A strong trough of low pressure brought heavy snow to the Sierra Nevada. Total 24-hour snowfall amounts were in the 24-36 inch range above the 8000 foot elevation at most ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe and Mono County areas.
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.
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 episode as NWS REV wrote it up.
A strong trough of low pressure brought heavy snow to the Sierra Nevada. Total 24-hour snowfall amounts were in the 24-36 inch range above the 8000 foot elevation at most ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe and Mono County areas.
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 Apr 2, 3:00 AM PST, 3 hours earlier.
WESTERN NEVADA AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV 300 AM PST WED APR 2 2003 A LONG WAVE TROUGH PERSISTS OVER THE WRN U.S. THROUGH FRIDAY WITH SHORT WAVES MOVING THROUGH THE PATTERN. A COLD SHOWERY AIRMASS IS OVER THE AREA TODAY WITH A SHORT WAVE TROUGH APPROACHING FROM THE WEST AND MOVING EAST FROM WRN NEVADA THIS EVENING. SNOW OR SNOW SHOWERS ARE LIKELY OVER THE SIERRA TODAY WITH LIGHT QPF WHILE ONLY A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS IS EXPECTED FOR WRN NEVADA VALLEYS. SHOWERS DIMINISH TONIGHT WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS PERSISTING OVER THE SIERRA INTO THURSDAY UNDER A WEST FLOW ALOFT THAT IS MOIST MAINLY IN THE LOW LEVELS. THE MODELS AGREE IN THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT SHORT WAVE DROPPING SE OVER NRN CA THURSDAY NIGHT WITH THE JETSTREAM PUSHING INTO CENTRAL CA. SIGNIFICANT QPF REACHES NE CA AND THE NRN SIERRA AFTER MIDNIGHT AND SNOW...WITH AMOUNTS REMAINING BELOW WARNING LEVELS...CONTINUES OVER THE SIERRA INTO FRIDAY AS THE SHORT WAVE CONTINUES SOUTHEAST ACROSS NV. WITH SNOW LEVELS REMAINING DOWN TO THE VALLEYS FLOORS...SOME LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS MAY BE POSSIBLE DOWN THE LEE SLOPES AND OVER FOOTHILLS OF THE EXTREME WESTERN VALLEYS FRIDAY. THE SYSTEM CONTINUES SE FROM THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT WITH A DECREASING CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS. OSTERMAN. IN THE EXTENDED...SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... MODELS ARE IN GENERALLY GOOD AGREEMENT FOR THE EXTENDED PERIOD. COOL CYCLONIC FLOW BEHIND THE FRIDAY SYSTEM SHOULD KEEP WEATHER UNSETTLED AND SHOWERY ON SATURDAY WITH SNOW LEVEL AGAIN NEAR THE VALLEY FLOOR. BEST CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE OVER THE NORTHERN ZONES. BY SUNDAY A SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN AND TROUGH PUSHES EAST INTO THE ROCKIES...RESULTING IN DRIER CONDITIONS AND SLIGHT WARMING BUT HIGH TEMPS WILL REMAIN WELL BELOW NORMAL. FOR MONDAY THE 00Z GFS TRENDED TOWARD MOST OF THE OTHER MODELS WHICH BEGAN BUILDING A RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN US. MOST OF THE 12Z GFS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS ALSO FAVORED DRY CONDITIONS OVER THE FORECAST AREA. WITH THIS STRONG CORRELATION BETWEEN THE MODEL DATA...THERE IS ENOUGH SUPPORT TO REMOVE PRECIP FROM ALL ZONES ON MONDAY. RIDGE CONTINUES TO AMPLIFY ON TUESDAY WITH A FEW MORE DEGREES OF WARMING...WITH HIGH TEMPS BACK UP TO SEASONAL NORMALS. MJD .REV...NONE.
CAZ070>073-NVZ001>005-031300- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV 600 AM PST WED APR 2 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NEVADA...THE EASTERN SIERRA AND NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY PERIODS OF SNOW OVER THE SIERRA TODAY WILL PRODUCE A FEW INCHES OF SNOW OVER THE HIGHER PASSES WHERE ROAD CONTROLS AND SNOW PLOW ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A COLD PACIFIC LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BRING PERIODS OF MODERATE SNOW TO THE NORTHERN SIERRA THURSDAY NIGHT...CONTINUING OVER THE NORTH AND CENTRAL SIERRA INTO FRIDAY. MODERATE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AND GUSTY WIND MAY PRODUCE HAZARDOUS DRIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS AND ESPECIALLY OVER HIGHER PASSES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. OSTERMAN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2003
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: 5353351, 5353352.