A low pressure system and cold front moved across northeastern California and western Nevada and brought locally heavy snowfall mainly to portions of western Nevada.
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 REV wrote it up.
A low pressure system and cold front moved across northeastern California and western Nevada and brought locally heavy snowfall mainly to portions of 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 Jan 9, 6:10 PM PST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
610 PM PST WED JAN 9 2008
.UPDATE...
RADAR SHOWS PRECIPITATION SPREADING ACROSS NORTHERN CA IS A LITTLE
HEAVIER THAN EARLIER PROGS INDICATED. HAVE DECIDED TO ISSUE WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ZONE 71 (LASSEN...EASTERN PLUMAS/SIERRA
COUNTIES) FOR SNOW...SLEET AND POSSIBLE FREEZING RAIN TONIGHT AND
THURSDAY MORNING. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW A FAVORABLE PROFILE FOR
FREEZING RAIN IN LASSEN COUNTY OVERNIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. WILL
END ADVISORY AT 10 AM TO COINCIDE WITH ENDING TIME FOR ADVISORY
ALREADY IN EFFECT FOR SURPRISE VALLEY AND NORTHERN WASHOE COUNTY. RC
.PREVIOUS SHORT TERM - ISSUED 330 PM...
RIDGE CONTINUES TO BUILD INTO THE CNTRL CALIFORNIA COAST WITH A
WEATHER SYSTEM RIDING OVER THE RIDGE AND INTO THE FORECAST AREA
OVERNIGHT. AS THIS SYSTEM COMES IN...DRY AND COLD AIR OVER THE
REGION WILL ALLOW PRECIPITATION TO START AS SNOW OVER MOST AREAS.
THE SIERRA FROM THE TAHOE BASIN NORTH WILL LIKELY PICK UP SEVERAL
INCHES OF SNOW...BUT BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA. PRECIPITATION SHOULD
HAVE NO PROBLEM SPILLING OVER THE SIERRA IN THIS OVERRUNNING
PATTERN. NORTHERN WASHOE COUNTY AND THE SURPRISE VALLY ARE ALSO
EXPECTED TO RECEIVE SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW OVERNIGHT DUE TO THE WAA
PRECIP. WARMER AIR IS EXPECTED TO PUSH INTO THE AREA LATER TONIGHT
AND THURSDAY ALLOWING SNOW LEVELS TO RISE TO OVER 6000-7000 FEET.
WITH WIDESPREAD SNOWCOVER AND COLD AIR TRAPPED IN ISOLATED VALLEYS
THURSDAY MORNING...THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING RAIN TO
OCCUR. THEREFORE...HAVE INCLUDED MENTION OF SLIGHT CHANCES OF
FREEZING RAIN FROM AROUND HIGHWAY 50 NORTH. DECIDED TO ISSUE WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN WASHOE AND SURPRISE VALLEY AS PRECIP
LOOKS WIDESPREAD AND HEAVY ENOUGH TO ACCUMULATE 2-3 INCHES OF SNOW
BEFORE POSSIBLY BECOMING SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN. LASSEN AND PLUMAS
ZONE SHOULD BE MONITORED BY FOLLOWING SHIFTS IN CASE PRECIP LOOKS
HEAVY ENOUGH AND CHANGE OVER TO FREEZING RAIN OCCURS...WARRANTING
ISSUE OF A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. FOR RENO/CC AREAS...UP TO AN
INCH OF SNOW COULD FALL THROUGH EVAPORATIVELY COOLED AIRMASS BEFORE
CHANGING TO RAIN OR EVEN POSSIBLY FREEZING RAIN LATE TONIGHT.
SHOULDNT ADD UP TO MORE THAN A 0.10 OR SO. WIND WILL INCREASE OVER
THE RIDGES AS THIS SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH.
DIRTY RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN OVER THE FORECAST
AREA...ESPECIALLY NORTHERN PORTIONS INTO SUNDAY MORNING. THIS WILL
LEAD TO QUITE A BIT OF CLOUD COVER AND THE POTENTIAL FOR LIGHT
SHOWERS OVER THE FAR NORTHERN SIERRA AND NEAR THE OREGON BORDER.
TEMPERATURES WILL BE QUITE TRICKY TO FORECAST DUE TO SNOW COVER AND
VALLEY INVERSIONS. REMAINED BELOW MOS GUIDANCE IN VALLEYS FOR BOTH
DAY AND NIGHT PERIODS. ANY NIGHTTIME BREAKS IN CLOUD COVER WILL LEAD
TO RAPID TEMP FALLS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING FOG TO DEVELOP.
MILNE
.LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...
UPPER RIDGE AXIS OVER WRN NV WILL KEEP INVERSION CONDITIONS OVER THE
REGION ON SUNDAY WITH MAX TEMPS NEAR THE SIERRA CREST POSSIBLY
EXCEEDING SOME OF THE LOWER NV VALLEYS. LOCAL FOG MAY DEVELOP IN
SNOW COVERED VALLEYS THRU SUN NIGHT FROM THE DIURNAL MELT AND FREEZE
CYCLE...BUT THE CONDITIONS FOR WIDESPREAD PERSISTENT FREEZING FOG DO
NOT APPEAR TO BE SETTING UP AS SLOW MELTING PROCESS OF THIS SNOWPACK
WILL PROBABLY NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH MOISTURE FOR MUCH FOG BEYOND THE
USUAL FOG PRONE AREAS. THE POTENTIAL FOR FOG WILL DECREASE MON NIGHT
AS SHORTWAVE BRUSHING ACROSS THE NWRN US DRAGS A COLD FRONT ACROSS
THE REGION...RESULTING IN SOME INCREASE IN WINDS AHEAD OF THE
FRONTAL PASSAGE. IF WINDS MIX DOWN SOON ENOUGH ON MONDAY...TEMPS MAY
CLIMB ABOVE 50 DEGREES IN SOME LEE SIDE VALLEYS. THERE IS A REMOTE
CHANCE OF VERY LIGHT PRECIP MON NIGHT IN THE NORTH ZONES BUT THE
FRONT WILL BE PASSING THROUGH TOO QUICKLY TO PRODUCE MUCH MORE THAN
A FEW SPRINKLES OF FLURRIES.
AS THIS TROF THEN DEEPENS OVER THE ROCKIES AND GREAT PLAINS...IT
WILL PUSH THE RIDGE AXIS OFFSHORE TO NEAR 130-135W AND BRING DRY
NORTH FLOW ALOFT AND LIGHT NE-E SURFACE FLOW TO THE REGION ON
TUES-WED. THIS WILL LIMIT MAX TEMPS TO THE UPPER 30S OR LOWER 40S IN
MOST AREAS. TEMPS AT NIGHT WERE TRENDED DOWNWARD A BIT AS CLEAR
SKIES ARE MORE LIKELY TO RETURN...WITH FURTHER COOLING POSSIBLE IN
SNOW COVERED AREAS. GFS MODEL SOUNDINGS KEEP THE WARMEST TEMPS
WITHIN THE INVERSION ABOVE LAKE LEVEL...SO DAYTIME TEMPS IN THE
TAHOE BASIN ARE NOT FORECASTED TO EXCEED THE LOWER VALLEYS. AT RIDGE
LEVEL...VERY DRY AIR MASS WITH BRISK WINDS WOULD OCCUR FROM LATE MON
NIGHT THRU WED IF THE LONGWAVE TROF AND RIDGE SET UP AS DESCRIBED
ABOVE. MJD
&&
.AVIATION...
WORSENING CONDS THIS EVENING AS OVERRUNNING MOISTURE AND LIGHT
PRECIP SPREADS OVER THE REGION. MVFR AND LOCAL IFR CIGS/VSBY WILL
SPREAD OVER NERN CA-NWRN NV FROM 00Z-02Z...AND REACH THE TAHOE BASIN
BETWEEN 02Z-04Z AND CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY WITH GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT
AFT 20Z. FOR KRNO-KLOL AND OTHER VALLEYS OF WRN NV-ERN CA...BKN-OVC
CLOUD COVER BUT VFR CIGS ARE EXPECTED FOR MUCH OF TONIGHT AND
THURS...EXCEPT FOR A FEW HOURS OF MVFR OR BRIEF IFR CIGS LATER
TONIGHT MAINLY BETWEEN 06Z-12Z AS -RA/-SN SPREADS OVER THE REGION. A
BRIEF PERIOD OF -FZRA IS POSSIBLE IN SOME PROTECTED VALLEYS OF ERN
CA-WRN NV FOR AN HOUR OR TWO BETWEEN THE 10Z-16Z TIME FRAME BEFORE
PRECIP CHANGES TO RAIN AND/OR ENDS THURS MORNING. MJD
&&
.REV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NV...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM PST THURSDAY FOR NVZ005.
CA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM PST THURSDAY FOR CAZ070
AND CAZ071.
&&
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RENOThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
The Pershing County Sheriff's Office estimated that 4 inches of snow fell overnight in Lovelock.
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, January 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: 112682.