

His best advice is if you don’t have to drive, just stay put.