Cows in Rociada, New Mexico, were buried under nearly three feet of snow when an early-season winter storm hit the region hard Thursday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Albuquerque, New Mexico warned residents in the area about the storm earlier this week. As of Friday afternoon, numerous winter weather warnings remained in effect across the state, including a winter storm warning, winter weather warnings and a blizzard warning. Treacherous conditions were expected until the storm moved out of the region Friday evening.

A herd of cows in an upland unincorporated community weathered the storm with snow up to their chests, according to video taken Thursday. At the time the video was taken, 3 feet of snow had fallen in the area. Another 12 centimeters had fallen by Thursday evening, said the meteorologist who shared the video.

“Drifting snowfall was almost halfway through burying cattle in Rociada, NM this morning,” KRQE NEWS 13 meteorologist Ryan DePhillips posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The video was credited to Lena Atencio, who reportedly filmed the snow-covered cows on Thursday morning.

NWS Weather Prediction Center meteorologist Marc Chenard estimated snow totals in Rociada could be even higher as of Friday morning as snow continued to fall.

“This is a major storm,” Chenard said Newsweek. “Some areas will likely set all-time snowfall records for 48- to 72-hour periods given the amounts we’re looking at.”

“Generally speaking, this type of snow is not that common at any time of the season,” he added.

Given the high elevations, snow typically hits areas like Colorado or New Mexico during seasonal transitions (late fall or early spring), when much of the rest of the United States is still too warm for snow.

Regardless, the lingering snow could be considered a “historic storm” in some areas, Chenard said.

Chenard said the highest numbers – over a meter – were reported in areas like Rociada. Other areas, such as Las Vegas, have received about two feet of snow.

NWS Albuquerque posted on X, formerly Twitter, Thursday evening that the most extreme impacts were expected in northeastern New Mexico, where Rociada is located. Other areas expecting extreme impacts included Los Alamos and Clayton.

Motorists in those areas were advised not to travel as bumper-to-bumper traffic was reported on Interstate 40 with hazardous driving conditions Friday morning.

“Expect substantial disruptions to daily life,” said an NWS infographic about the storm. “Extremely dangerous or impossible driving conditions.”

“Life-saving actions may be required,” it added.