Heavy Snow, Mineral/Southern Lyon
- When
- January 21, 12:30 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
- Where
- Mineral/Southern Lyon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.780, -118.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Nevada, January 21, 1996
A strong Pacific storm system brought heavy snow to areas around the Lake Tahoe/Truckee areas and the Central Sierra East Slopes. Some of the heavier snow totals include 16-20 inches at Prosser Reservoir, 16 inches at Portola, 14 inches at Sierraville, 14 inches at Markleeville, and 13 inches at South Lake Tahoe.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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 REV wrote it up.
A strong Pacific storm system brought heavy snow to areas around the Lake Tahoe/Truckee areas and the Central Sierra East Slopes. Some of the heavier snow totals include 16-20 inches at Prosser Reservoir, 16 inches at Portola, 14 inches at Sierraville, 14 inches at Markleeville, and 13 inches at South Lake Tahoe. Wind and heavy snow combined brought a large tree down onto a house in the Lake Tahoe area. Severe structural damage occured to the house along with broken furniture.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Greater Lake Tahoe Area
- When
- January 21, 12:30 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
- Where
- Greater Lake Tahoe Area forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.789, -119.640 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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.
More
Every storm in Nevada in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5545958, 5545959.