Albuquerque, NM – Winter officially begins today as New Mexico marks the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year. While the state is often associated with sunny skies and dry weather, safety officials warn that the longest night of the year brings increased risks inside homes—particularly from carbon monoxide exposure during cold, high-desert nights.
Overnight temperatures across New Mexico can drop sharply in winter, especially in higher-elevation communities such as Santa Fe, Taos, and the eastern plains. These sudden temperature changes often prompt residents to rely on furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves, space heaters, and portable fuel heaters. During winter storms or power outages, generators may also be used. With windows closed and homes sealed to keep in warmth, ventilation is reduced, allowing carbon monoxide to build up indoors.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas produced when fuel-burning appliances do not burn completely or are not properly vented. Because it cannot be seen or smelled, it is widely known as the “invisible killer.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, carbon monoxide poisoning sends tens of thousands of Americans to emergency rooms each year, with winter months posing the highest risk—even in dry, desert states like New Mexico.
Medical experts warn that carbon monoxide poisoning disables far more people than it kills, often leaving survivors with long-term neurological or cognitive damage. Early symptoms may include headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and confusion. As exposure continues, symptoms can escalate to chest pain, vomiting, impaired coordination, loss of consciousness, and death. Because these symptoms can resemble flu-like illness or altitude-related fatigue, many people do not recognize the danger until exposure becomes severe.
Fire departments across New Mexico caution that carbon monoxide incidents often rise during cold nights like those surrounding the Winter Solstice. Common causes include space heaters placed too close to walls or furniture, grills or fuel heaters used indoors or in enclosed patios, generators operated too close to homes, and vehicles left running in garages. In mountain and high-elevation areas, snow-covered or blocked exhaust vents can further increase the risk.
Safety officials urge New Mexico residents to ensure carbon monoxide detectors are installed on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas—even in homes that do not regularly use heating systems. Alarms should be tested regularly, and batteries replaced as needed. Residents are also advised never to use grills, camp stoves, or fuel-powered heaters indoors, to operate generators outdoors and far from windows and doors, to keep vents and chimneys clear, and to have heating systems inspected regularly.
If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, officials say residents should leave the home immediately and call 911 or the local fire department from outside. Anyone experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure should seek emergency medical care without delay.
As New Mexico experiences the longest night of the year, safety officials say the Winter Solstice is more than a calendar milestone. It is also a reminder that carbon monoxide—the invisible killer—can pose a serious but preventable danger when cold desert nights catch residents unprepared.
