A strong spring cold front brought heavy snow to far western Nevada on the evening of April 2nd. m.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 spring cold front brought heavy snow to far western Nevada on the evening of April 2nd. Most snow fell from about 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
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, 2:45 PM PST, 3 hours 45 minutes earlier.
WESTERN NEVADA AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
245 PM PST WED APR 2 2003
COLD UPPER TROF SHOULD EXIT THE REGION OVERNIGHT WITH ONLY SOME
LINGERING SHOWERS ON THURSDAY. WILL KEEP THE SNOW ADVISORY GOING
TONIGHT THRU AROUND 900 PM. THINK MOUNTAINS COULD GET ANOTHER 3-5
INCHES AT THE PASSES AND 1-3 AT LAKE LEVEL THEN PRECIP SHOULD TAPER
OFF TO FLURRIES OR LIGHTER SHOWERS. NEXT CHANCE OF HVY SNOW WILL BE
MOSLTY LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT THURSDAY AND DURING THE DAY FRIDAY.
WILL ISSUE A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THAT SYSTEM AS IS WILL LIKELY
AGAIN BE COLD AND UNSTABLE WITH SOME HEAVIER CONVECTIVE TYPE SNOW.
THE A FLAT RIDGE BEGINS TO BUILD OVER THE AREA DURING THE WEEKEND
WITH SOME LINGERING SHOWERS INTO SATURDAY.
IN THE EXTENDED...SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...
MEDIUM RANGE MODELS SIMILAR IN BUILDING FLAT RIDGE INTO AREA SUNDAY
IN WAKE OF EXITING TROUGH OVER UTAH. RIDGING ALOFT CONTINUES TO
BUILD MON AND TUESDAY IN ADVANCE OF DEVELOPING TROUGH IN ERN PAC.
12Z GFS SIMILAR TO 00Z RUN KEEPING OVERRUNNING PCPN N OF OUR CWA
WITH MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES OVER SRN ZONES. TEMPS WARMING UP TO NEAR
SEASONAL NORMALS BY MONDAY WITH HIGHS REACHING INTO 60S IN WRN NV
VALLEYS. GFS BRINGS NEXT SYSTEM INTO SIERRA AND WRN NV LATE WED
WITH GOOD SUPPORT OF ENSEMBLE MEMBERS AND OTHER MEDIUM RANGE MODELS.
THIS SYSTEM WILL BE WARMER WITH HIGHER SNOW LEVELS. CYLKE
.REV...SNOW ADVISORY TIL 900 PM...CAZ071>073-NVZ002.
WINTER STORM WATCH FRIDAY...CAZ071>073-NVZ002.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.
5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
An off-duty NWS employee reported 4 inches of new snow in 4 hours in north Reno.
An off duty NWS employee reported 6 inches of new snow in 5 hours at Cold Springs, about 15 miles northwest of Reno.
An off duty NWS employee reported heavy snowfall at the rate of one inch per hour at Cold Springs, about 15 miles northwest of Reno.
An off duty NWS employee reported 5 inches of new snow in 4 hours near Mogul, about 5 miles west of Reno.
The Storey County Sheriff reported 2 inches of new snow in 2 hours at Virginia City.
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: 5353337, 5353341, 5353338, 5353339, 5353340.