Gusty southwest winds blew across far western Nevada early on the morning of April 1 in advance of a strong spring cold front.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
Gusty southwest winds blew across far western Nevada early on the morning of April 1 in advance of a strong spring cold front.
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 Mar 31, 9:00 PM PST, 3 hours earlier.
WESTERN NEVADA AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
900 PM PST MON MAR 31 2003
INITIAL COLD FRONT FROM DEVELOPING TROUGH ALONG WEST COAST MOVING
ONSHORE FAR NW CALIFORNIA THIS EVENING WITH SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS EAST TO NEAR LASSEN PARK. CURRENT FORECAST TIMING OF
SHOWERS MOVING INTO ZONE 71 TONIGHT AND INTO TAHOE REGION BY MORNING
LOOKS GOOD COMPARED TO CURRENT DATA AND NEW GUIDANCE. WILL ADD
CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TO ZONE 71. FRONT FINALLY CLOSE
ENOUGH TO TIGHTEN SURFACE GRADIENT WITH WINDS ALOFT BEGINNING TO
INCREASE AS WELL AS TROUGH DEEPENS. WILL KEEP WIND ADVISORY UP FOR
PRE FRONTAL WINDS SURPRISE VALLEY AND EASTERN LASSEN COUNTY TONIGHT
AND FAR WESTERN NEVADA ON TUESDAY AS FRONT WILL BE SLOW TO CROSS
INTO WESTERN NEVADA. NEW AVN QPF FORECAST MUCH DRIER THAN ETA AND
LOOKS REASONABLE COMPARED TO RATHER UNIMPRESSIVE LOOKING BAROCLINIC
BAND ON SATELLITE IMAGERY. LAMONI
.REV...WIND ADVISORY FOR CAZ070-071 AND NVZ005 TONIGHT.
.WIND ADVISORY FOR NVZ003 TONIGHT AND TUESDAY.
.LAKE WIND ADVISORY TUESDAY FOR PYRAMID LAKE AND LAKE TAHOE.CAZ070>073-NVZ001>005-011300- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV 500 AM PST MON MAR 31 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NEVADA...THE EASTERN SIERRA AND NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY UNSEASONABLY COLD AIR WILL MOVE SOUTHWARD ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST ON TUESDAY AND MAINTAIN A GRIP ON THE AREA THROUGH SATURDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA ON TUESDAY...GENERATING GUSTY WINDS DROPPING SNOW LEVELS TO THE VALLEY FLOORS EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. ON WEDNESDAY...A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE SIERRA AND WESTERN NEVADA. SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW MAY ACCUMULATE IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH AN INCH OR TWO ON VALLEY FLOORS. ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL REACH THE SIERRA LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND MOVE INTO WESTERN NEVADA ON FRIDAY...WITH POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO MONITOR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS AND WATCH FOR FUTURE STATEMENTS. BRONG
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Multiple gusts from 55 to 60 mph reported by automated weather station near Incline Village, NV.
Multiple wind gusts from 58-68 mph reported by automated weather station at Galena, about 10 miles southwest of Reno between midnight and 6 a.m.
Multiple gusts from 60 to 69 mph between midnight and 8:30 a.m. reported by spotter 6 miles southwest of Gardnerville.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, 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: 5353344, 5353343, 5353342.