A series of Pacific storms brought high winds and locally heavy snow to portions of southeast California and southern Nevada.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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.
A series of Pacific storms brought high winds and locally heavy snow to portions of southeast California and southern 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 Las Vegas, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 13, 8:05 PM PST, 5 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 905 PM PDT THU MAR 13 2008 .SYNOPSIS...A STRONG PACIFIC STORM OFF THE NORTHWEST COAST WILL DROP OVER THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN AND MOJAVE DESERT DURING THE WEEKEND. THIS WILL RESULT IN GUSTY WINDS AT TIMES...SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...WITH MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. && .UPDATE...NEARLY ZONAL FLOW OVER THE AREA TONIGHT WITH LOCALLY GUSTY WINDS. WINDS HAVE DIMINISHED IN THE OWENS VALLEY AND ALLOWED WIND ADVISORY TO EXPIRE AS SCHEDULED. ADVISORY STRENGTH WINDS WERE CONTINUING ACROSS WESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY AND CONTINUED THE WIND ADVISORY THERE AND IN THE SIERRA. CLOUDS DECREASED EARLIER THIS EVENING AND LOOKING AT SATELLITE LOOPS AND MODEL DATA...SKIES WILL BE MOSTLY CLEAR OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OR SO OF THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT. UPDATED FORECAST EARLIER THIS EVENING TO REDUCE CLOUD COVER IN THE GRIDS AND ZONES. && .PREV DISCUSSION...315 PM PDT THU MAR 13...SHORT TERM...WINDS CONTINUE TO BE THE PROBLEM INITIALLY IN THE SHORT TERM. STRONG WESTERLY JET PUSHING INTO NORTHERN NEVADA THIS AFTERNOON WITH FORECAST 120-140KT CORE CENTERED OVER THE CENTRAL SIERRA BY 12Z FRIDAY. MOUNTAIN WAVE CONDITIONS HAVE FORMED TO THE LEE OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA PER CURRENT VISIBLE...WHILE DOWNSLOPE EVENT EVOLVED DURING THE DAY. GUSTY WINDS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE SIERRA CREST AND MID SLOPE THROUGH MUCH OF FRIDAY...BUT WINDS INTO THE OWENS VALLEY LOOK LIKE THEY WILL DISSIPATE BY MID EVENING. AT THE SAME TIME WESTERLY FLOW ACROSS THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY HAS VERIFIED THE WIND ADVISORY ACROSS THE WESTERN PORTION AND WILL CONTINUE WITH THIS ADVISORY THROUGH FRIDAY ALSO. SHORT WAVES ALONG THE NORTH OF THE JET TO CARVE OUT STRONG TROUGH ALONG THE WEST COAST BY SATURDAY 18Z WITH CLOSED LOW CENTERED TO THE SOUTH OF LAS VEGAS BY 12Z SUNDAY. AS LOW DEVELOPS AND DROPS SOUTH ON SATURDAY PRECIPITATION TO GENERALLY BE CONFINED TO THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE CWA BY 00Z SUNDAY. HOWEVER COLD AIR ADVECTION/INCREASED CLOUDS OVER THE AREA TO DROP TEMPERATURES 10-15 DEGREES FROM THIS AFTERNOONS READINGS. LOW TO BE CENTERED TO THE SOUTHWEST OF LAS VEGAS BY 12Z SUNDAY WITH RESULTANT BROADBRUSH SLIGHT CHANCE TO CHANCE PRECIPITATION OCCURRING ACROSS THE CWA SATURDAY NIGHT. BEST DYNAMICS TO BE IN THE NORTHEAST QUAD OF THE LOW WHICH PLACES A POSSIBLE BAND OF HEAVY PRECIPITATION SATURDAY NIGHT FROM ROUGHLY MOUNT CHARLESTON TO NORTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY. THIS IS ONLY MENTIONED AT THIS POINT BUT WILL NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON THIS FEATURE. NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION THAT LOWER VALLEY ELEVATIONS...AROUND 3000 FEET OR SO MAY SEE A LITTLE SNOW BY SUNDAY MORNING. .LONG TERM...BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON THE UPPER LOW WILL DIVE SOUTHWARD AND MOVE ACROSS SOCAL. MODEL CONSENSUS HAS BEEN CONSISTENT FOR THE LAST FEW RUNS WITH SEVERAL ASPECTS TO THIS SYSTEM...THE LACK ANY SIGNIFICANT MOISTURE TAP AS WELL AS KEEPING THE CORE OF THE COLD POOL OFF TO OUR SOUTH AND WEST. THE NATURE OF THIS SYSTEM WILL FAVOR SHOWERY TYPE PRECIP AND THUS THIS WILL RESULT IN LARGE VARIATIONS IN QPF AMOUNTS ACROSS THE AREA. STILL EXPECT THE BEST ODDS FOR PRECIP HERE IN THE LV VALLEY WILL BE WHEN THE BASE OF THE H5 TROUGH PASSES ACROSS BETWEEN 12Z SUNDAY AND 0Z MONDAY. LAPSE RATES CONTINUE TO LOOK DECENT TO SUPPORT CONVECTION AS THEY WILL STEEPEN SUNDAY AS THE UPPER LOW APPROACHES SOCAL. LI/S ARE FORECAST TO APPROACH 0 ACROSS THE LV VALLEY/EASTERN MOJAVE DESERT...AND THIS IS BASED ON THE GFS WHICH USUALLY TENDS TO UNDER DO THIS PARAMETER SEVERAL DAYS OUT. SO HAVE KEPT IN THE SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS FOR SUNDAY. GIVEN THE INSTABILITY...AS LONG AS WE CAN GET SOME BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS TO LET ENOUGH SUN THROUGH...TSTM POTENTIAL IS THERE. GIVEN THE COLD POOL ALOFT...WOULD EXPECT HAIL AS WELL AS GUSTY WINDS TO BE THE PRIMARY CONCERNS IN ANY TSTMS THAT DO DEVELOP. THE OTHER CONCERN WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BE SNOW...MAINLY WITH RESPECT TO LOW SNOW LEVEL POTENTIAL AND ALSO QPF AMOUNTS. H7 TEMPS PROGGED TO BE AROUND -10C FOR THE DURATION OF THIS SYSTEM...THIS WILL RESULT IN SNOW LEVELS DROPPING TO AS LOW AS 3500 TO 4000 FEET BY SUNDAY EVENING ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PARTS OF THE CWFA. MODELS DO SHOW SOME DECENT OMEGA OVER THE AREA AT TIMES...AND ANY HEAVIER CONVECTIVE BURSTS COULD CERTAINLY HELP TO BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR SNOW TO BE SEEN INTO THE FOOTHILLS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE LV VALLEY AS WELL AS SOME OF THE HIGHER PARTS OF THE DESERTS OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY. ANOTHER CONCERN POINTED OUT BY THE MID SHIFT...IS A PERSISTENT BAND OF SNOW OVER LINCOLN COUNTY THAT MAY LINGER FOR A GOOD PART OF THE DAY SUNDAY. LATEST GFS AND GEM AND EVEN RH VALUES FROM THE ECMWF SUPPORT THIS...AND BASED ON LATEST QPF GUIDANCE...POTENTIAL FOR A LOW END SNOW ADVISORY EVENT IS POSSIBLE HERE. CONCERN FOR A LOW END SNOW ADVISORY IS ALSO POSSIBLE SUNDAY IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SPRING MOUNTAINS. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR. TEMPS SUNDAY STILL LOOK TO AT BEST REACH THE UPPER 50S HERE IN VEGAS. HAVE LEFT SOME LOW END POPS IN FOR LATE SUNDAY NIGHT/ST. PATRICK/S DAY MORNING FOR EASTERN PARTS OF THE CWFA AS THE SYSTEM DEPARTS TO THE EAST...BUT OTHER THAN THE UKMET WHICH WAS AN OUTLIER...MOST OF THE OTHER MODELS POINT TO A DRYING TREND ON MONDAY. TWEAKED WINDS UP A LITTLE AS NORTHERLY WINDS MAY GET INTO THE 15KT RANGE IN THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AS THE SYSTEM PULLS AWAY...AS WELL AS IN THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN. TEMPS SLOWLY MODERATE ST. PATRICK/S DAY AFTERNOON AS A DRY NORTHWEST FLOW SETS UP AND H5 HEIGHTS BEGIN TO RISE BACK UP. MODELS ALL TREND TOWARDS A RIDGE BUILDING IN BEGINNING TUESDAY INTO FRIDAY OF NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER...THEY CAN/T AGREE HOW STRONG IT WILL BE...FOR NOW HAVE WENT WITH A BLEND OF MODEL HEIGHTS AS WELL AS H7/H85 TEMPS...WHICH WILL PUSH TEMPS BACK UP INTO THE UPPER 70S HERE IN VEGAS BY WEDNESDAY. SOME HIGH CLOUDS WILL SKIM ACROSS THE RIDGE THEN...MAINLY AFFECTING NORTHERN PARTS OF THE CWFA. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...HIGH CLOUDS CONTINUE TO DRIFT ACROSS THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY AND EXPECT GENERALLY BKN CONDITIONS AROUND 25000 FEET BASED ON RH VALUES. WINDS HAVE BEEN QUITE VARIABLE TODAY...BUT ARE FINALLY COMING AROUND TO THE SW AND SHOULD STAY THERE INTO TOMORROW. GUSTS OVER 20 KTS POSSIBLE THROUGH TOMORROW NIGHT. A STORM SYSTEM WILL APPROACH ON SATURDAY BRINGING THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS TO THE TERMINAL SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. POTENTIAL FOR AT THE LEAST MVFR CONDITIONS THEN. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA....AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...EXPECT GUSTY SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS ACROSS SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA AS WELL AS MUCH OF SOUTH-CENTRAL NEVADA WITH GUSTS OVER 35KTS AT TIMES AS WELL AS MOUNTAIN WAVE TURBULENCE THIS EVENING INTO EARLY TOMORROW NIGHT. ELSEWHERE ACROSS SOUTHERN NEVADA AND IN NW ARIZONA A SCT TO BKN DECK OF HIGH CLOUDS ALONG WITH VARIABLE WINDS UP TO 12KTS. AN APPROACHING STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR SHOWERS...LOW SNOW LEVELS AND EVEN A FEW THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY NIGHT...MVFR TO POSSIBLE IFR CONDITIONS THEN. && .VEF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NV...NONE. AZ...NONE. CA...WIND ADVISORY ZONES 519 AND 523 THROUGH 8 PM PDT FRIDAY. && HARRISON/JENSEN/STACHELSKI HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 406 AM PDT THU MAR 13 2008 AZZ001>003-036-CAZ519>527-NVZ014>022-140700- 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- 406 AM PDT THU MAR 13 2008 /406 AM MST THU MAR 13 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A POWERFUL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHING THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL BRING INCREASING WINDS TO SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA THIS AFTERNOON. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE EASTERN SIERRA SLOPES AND THE WESTERN MOJAVE DESERT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY WINDY CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST IN SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FRIDAY. THE MAIN STORM WILL THEN DIG INTO THE DESERT SOUTHWEST OVER THE WEEKEND...BRINGING MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES ALONG WITH CHANCES FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW AND VALLEY RAIN. AS THE STORM DEPARTS EARLY NEXT WEEK...THERE MAY BE A PERIOD OF GUSTY NORTH WINDS BEHIND IT. QUIET WEATHER AND A RAPID WARMING TREND ARE EXPECTED BY THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... FORMAL SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT LIKELY TODAY...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.
7 high wind, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
This gust occurred 35 miles NE of Beatty.
This gust occurred 13 miles NNW of Lathrop Wells.
Observers measured 22 inches of snow at Lee Canyon (8145'), and 9 inches at the town of Mount Charleston (7600').
This gust occurred 5 miles WNW of Pahrump.
This gust occurred 12 miles SW of Elgin.
This gust occurred 30 miles NNW of Mercury.
This gust occurred 9 miles NW of Mercury.
This gust occurred 35 miles NE of Beatty.
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, March 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: 77789, 77792, 77794, 77797, 77800, 77801, 77802, 77803.