Roof and fence damage, and tree limbs down, across Surprise Valley. Roof damage on airport hangar.
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 episode as NWS REV wrote it up.
Roof and fence damage, and tree limbs down, across Surprise Valley. Roof damage on airport hangar. Sheds blown over; power outages.
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 Nov 16, 2:30 PM PST, 6 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV 230 PM PST SUN NOV 16 2003 .SHORT TERM... WEAK SHORT WAVE MOVING ONTO THE OREGON COAST AT THIS TIME KICKING OFF SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS AS IT PROGRESSES INLAND. AREA OF OVERRUNNING RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS FROM THE RENO-TAHOE AREA INTO NORTHEAST NEVADA. DO NOT EXPECT A LOT OF RAIN OR MOUNTAIN SNOW FROM THESE FEATURES BUT HIGHER MOUNTAIN PASSES COULD PICK UP A COUPLE OF INCHES SO WILL GO WITH LIKELY POPS FOR TAHOE AND NE CALIFORNIA. OTHER AREAS WILL HAVE SCATTERED RAIN/SNOW WITH SNOW LEVELS LOWERING TO AROUND 5000 FEET FROM THE CURRENT 5500 TO 6000 FOOT LEVEL. UPPER RIDGE THEN BUILDS INTO THE REGION TOMORROW. A DRY NW FLOW IS IN PLACE AND A FAIR AMOUNT OF SUNSHINE CAN BE EXPECTED WITH SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES. RIDGE STRENGTHENS TUESDAY AND MOUNTAIN TOP TEMPERATURES WARM SEVERAL DEGREES. 12Z GFS HAS SLOWED PROGRESSION OF PACIFIC FRONTAL SYSTEM SUCH THAT WEDNESDAY WILL BE DRY. WINDS WILL INCREASE HOWEVER AND THERE MAY BE SOME HIGH CLOUDS AROUND. WE SHOULD SEE AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES INTO THE 60S IN MOST WESTERN NEVADA VALLEYS WEDNESDAY. SG .LONG TERM... THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...MODEL DISCREPANCIES CONTINUE WITH OPERATIONAL RUNS DELAYING ONSET OF PRECIP BY NEARLY 24 HOURS FROM YESTERDAYS MODEL RUNS...BUT MOST ENSEMBLE MEMBERS FROM THE 12Z GFS FAVOR AN EARLIER PASSAGE OF THE TROUGH AND COLD FRONT. WHENEVER THIS SYSTEM PASSES THROUGH THERE WILL BE AMPLE MOISTURE ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS...AND USING THE ENSEMBLE MEAN FOR TIMING THE BEST CHANCE FOR PRECIP WOULD BE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH ALONG THE SIERRA ON THURSDAY NIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY. POPS WERE NUDGED UP TO MINIMAL LIKELY LEVELS FOR THE SIERRA ZONES IN THESE FORECAST PERIODS. TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENTS AHEAD OF THE TROUGH WILL PRODUCE WINDY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA ON THURSDAY. 700 MB WIND SPEEDS TOP OUT AT 45-55 KNOTS ON THE LATEST GFS WHICH WOULD APPROACH HIGH WIND CRITERIA. PLENTY OF UNCERTAINTY CONTINUES INTO NEXT WEEKEND AS TWO SCENARIOS ARE GETTING A SPLIT VOTE AMONG THE MODELS. THE ORIGINAL THINKING WAS THAT THE SINGLE TROUGH PASSAGE WOULD BE FOLLOWED BY A DAY OF LINGERING CYCLONIC FLOW SHOWERS WITH FLAT RIDGING AND DRIER WEATHER AFTERWARD. HOWEVER...THERE IS NOW A POTENTIAL FOR MULTIPLE SHORTWAVES FOLLOWING BEHIND THE ORIGINAL TROUGH RESULTING IN CONTINUED UNSETTLED WEATHER THROUGH NEXT WEEKEND. THE STRONG PACIFIC JET SHOULD CONTINUE AS IT HAS FOR MUCH OF THIS MONTH SO RIDGING IN THE WEST IS NOT FAVORED AT THIS TIME. CHANCE POPS WILL BE MAINTAINED FOR NEXT WEEKEND WITH MAX TEMPS A FEW DEGREES BELOW NORMAL DUE TO EXPECTATIONS OF MORE CLOUD COVER. MJD && .REV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NV...NONE. CA...NONE. &&
CAZ070>073-NVZ001>005-171500- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV 700 AM PST SUN NOV 16 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NEVADA...THE EASTERN SIERRA AND NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A COLD AND WET LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO INVADE THE REGION LATE THIS WEEK. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR WIND IN THE EASTERN SIERRA THURSDAY AND SNOW IN THE SIERRA THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... CURRENTLY MUCH UNCERTAINTY EXISTS WITH THE STRENGTH AND TIMING OF THIS SYSTEM. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS AND STORM SPOTTERS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION ON THIS POTENTIAL WINTER STORM. JORDAN/HOHMANN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. 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, November 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: 5327374.