1 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Reno, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 15, 9:48 PM PST, 4 hours 12 minutes earlier.
WESTERN NEVADA AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
930 PST SUN DEC 15 2002
STRONG WLY JET OF 160-180KTS ACROSS ERN PAC ALONG 38N TAKING AIM AT
BAY AREA AND NRN CA THIS EVENING. STRONG IR ENHANCEMENT NOTED ON
SAT LOOP AS DIFLUENT EXIT REGION OF JET HELP GENERATE STRONG
UVM. STRONGEST MODEL OMEGA ALONG NRN CA CST THIS EVENING WITH RAIN
FALL RATES OF .3-.6 AN HOUR NOTED IN TIPPING BUCKETS. PCPN EXPECTED
TO STEADILY INCREASE OVER SIERRA TONIGHT BECOMING HEAVY AT TIMES
AFTER 4 AM. SNOW LEVELS SHOULD REMAIN FAIRLY STEADY OR RISE SLIGHTLY
TONIGHT WITH WARM ADVECTION. SNOW LEVELS CURRENTLY BETWEEN 5500-6500
FEET IN THE SIERRA WITH RAIN/SNOW MIX AT LAKE TAHOE ELEVATION 6200
FT. COULD SEE SNOW LEVELS RISE TO AROUND 7000 FEET BY MORNING. SNOW
LEVELS DROP ON MONDAY FROM AROUND 6000-7000 FEET EARLY MORNING TO
4500-5500 IN THE LATE AFTERNOON. SNOW DROPPING TO VALLEY FLOORS OF
WRN NV MONDAY EVENING WITH 1-3 INCH ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE. SIERRA
WILL SEE OCNLY HEAVY SNOW THROUGHOUT THE DAY MONDAY WITH 1-3 FOOT
ACCUMULATIONS ABOVE 5500 FEET BY TUESDAY MORNING. HIGH WINDS ARE
ALSO EXPECTED TO BE WIDESPREAD WITH TIGHT SFC GRADIENT OR 12-15 MB
FROM RNO-MFR AND 700 MB WINDS IN 55-65 KT RANGE OVER NRN CWA
TNGT AND OVER ALL CWA ON MONDAY. STRONG WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH SNOW
FOR LOCAL BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OVER PASSES AND OTHER EXPOSED HIGHER
ELEVATION AREAS LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY. COLDER AIRMASS SETTLES OVER
AREA TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY WITH WLY FLOW KEEPING OROGRAPHIC ENHANCED
SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE SIERRA INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. CURRENT
FORECAST AND WARNINGS ON TRACK...NO UPDATES NEEDED FOR NOW. CYLKE
.REV...HIGH WIND WARNING TONIGHT AND MONDAY ZONES 70..71
HIGH WIND WARNING AFTER MIDNIGHT THROUGH MONDAY ZONES
72/02..03..05
HIGH WIND WARNING MONDAY ZONES 73..01..04
WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT AND MONDAY ZONE 71
WINTER STORM WARNING AFTER MIDNIGHT THROUGH MONDAY ZONE 72/02
WINTER STORM WARNING MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT ZONE 73CAZ070>073-NVZ001>005-161500- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV 700 AM PST SUN DEC 15 2002 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NEVADA...THE EASTERN SIERRA AND NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE..MONDAY WINTER STORM WILL LEAVE LIGHT SNOW OVER MOST AREAS THIS MORNING. BY THIS AFTERNOON SNOW WILL TURN TO SNOW SHOWERS. SEE RNOWSWREV FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NO SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY AT THIS TIME.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
830 PM PST SUN DEC 15 2002
TIME(PST) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0451 AM KIRKWOOD SKI AREA CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 ALPINE 16-24 INCHES IN PAST 24
HOURS.
0600 AM ALPINE MEADOWS CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 PLACER 22 INCHES AT 6900
FEET...32 INCHES AT 8600
FEET. 24 HOUR TOTALS.
0600 AM HEAVENLY SKI AREA CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 EL DORADO 18-24 INCHES IN PAST 24
HOURS.
0630 AM BOREAL SKI AREA CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 NEVADA 12-24 INCHES IN PAST 24
HOURS.
0639 AM NORTHSTAR SKI AREA CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 PLACER 12-14 INCHES AT 7300 FT...
0655 AM TRUCKEE CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 NEVADA 9 INCHES OVERNIGHT AT
AIRPORT.
0717 AM DONNER SKI RANCH CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 PLACER 18-20 INCHES IN PAST 24
HOURS.
1045 AM SQUAW VALLEY SKI AREA CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 PLACER 14 INCHES AT 8200 FEET.
1100 AM TAHOE CITY CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 PLACER 12 INCHES OVERNIGHT.
REPORTED BY COAST GUARD.
1114 AM DIAMOND PEAK SKI AREA NV HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 WASHOE 13 INCHES IN PAST 24 HOURS.
1209 PM SIERRA AT TAHOE SKI AREA CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 EL DORADO 18-24 INCHES IN PAST 24
HOURS.
0100 PM MAMMOTH MTN SKI AREA CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 MONO 12 INCHES OVERNIGHT.
0345 PM YUBA PASS CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 SIERRA 12 INCHES OVERNIGHT.
REPORTED BY CALTRANS.
0350 PM PORTOLA CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 PLUMAS 6-9 INCHES OVERNIGHT.
REPORTED BY SPOTTERS PU07
AND PU12.
0355 PM WESTWOOD CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 LASSEN 10-12 INCHES OVERNIGHT.
REPORTED BY CALTRANS.
0400 PM 5 NW RENO NV HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 WASHOE 5 INCHES OVERNIGHT.
REPORTED BY NWS EMPLOYEE.
0500 PM MAMMOTH LAKES CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 MONO 5-7 INCHES OVERNIGHT.
REPORTED BY SPOTTER MO13
0610 PM 10 N BRIDGEPORT CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 MONO 8-12 INCHES AT 7200 FEET
NEAR DEVILS GATE SUMMIT.
REPORTED BY SPOTTER MO12.
0615 PM JUNE MOUNTAIN SKI AREA CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 MONO 13 INCHES OVERNIGHT AT
JUNE MEADOWS CHALET 8500
FT. UP TO 30 INCHES AT
SUMMIT 10000 FEET.
0620 PM MEYERS CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 EL DORADO 10 INCHES OVERNIGHT AT
MEYERS AND SOUTH LAKE
TAHOE. 14 INCHES AT ECHO
SUMMIT.
1000 PM SUGAR BOWL SKI AREA CA HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/15/02 NEVADA 24 INCHES AT 6900
FEET...38 INCHES AT 8400
FEET. 24 HOUR TOTALS.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Recorded by automated weather station at Pyramid Lake.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, December 2002
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: 5325393.