The day after heavy snow fell in portions of the Las Vegas Valley, one man died of exposure to the cold temperatures.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
The day after heavy snow fell in portions of the Las Vegas Valley, one man died of exposure to the cold temperatures.
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 Dec 18, 10:45 AM PST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 1045 AM PST THU DEC 18 2008 .SYNOPSIS...CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE OVER MUCH OF THE REGION THROUGH THE REST OF THE DAY EXCEPT IN MOHAVE COUNTY WHERE SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS. ANOTHER STORM IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST FRIDAY...BRINGING AN INCREASE IN WEST WIND TO THE MOJAVE DESERT. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW NORMAL THROUGH THE WEEKEND. && .UPDATE...THE STORM SYSTEM HAS CONTINUED TO MOVE OFF TO THE EAST WITH THE TROUGH AXIS NOW OVER CENTRAL UTAH/ARIZONA. CLOUD COVER HAS RAPIDLY DIMINISHED WITH CLOUDS TIED MAINLY TO AREA MOUNTAINS. THE EXCEPTION WOULD BE MOHAVE COUNTY WHERE FAIRLY EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER REMAINS AND LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS CONTINUE OVER THE MOUNTAINS. OTHER THAN MOHAVE COUNTY...NOT EXPECTING ANY PRECIP OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA. THE AFTERNOON PACKAGE WILL FOCUS ON THE NEXT STORM MOVING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. IMPACTS TO THE AREA WILL MAINLY BE CLOUDS AND WIND BUT A FEW SHOWERS IN THE SIERRA AND NORTHERN ZONES ARE POSSIBLE. CURRENTLY....CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT SYSTEM ARE APPROACHING FROM THE NORTH AND WILL LIKELY BEGIN TO FILTER INTO THE NORTHERN AREAS LATER TODAY. ZONE UPDATE THIS MORNING INCLUDED ADJUSTING POPS...SKY AND QPF TO FIT THE LATEST INFO AND ALSO TO INCREASE TEMPS IN MANY AREAS. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...CIGS ARE BEGINNING TO LIFT ACROSS THE VALLEY AND EXPECT ONLY SCATTERED CLOUDS AROUND 4K FEET THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. PROBLEMS MAY OCCUR OVERNIGHT TONIGHT WITH FOG. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS OF CIGS DROPPING TO 1K FEET WITH VSBYS BELOW 3SM. THIS WOULD LIKELY OCCUR BETWEEN 06Z-12Z. OTHERWISE WIND SPEEDS WILL REMAIN BELOW 7KTS OUT OF THE NORTHEAST. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...SKIES WILL BEGIN TO CLEAR OVER MOST LOCATIONS WITH CIGS AROUND 3-4K FEET REMAINING OVER MOHAVE COUNTY THROUGH 20Z. OTHERWISE GENERALLY LIGHT WINDS THIS AFTERNOON. THE POTENTIAL FOR FOG WILL EXIST TONIGHT OVER AREAS WHERE SNOW IS ON THE GROUND. VSBYS BELOW 3SM AND CIGS DOWN TO 1K FEET WILL BE POSSIBLE. && .PREV DISCUSSION... 327 AM PST THU DEC 18 2008 .SHORT TERM...SATELLITE SHOWS MAIN CIRCULATION CENTER JUST NORTH OF LAS VEGAS AND MOVING SLOWLY EAST. AREA RADARS AND SURFACE OBS INDICATE NO HEAVY PRECIP REMAINING AT THIS TIME...HOWEVER A FEW SPOTS OF ENHANCEMENT ARE SEEN IN SATELLITE NEAR AND JUST NORTH OF THE MORONGO BASIN...JUST NORTH OF THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY...AND OVER LINCOLN COUNTY. SATELLITE LOOP SUGGESTS THE WARM CONVEYOR BELT HAS WRAPPED NEARLY ALL THE WAY AROUND THE LOW CENTER AND OCCLUSION HAS TAKEN PLACE. THUS...THE QUASI-RANDOMLY PLACED BANDS OF ENHANCEMENT COULD PERSIST. THIS IS THE ONLY THING PREVENTING AN EARLY CANCELLATION OF THE WINTER STORM WARNINGS. WILL LET THE LAKE MEAD ZONES EXPIRE ON SCHEDULE AT 4 AM AND REEVALUATE THE REMAINING ZONES THEREAFTER. NEXT CONCERN IS STORM SWINGING THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES TOMORROW. HAD BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT HIGH WIND POTENTIAL IN THE SIERRA WITH THIS STORM...HOWEVER THE NEW MODEL RUNS SHOW A LESS FAVORABLE ORIENTATION TO THE JET AND ALSO SLIDE IT NORTHEAST OF THE CREST RATHER THAN DIRECTLY INTO IT. THUS...WILL FORGO ANY WATCHES OR WARNINGS AT THIS TIME. DAY SHIFT MAY STILL NEED TO CONSIDER AN ADVISORY FOR TOMORROW. PRECIP WITH THIS STORM SHOULD BE LIMITED TO THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN...AND ONLY SLIGHT CHANCE TO LOW END CHANCE THERE SINCE IT WILL HAVE LITTLE MOISTURE TO WORK WITH. THE SNOW FIELD WILL CAUSE MAJOR HEADACHES WITH TEMPERATURES. UNDERCUT THE GUIDANCE NUMBERS QUITE A BIT FOR HIGHS TODAY...AS THERE WILL STILL BE WRAP AROUND CLOUD COVER FOR MUCH OF THE DAY IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN ZONES...AND THE MODEL PROBABLY DOES NOT REALIZE THAT WE HAVE FRESH SNOW COVER TO ACT AS A REFRIGERANT. LOW TEMPS TONIGHT WILL BE PROBLEMATIC FOR THE SAME REASON. IF WE CLEAR OUT...TEMPS COULD REALLY TAKE A DIVE. CURRENT THINKING IS THAT THERE WILL BE TOO MANY CLOUDS IN THE WARM ADVECTION ZONE AHEAD OF THE NEXT STORM FOR THAT TO HAPPEN...BUT WILL NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON IT. ALSO ADDED AREAS OF FOG FOR THIS MORNING TO AREAS WHICH SAW SNOW YESTERDAY. FOG WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE IN AREAS WITH REMAINING SNOW COVER TOMORROW MORNING. WILL NEED TO ADDRESS THIS AFTER SEEING HOW MUCH MELTING TAKES PLACE TODAY. .LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...A FEW SHOWERS COULD STILL BE OCCURRING OVER NORTHERN MOHAVE COUNTY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING AS A TROUGH SHIFTS EAST ACROSS UTAH. OTHERWISE...AREA WILL LIE UNDER A DRY COOL NORTHWEST FLOW BY SATURDAY AS TROUGH MOVES FURTHER EAST. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT DROPPING ANOTHER DEEP UPPER LOW FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA SOUTHEAST INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST MONDAY. SYSTEM DOES TAP INTO MOISTURE PLUME WITH PW VALUES RUNNING AROUND 1.25 INCHES OFF THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST SUNDAY. AS TROUGH DIVES SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE GREAT BASIN SUNDAY NIGHT/MONDAY MOISTURE PLUME WILL WORK SOUTH THROUGH CALIFORNIA WITH UPSLOPE PRECIPITATION OCCURRING ALONG THE WEST SLOPES WITH LIGHTER AMOUNTS SPILLING INTO THE GREAT BASIN AND MOJAVE DESERT. THERE LOOKS TO BE A BREAK IN THE ACTION WEDNESDAY AS THE NEXT SYSTEM IN THE ACTIVE PROGRESSIVE PATTERN STARTS TO TAKE AIM ON THE WEST COAST LATE NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW NORMAL THROUGH MOST OF THE PERIOD...ONLY RETURNING BACK TO NEAR NORMAL DURING THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. .VEF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NV...NONE. AZ...NONE. CA...NONE. && SALMEN/GORELOW/MORGAN/JACQUES HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 542 AM PST THU DEC 18 2008 AZZ001-003-190800- NORTHWEST PLATEAU-NORTHWEST DESERTS- 642 AM MST THU DEC 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A COLD STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS THIS MORNING...AND A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM MST. THE SNOW WILL END FROM WEST TO EAST AND CLOUDS WILL DECREASE THIS AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING GUSTY WINDS FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY...BUT WILL PRODUCE MUCH LESS PRECIPITATION THAN THE CURRENT STORM. YET ANOTHER STORM WILL BRING ANOTHER CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION AND GUSTY WINDS MONDAY OR TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER REPORTS WILL BE NEEDED THIS MORNING. SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER AS SOON AS IT IS SAFE TO DO SO. AZZ002-036-CAZ519>527-NVZ014>022-190800- LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY-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- 542 AM PST THU DEC 18 2008 /642 AM MST THU DEC 18 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE COLD STORM SYSTEM WHICH BROUGHT SNOW TO MUCH OF THE AREA WILL MOVE AWAY TO THE EAST TODAY. ANY LINGERING SNOW SHOWERS WILL END THIS MORNING...AND CLOUDS WILL DECREASE FROM WEST TO EAST. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING GUSTY WINDS FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY...BUT WILL PRODUCE MUCH LESS PRECIPITATION THAN THE CURRENT STORM. YET ANOTHER STORM WILL BRING ANOTHER CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION AND GUSTY WINDS MONDAY OR TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT. HOWEVER...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.
1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
One man died due to the cold temperatures.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold/Wind Chill, Las Vegas Valley | 2008-12-18 | 77 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, December 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: 144481.