A winter storm brought up to 3 feet of snow to the Sierra Nevada with a foot or more of snow to portions of western Nevada. Strong winds affected the region before cold front moved through the night of February 2nd.
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 winter storm brought up to 3 feet of snow to the Sierra Nevada with a foot or more of snow to portions of western Nevada. Strong winds affected the region before cold front moved through the night of February 2nd.
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 Feb 2, 2:51 PM PST, 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
251 PM PST SAT FEB 2 2008
.SHORT TERM...
LIGHT SNOW CONTINUES SPREADING SE INTO NW PORTIONS OF THE CWA THIS
AFTN WELL AHEAD OF APPROACHING COLD FRONT AND UPPER LVL TROF WHICH
WILL SWING THROUGH THE RGN TONIGHT. IR IMAGERY SHOWS CLOUD TOPS
COOLING AS LIFT INCREASES AND NOSE OF THE JET WORKS SE. EXPECT
BEST SNOWS TO OVERSPREAD THE CWA TONIGHT FROM N TO S WITH BEST
ACCUMULATIONS IN THE SIERRA. MODELS PERSIST IN INDICATING ENOUGH
QPF TO SUPPORT LOW END WARNING CRITERIA FOR THE FAR NRN
ZONES...MAINLY DUE TO THE LOW WATER CONTENT OF THE SNOW. FARTHER
SOUTH ACCUMULATIONS WILL NOT BE AS GREAT. MODELS INDICATE MARGINAL
INSTABILITY FOR SPILL OVER LATE TONIGHT WHILE MODEL SOUNDINGS
SHOW GOOD MOISTENING OF THE AIRMASS THIS EVENING. FAR SRN ZONE
DOES NOT MOISTEN QUITE AS QUICKLY AND MODELS HAVE BACKED OFF
SOMEWHAT ON QPF. STILL FEEL SOME PCPN WILL MAKE IT INTO THAT ZONE
AS WELL LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT.
WINDS HAVE BEEN SLOW TO INCREASE TODAY BUT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF
HOURS HAVE SEEN SOME INCREASES. WITH PCPN EXPECTED TO SPILL OVER
THIS EVENING FEEL BEST WINDS WILL BE AT ABOUT THE TIME OF PCPN
BEGINNING SO DO NOT THINK WINDS WILL INCREASE AS MUCH AS
YESTERDAYS FORECAST INDICATED. STILL WITH FAIRLY LOW WATER
CONTENT SNOW WILL NOT TAKE MUCH TO PRODUCE BLOWING SNOW ON THE LEE
SIDE TONIGHT. WILL MAINTAIN CURRENT TIMING FOR WARNINGS IN THE
SIERRA AS SNOWS WILL NOT INCREASE FOR MONO COUNTY UNTIL THE
EVENING. MEANWHILE WILL MAINTAIN LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONE 004
UNTIL 6 PM THEN REPLACE IT WITH A SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY
FOR BASIN AND RANGE ZONE AND MATCH IT TO THE TIME OF THE ADVISORY
FOR RENO/CARSON CITY AREA ZONE. WHILE ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE
MARGINAL THERE WILL BE SOME SPOTS WITH ADVISORY CRITERIA ...DUE
MAINLY TO BURST OF SNOW WITH COLD FRONT LATE TONIGHT...BEFORE THE
SNOW TAPERS TO SHOWERS SUNDAY MORNING. NV ZONE 001 IS A BIT MORE
PROBLEMATIC. WHILE GFS CONTINUES TO INDICATE AT LEAST SOME QPF IN
THE ZONE MANY AREAS WILL NOT SEE MORE THAN A FEW TENTHS OF AN
INCH. IN FACT NEITHER NAM NOR LOCALLY RUN WRF WANT TO PRODUCE MUCH
OF ANY PCPN IN THAT ZONE. WIND ADVISORY IN THAT ZONE LOOKS
MARGINAL AS WELL. 30 MB AGL WINDS FROM THE WRF...EVEN MIXED
COMPLETELY TO THE SFC OVERNIGHT WOULD PRODUCE ONLY MARGINAL
ADVISORY GUSTS. AND LIKELIHOOD OF COMPLETE MIXING...EVEN JUST
AHEAD OF THE FRONT BY EARLY SUN MRNG...IS IFFY. WITH SNOW SHOWERS
BY LATE EVENING AND VERY LIGHT SNOW OVERNIGHT THINK ACCUMULATIONS
WILL BE VERY MARGINAL...BUT A FEW AREAS IN THE WRN PORTION OF THE
ZONE MAY SEE LOW END ADVISORY ACUMULATIONS BY SUNDAY MRNG. WILL
THUS ISSUE A SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM LATE THIS EVENING
THROUGH OVERNIGHT AND DROP THE WIND ADVISORY. THINK BIGGER HAZARD
IS REDUCED VISIBILITY WHEN LIGHT SNOW DOES BEGIN WITH WINDS
GUSTING TO NEAR 40 MPH AT TIMES.
ALL AREAS SHOULD SEE SNOW TAPER TO SHOWERS THROUGH THE DAY ON
SUNDAY THEN END LATE SUN NIGHT...OR POSSIBLY EARLY MON MRNG FOR
MONO COUNTY. CURRENT TIMING FOR END OF WARNINGS IN THE TAHOE BASIN
AND MONO COUNTY MAY NEED TO ADJUSTED ON SUNDAY AS ACCUMULATING
SNOWS MAY END WELL BEFORE TIME ON CURRENT WARNINGS...BUT WILL DEAL
WITH THAT ON SUNDAY.
RIDGE BEGINS TO BUILD ON MONDAY WITH COLD OVERNIGHT LOWS BOTH MON
MRNG AND TUE MRNG IN THE VALLEYS. BUT AS MID LVL FLOW BECOMES MORE
WSW SHOULD SEE SOME WARMING IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS FOR MON AND
TUES. WILL MENTION A SMALL POP FOR LATE TUE NIGHT ACROSS THE FAR
NRN CWA AS NEXT SYSTEM TRIES TO RIDE OVER THE TOP OF THE RIDGE. MLF
.LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...
A DRIER PATTERN WILL AFFECT THE ERN SIERRA AND WRN NEVADA DURING THE
EXTENDED. ON WEDNESDAY A FLAT RIDGE IS PROGGED TO BUILD INTO THE
SWRN CONUS AS ZONAL FLOW SETS UP ACROSS THE NRN TIER. MOIST ONSHORE
FLOW IS EXPECTED TO BRING PRECIP TO THE CASCADES BUT SHOULD NOT
SPREAD MUCH FARTHER SOUTH THAN THE TAHOE BASIN AND NWRN NEVADA.
SLIGHT RIDGING EXPECTED ON THURSDAY BUT WLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO
BRING MOISTURE INTO THE NWRN CONUS. WILL CONTINUE WITH A SLIGHT CHC
OF PRECIP IN THE FAR NWRN ZONES THURSDAY AND INTO FRIDAY.
THE NEXT SHORTWAVE IN THE ZONAL FLOW TO OUR NORTH SHOULD MOVE INTO
THE PACIFIC NW LATE FRIDAY. THE MAIN DYNAMICS AND MOISTURE STAY
NORTH OF THE SIERRA AND WRN GREAT BASIN BUT SRN EDGE OF THE HEIGHT
GRADIENT WILL REMAIN ALONG THE SRN OREGON BORDER. STRONGEST WINDS
SHOULD STAY TO OUR NORTH THROUGH THE PERIOD. WILL EXTEND MENTION OF
PRECIP IN THE NRN ZONES THROUGH SATURDAY. TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE
SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL ON WEDNESDAY WITH A GRADUAL WARMING TREND INTO
THE WEEKEND. OHARA
&&
.AVIATION...
MVFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING WITH LCL IFR CONDITIONS
INVOF SNOW BANDS AS THEY MOVED FROM NW TO SE ACROSS THE AREA. WINDS
HAVE ALSO STARTED TO INCREASE THIS AFTN. SFC COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED
TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION AROUND 12Z SUNDAY WITH THE UPPER TROUGH
MOVING THROUGH BY 18Z. SCT AREAS OF SNOW SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH
APPROX 15Z BEFORE CHANGING TO SHSN AND DECREASING IN COVERAGE.
OHARA
&&
.REV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NV...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PST SUNDAY FOR NVZ005.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 PM PST SUNDAY FOR NVZ002.
SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM
PST SUNDAY FOR NVZ001.
SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM
PST SUNDAY FOR NVZ003-004.
LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON FOR NVZ004.
CA...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PST SUNDAY FOR CAZ070-071.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM PST SUNDAY
FOR CAZ073.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 PM PST SUNDAY FOR CAZ072.
&&
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RENOThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy snow, 1 winter weather, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Storm-total snowfall amounts:
2 miles WNW of Portola, 13.5 inches;|Portola, 10 inches (at 4850 feet);|1 mile west of Doyle, 5 inches.
A trained weather spotter located 5 miles NNW of Lake City reported a total of 6 inches of snowfall.
Storm-total snowfall totals:
Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, 33 inches (at 8637 feet), and 24 inches at 6835 feet;|Homewood Mountain Resort, 32 inches (at the summit), and 19 inches at the base;|5 miles SSW of Tahoe City, 32 inches;|Tahoe Pines, 29 inches;|Squaw Valley Ski Resort, 26 inches (at 8200 feet);|Northstar-at-Tahoe Ski Resort, 26 inches (at 8300 feet), and 20 inches at 6900 feet;|Sierra-at-Tahoe Ski Resort, 22 inches;|5 miles north of Alpine Meadows, 22 inches;|Tahoe Keys, 16 inches;|Boca Reservoir, 14.5 inches (1.10 inches of water equivalent), with a snow depth of 46 inches;|U. S. Coast Guard station at Tahoe City, 13 inches, with a snow depth of 61 inches;|5 miles WSW of South Lake Tahoe, 12 inches (at lake level).
Storm-total snowfall amounts:
1 mile WNW of Mammoth Lakes, 18 inches;|Mammoth Lakes, 13 inches (at 7800 feet);|Mono County Sheriff's Office, 10 inches (at 6470 feet).
The Mammoth Times newspaper of Mammoth Lakes, California reported that U. S. Highway 395 was closed from 11 miles north of Bishop to just eight miles south of Bridgeport. The California Highway Patrol website said that the highway was closed beginning at 9:30PM PST on February 2nd. It was stated on the website that the road closure was due to poor visibility and snow drifts.
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, February 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: 76856, 112494, 76855, 76857, 76868.