Yet another series of Pacific storms brought heavy snow, high winds, and thunderstorms to parts of the Mojave Desert and Southern Great Basin.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 VEF wrote it up.
Yet another series of Pacific storms brought heavy snow, high winds, and thunderstorms to parts of the Mojave Desert and Southern Great Basin.
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 Las Vegas, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 21, 9:35 AM PST, 5 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 935 AM PST THU FEB 21 2008 .SYNOPSIS...ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST TODAY...BRINGING SNOW TO THE SIERRA BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. CHANCES FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW AND VALLEY RAIN WILL THEN SPREAD ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. THERE WILL BE A BREAK ON SATURDAY BEFORE ANOTHER...STRONGER STORM AFFECTS THE REGION SUNDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVERHEAD EARLY NEXT WEEK...BRINGING DRIER AND WARMER WEATHER TO THE AREA. && .UPDATE...SHORTWAVE PUSHING ONTO THE CALIFORNIA COAST TO SPREAD SHOWERS INTO THE SOUTHERN SIERRA BY LATE AFTERNOON AND THEN CROSS OVER THE CWA TONIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY. WEAK RIDGE AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM TO BE OVER THE CWA TODAY...HOWEVER CONSIDERABLE HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE TO FLOW THROUGH THE RIDGE FOR A MOSTLY CLOUDY/PARTLY SUNNY DAY. OVERALL CURRENT FORECAST ON TRACK WITH NO UPDATES PLANNED ATTM. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...HIGH CIRRUS CEILINGS FOR THE REST OF TODAY BEFORE THE CEILINGS LOWER THIS EVENING IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM. WITH THE LOWER CEILING THIS EVENING AND INTO TOMORROW MORNING THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR RAIN SHOWERS THROUGH OUT THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY. THESE SHOWERS COULD BRING THE VISIBILITY DOWN TO 5 MILES BRIEFLY AND MAYBE CEILINGS TO 4000 FEET. LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON FRIDAY WILL SEE SKIES CLEAR AND THE THREAT OF RAIN PASS. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT WITH CIGS BELOW 5K FEET AND VSBYS POTENTIALLY LOWERING TO LESS THAN 4SM. RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE LIKELY OVER THE SIERRA...CENTRAL NYE AND ESMERALDA COUNTIES AND SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA. SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE WESTERN ZONES AROUND 20Z AND SPREAD OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA BY 06Z. GENERALLY LIGHT WEST WINDS THIS MORNING WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY DESERTS WHERE WEST WINDS WILL BE 10-15 KNOTS. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE AFTER 21Z WITH 10-20 KNOTS OVER MOST AREAS. && .PREV DISCUSSION...248 AM PST SHORT TERM...SATELLITE SHOWS YESTERDAYS STORM ROLLING ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA WHILE TOMORROWS STORM TAKES SHAPE OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST. TODAY WILL BE A DOWN DAY UNDER SHORTWAVE RIDGING FOR MOST OF OUR AREA...WITH THE EASTERN SIERRA SLOPES BEING THE EXCEPTION. SNOW SHOULD BEGIN THERE THIS AFTERNOON...AND THOUGHT ABOUT AN ADVISORY...BUT EVENTUALLY DECIDED AGAINST IT. BELIEVE THAT SPILLOVER POTENTIAL WILL BE LIMITED...AND KEPT SNOW AMOUNTS JUST UNDER ADVISORY CRITERIA. FOR THE REST OF OUR CWFA...IMPRESSIVE JET BETWEEN 30-40N WAS COMING ACROSS 130W THIS MORNING AND WILL SLAM INLAND TONIGHT...SPREADING PRECIP CHANCES AREAWIDE. SAID JET WILL ALSO HELP WINDS ACROSS THE WESTERN MOJAVE FLIRT WITH ADVISORY CRITERIA AGAIN TOMORROW. WINDS AND PRECIP CHANCES WILL DECREASE TOMORROW NIGHT AS THE STORM MOVES BY AND ANOTHER BRIEF PERIOD OF SHORTWAVE RIDGING TAKES HOLD. THE NEXT STORM COULD BE THE STRONGEST OF THE SERIES...AND WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT THE NORTHWEST ZONES AS THE SHORT TERM DRAWS TO A CLOSE SATURDAY NIGHT. PREFER THE SLOWER LOOK OF THE ECMWF HERE AS MODEL RUN TO RUN TRENDS HAVE SHOWN A DEFINITE SLOWING TREND FOR THE PAST SEVERAL RUNS. .LONG TERM...MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE LAST IN A SERIES OF PACIFIC STORMS TO AFFECT OUR REGION IN A WEEK. THIS SYSTEM IS POISED TO BRING IN HIGH AMOUNTS OF QPF TO NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CA WITH LESSER AMOUNTS SOUTH. FOR OUR AREA...IT LOOKS LIKE THE MAJORITY OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE INTERCEPTED BY THE SIERRA SATURDAY NIGHT...BUT AS THE SYSTEM SHIFTS EAST...PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL INCREASE OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE CWA DURING THE DAY SUNDAY. WILL ALSO HAVE TO WATCH FOR THE POTENTIAL OF A SIERRA DOWNSLOPE WIND EVENT SUNDAY MORNING. TIMING OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE KEY...BUT THE FAVORABLE LOCATION OF A 140KT JET MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL SIERRA COULD BRING STRONG DOWNSLOPE WINDS BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION BEGINS OVER THE EASTERN SLOPES. SYSTEM EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT WITH SOME RESIDUAL PRECIPITATION OVER THE EASTERN CWA EARLY MONDAY. STRONG HIGH PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO BUILD OVER THE WESTERN STATES MONDAY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY WITH A GRADUAL WARMING TREND AND DRY CONDITIONS. && .VEF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NV...NONE. AZ...NONE. CA...NONE. && JENSEN/JACQUES/MORGAN/GORELOW HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 307 AM PST THU FEB 21 2008 AZZ001>003-036-CAZ519>527-NVZ014>022-220800- NORTHWEST PLATEAU-LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY-NORTHWEST DESERTS- LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA-EASTERN SIERRA SLOPES- OWENS VALLEY-WHITE MOUNTAINS OF INYO COUNTY- DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK-WESTERN MOJAVE DESERT- EASTERN MOJAVE DESERT-MORONGO BASIN-CADIZ BASIN- SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY-UPPER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY- ESMERALDA AND CENTRAL NYE COUNTY-LINCOLN COUNTY- NORTHEAST CLARK COUNTY-WESTERN CLARK AND SOUTHERN NYE COUNTY- SHEEP RANGE-SPRING MOUNTAINS-LAS VEGAS VALLEY- SOUTHERN CLARK COUNTY- 307 AM PST THU FEB 21 2008 /407 AM MST THU FEB 21 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST THIS AFTERNOON...BRINGING SNOW TO THE SIERRA TODAY AND CHANCES FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW AND VALLEY RAIN TO THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION TONIGHT. WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT LIKELY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY CHANCES FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW AND VALLEY RAIN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY...AND GUSTY WINDS WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE MOJAVE DESERT FRIDAY AS WELL. AFTER A BREAK ON SATURDAY...ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE REGION SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. THIS STORM COULD BRING SIGNIFICANT SNOW TO THE EASTERN SIERRA SLOPES. STRONG WINDS COULD ALSO BE POSSIBLE...BUT THE EXACT LOCATION AND TIMING ARE STILL UNCERTAIN. MUCH QUIETER WEATHER IS EXPECTED TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE TAKES OVER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED...BUT SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MORGAN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
An observer recorded 11 inches of snow in Aspendell (8500').
An observer recorded 12 inches of snow in Aspendell (8500').
The strongest measured gust occurred at 0040 PST 1 mile N of Independence. Several other sensors measured high winds during the event. The facade of a building in Independence was blown off.
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: 77083, 77085, 77090.