A cold front moving through northeast California and northwest Nevada produced strong gusty winds across the region. Areas of blowing dust caused visibility problems in western Nevada.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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 cold front moving through northeast California and northwest Nevada produced strong gusty winds across the region. Areas of blowing dust caused visibility problems in western Nevada.
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 29, 8:42 AM PST, 2 hours 43 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
942 AM PDT TUE APR 29 2008
.UPDATE...
WINDS ALREADY GUSTING TO ADVISORY CRITERIA ACROSS TAHOE BASIN AND
RENO AREAS. RIDGES GUSTING OVER 70 MPH WITH SLIDE NEAR 100 MPH AND
KSAC-KRNO PRESSURE GRADIENT IS NOW 11 MB. BOTH NAM AND GFS SHOW
40-50 KTS AT 700 MB SOUTH OF I-80 THIS AFTERNOON WITH PRESSURE
GRADIENT INCREASING...AS WELL AS THERMAL GRADIENT DUE TO
DIFFERENTIAL HEATING AHEAD OF AND BEHIND THE SURFACE FRONT. THERE
IS ALSO A CRITICAL LEVEL ON THE KREV 12Z RAOB AND ACARS SOUNDINGS
WHICH IS FORECAST TO PERSIST ON THE MODELS. FINALLY...BOTH GFS AND
NAM SHOW A TROPOPAUSE FOLD EXTENDING DOWN TO 650 MB...AS THE JET
PASSES JUST BY TO THE NORTH WHICH SHOULD HELP WITH MOMEMTUM
TRANSFER TO THE SURFACE. BASED ON THESE IDEAS...HAVE UPGRADED MANY
AREAS SOUTH OF I-80 TO WARNINGS EXCEPT FOR LAKE TAHOE...WHICH WILL
REMAIN AS A STRONG ADVISORY. MAY NEED TO UPGRADE THERE AS
WELL...BUT WOULD LIKE A LITTLE MORE TIME TO INVESTIGATE THERE.
BLOWING DUST WILL ALSO BE A CONCERN...ESPECIALLY FALLON-LOVELOCK.
SILVER SPRINGS AREA VISIBILITY...NEAR THE JUNCTION OF HWYS 50 AND
95A WAS BELOW 1/4SM AT TIMES 2 WEEKS AGO IN A SIMILAR EVENT. LARGE
DUST PLUMES WERE EVIDENT OFF OF THE HUMBOLDT ANC CARSON SINKS.
THEREFORE...ISSUED A DUST STORM WARNING THERE. NOT SURE HOW MUCH
OF 80-50 WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE PLUMES BASED ON WIND
DIRECTION...BUT EXPECT PERIODS NEAR 1/4SM IN FALLON AND LOVELOCK.
ALSO EXPECT SILVER SPRINGS TO BE NEAR ZERO AT TIMES. WALLMANN
&&
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 432 AM PDT TUE APR 29 2008/
SHORT TERM...
WINDS ARE ALREADY GUSTING 25 TO 35 MPH EARLY THIS MORNING IN FAR
WESTERN NEVADA AND NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA AS THE SURFACE PRESSURE
GRADIENT CONTINUES TO INCREASE AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT CURRENTLY
OVER FAR NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA AND WESTERN OREGON. WITH PYRAMID LAKE
ALREADY GUSTING 25 TO 30 MPH EARLY THIS MORNING...I RAISED A LAKE
WIND ADVISORY FOR PYRAMID LAKE UNTIL THE OVERALL WIND ADVISORY FOR
ZONE 4 KICKS IN LATER THIS MORNING.
SOLID WIND ADVISORIES...ESPECIALLY FROM SUSANVILLE TO GERLACH
SOUTHWARD...STILL LOOKS QUITE GOOD FOR LATE THIS MORNING INTO THE
EVENING PERIOD. THE SURFACE GRADIENT IN THE GFS IS STILL SHOWING
AN IMPRESSIVE 8-10 MB FROM WESTERN TO CENTRAL NEVADA AT 00Z
WEDNESDAY. OUR LOCAL 8 KM WRF MODEL IS PINNING ON THE 20Z-02Z
PERIOD FOR THE STRONGEST WINDS AS THE BEST DAYTIME HEATING
INTENSIFIES THE GRADIENT ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. IT
SHOWS A PERIOD OF SCATTERED 40-45 KTS...WITH 50-60 KTS IN THE
FOOTHILLS WEST OF RENO AND SOUTH NEAR HIGHWAY 395...MOST LIKELY
FOR THE TYPICAL WIND PRONE AREAS. THIS JIVES WELL WITH CURRENT
STATEMENT THINKING.
WEDNESDAY WILL FEATURE COOL NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AND HIGHS
EXPECTED TO TOP OUT WELL BELOW AVERAGE...WITH THE UPPER 50S TO
LOWER 60S IN THE LOWER VALLEYS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80. THURSDAY
WILL BRING A 5 TO 10 DEGREE WARM UP OVER WEDNESDAY WITH LIGHTER
WINDS AND GOOD EARLY MAY HEATING. SNYDER
LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...
OPERATIONAL GFS AND ECMWF STARTING TO DIVERGE MORE IN THE EXTENDED
FORECAST THIS CYCLE WITH ENSEMBLES CLUSTERING AROUND SUPPORT FOR
BOTH...BUT SLIGHTLY MORE SUPPORT GFS SOLUTION. WHILE BOTH START
WITH A FAIRLY FLAT RIDGE OVER THE RGN ON FRIDAY...BREAKING DOWN AS A
SHORT WAVE TROF CARVES OVER THE RIDGE INTO THE GREAT BASIN. THE
ECMWF IS MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH BOTH THE TIMING AND AMPLITUDE OF
THIS TROF BY SATURDAY. ECMWF IS PRODUCING MUCH MORE PCPN BY SAT WITH
SOMEWHAT COOLER TEMPS AS CLOSED LOW DEVELOPS OVER THE SIERRA BY SUN
MRNG. GIVEN QUITE DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS HAVE OPTED TO ADJUST VERY
LITTLE FOR FRIDAY AND SAT THIS FORECAST. WILL KEEP LOW POPS IN THE
FORECAST FOR FRI AFTN AND EVENING ACROSS THE FAR NRN CWA BUT NOTHING
FOR SAT YET. AS TRAJECTORY OF THIS SYSTEM TAKES IT OVER THE INTERIOR
PAC NW BEFORE DROPPING INTO THE GREAT BASIN THINK IT MAY BE SOMEWHAT
MSTR STARVED...SO ECMWF IS PROBABLY A BIT OVER DONE WITH PCPN
DEPICTION. OPERATIONAL GFS DOES DEVELOP A CLOSED LOW BY LATE SUN
ACROSS THE ERN GREAT BASIN...MUCH SLOWER AND FARTHER EAST THAN THE
ECMWF. WILL INCREASE POPS SLIGHTLY ACROSS THE FAR ERN AND NE CWA SAT
NIGHT INTO SUN AND BEGIN TO COOL TEMPS A FEW DEGREES. SHORT WAVE
RIDGE SHOULD DEVELOP BY MON BUT MODELS ALSO DIFFER ON ITS AMPLITUDE
AND SPEED OF MOVEMENT TO THE EAST WITH ECMWF SHOWING A MORE
PROGRESSIVE PATTERN. AGAIN ENSEMBLES HAVE SUPPORT FOR BOTH ECMWF AND
OPERATIONAL GFS. WITH MUCH UNCERTAINTY THIS FAR OUT WILL OPT TO MAKE
ONLY MINOR COSMETIC CHANGES TO MONDAY PORTION OF THE EXTENDED. MLF
AVIATION...
VFR CIGS AND VSBYS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR ALL TAF SITES TODAY AND
THIS EVENING WITH EXCEPTION THAT KLOL MAY SEE BRIEF PERIODS OF
REDUCED VSBYS DUE TO BLOWING DUST. WINDS WILL INCREASE ALL TAF SITES
LATER THIS MORNING WITH KRNO LIKELY EXPERIENCING THE STRONGEST
WINDS. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 30 KTS WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 40 KT FROM
THE WEST ARE POSSIBLE LATER TODAY AT KRNO. WINDS WILL BE JUST BELOW
THESE SPEEDS AT OTHER SITES AS WELL. TURBULENCE EXPECTED TO INCREASE
THROUGH THE DAY AS WELL. MLF
&&
.REV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NV...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR NVZ005.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 1 AM PDT WEDNESDAY
FOR NVZ001.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR NVZ002.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR NVZ003.
DUST STORM WARNING UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR NVZ004.
CA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR CAZ070-071.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 1 AM PDT WEDNESDAY
FOR CAZ073.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR CAZ072.
&&
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RENOPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
1219 PM PDT TUE APR 29 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0815 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 S WASHOE CITY 39.29N 119.81W
04/29/2008 M62.00 MPH WASHOE NV MESONET
PEAK WIND AT WASHOE VALLEY SO FAR
0850 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 5 S RENO 39.47N 119.82W
04/29/2008 M58.00 MPH WASHOE NV MESONET
PEAK WIND AT 4790 FT AT APRS WIND SENSOR IN SOUTH RENO
0903 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 10 SSW RENO 39.40N 119.89W
04/29/2008 M68.00 MPH WASHOE NV MESONET
PEAK WIND AT GALENA RAWS SO FAR.
0910 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 5 SSW RENO 39.47N 119.86W
04/29/2008 M68.00 MPH WASHOE NV MESONET
DRI SENSOR AT WOLF RUN GOLF COURSE PEAK WIND SO FAR
1021 AM NON-TSTM WND GST WSW RENO 39.54N 119.83W
04/29/2008 U0.00 MPH WASHOE NV TRAINED SPOTTER
STRONG WINDS OVER U.S. 395 IN WASHOE VALLEY. BLOWING DUST
REDUCING VISIBILITY ON EAST SIDE OF WASHOE VALLEY AND
NEAR DAMONTE RANCH PKWY/U.S. 395. OCCURRED OVER LAST
HOUR.
1156 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 5 N RENO 39.61N 119.82W
04/29/2008 M66.00 MPH WASHOE NV OFFICIAL NWS OBS
PEAK GUST SO FAR. SUSTAINED WINDS 42 MPH.
&&
WHOHMANNThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained weather spotter located 3 miles west of Loyalton reported a wind gust of 56 knots (64 mph).
The RAWS sensor located 3 miles WNW of Bridgeport recorded a wind gust of 54 knots (62 mph).
The wind sensor on a UC-Davis weather buoy on Lake Tahoe recorded a wind gust of 51 knots (59 mph).
The wind sensor at the South Lake Tahoe airport (KTVL) recorded a wind gust of 51 knots (59 mph).
The RAWS wind sensor located 4 miles north of Walker recorded a wind gust of 56 knots (65 mph).
The RAWS wind sensor located 3 miles WNW of Bridgeport recorded a wind gust of 56 knots (64 mph).
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2008
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: 87140, 87141, 87143, 87144, 87146, 87149.