Nevada, 1996

Heavy Snow in Nevada, December 5 to 22, 1996

December 5 to 22, 1996 · NWS LKN · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A strong winter storm dropped heavy snow over much of northeastl Nevada. During the 24 hour period ending at 900 am PST on Dec 6th snowfall amounts were as follows: 20 inches at Spring Creek, 18 inches at Oasis, 17 inches at Southfork Resevoir, 14 inches at Clover Valley and 12 inches at Elko, Jiggs, Ruby Lake Wildlife Refuge, Carlin and Jiggs.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS LKN wrote it up.

A strong winter storm dropped heavy snow over much of northeastl Nevada. During the 24 hour period ending at 900 am PST on Dec 6th snowfall amounts were as follows: 20 inches at Spring Creek, 18 inches at Oasis, 17 inches at Southfork Resevoir, 14 inches at Clover Valley and 12 inches at Elko, Jiggs, Ruby Lake Wildlife Refuge, Carlin and Jiggs. The snowfall closed roads and schools.

Event by event

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Southwest and South Central Elko

When
December 5, 9:00 AM PST to December 6, 9:00 AM PST
Where
Southwest and South Central Elko forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Humboldt

When
December 21, 5:30 AM PST to December 22, 5:30 AM PST
Where
Humboldt forecast zone

A very strong winter storm dropped heavy snow over much o f Northwest Nevada causing widespread power outages and road closures. 24 hour totals included: 16 inches at Winnemucca which was one of the greatest snowfall totals on record, 18 inches at Grass Valley, 8 miles south of winnemucca and 14 inches at Golconda, 10 miles east of Winnemucca.

Heavy Snow, Lander/Eureka

When
December 21, 5:30 AM PST to December 22, 5:30 AM PST
Where
Lander/Eureka forecast zone

A very strong winter storm dropped heavy snow over parts of northern Nevada causing local power outages and road closures. 24 hour amounts included: 8 inches at Battle MOuntain.

Heavy Snow, Northern Elko

When
December 21, 5:30 AM PST to December 22, 5:30 AM PST
Where
Northern Elko forecast zone

A very storng winter storm dropped heavy snow over parts of northern nevada causing some road closures. 24 hour totals included: 16 inches at Gibbs Ranch 40 miles northeast of Elko, 8 invhes at Owyhee, 9 inches at Jackpot, 12 inches at Jarbiidge, and 17 inches at Wildhorse.

Heavy Snow, Southeast Elko

When
December 21, 5:30 AM PST to December 22, 5:30 AM PST
Where
Southeast Elko forecast zone

A very strong winter storm dropped heavy snow over parts of northern nevada causing some road closures and power outages. some totals included: 4 inches at Montello, 12 inches at Wells and 5 inches at Clover Valley.

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Nevada in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, December 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5573754, 5573755, 5573756, 5573914, 5573915.