A winter storm produced 3 to 8 inches of snow in the valleys and 8 to 14 inches in the mountains.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 LKN wrote it up.
A winter storm produced 3 to 8 inches of snow in the valleys and 8 to 14 inches in the mountains.
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 Elko, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 11, 12:36 PM PST, 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV 1236 PM PST FRI DEC 11 2009 .SYNOPSIS...LIGHT SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEVADA THIS AFTERNOON...CONTINUING ON AND OFF TONIGHT...AND ENDING SATURDAY MORNING...WITH A FEW INCHES OF ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE. AFTER A BREAK ON SATURDAY...A STRONGER STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE STATE SATURDAY NIGHT...BRINGING AN ADDITIONAL SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF TO FLURRIES SUNDAY MORNING. A COLD FRONT TUESDAY WILL BRING ANOTHER CHANCE OF SNOW NORTH. && .UPDATE...A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN NEVADA FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...ENDING SATURDAY MORNING. THIS SNOW...MAINLY LIGHT...WILL BE DUE MAINLY TO WARMER AIR OVERRUNNING THE COLDER AIR TRAPPED NEAR THE SURFACE. A BREAK IS EXPECTED ON SATURDAY BEFORE A STRONGER STORM SYSTEM MOVES IN SATURDAY EVENING. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED AT 338 AM / SYNOPSIS...A MOIST LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS MOVING INTO WESTERN NEVADA THIS MORNING. SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP AND SPREAD ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION TODAY. AT PRESENT...IT APPEARS THE BRUNT OF THIS STORM WILL BE FELT ON SATURDAY. THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO OCCUR ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEVADA LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY AS THIS STORM MOVES THROUGH THE STATE. SHOWERS WILL DIMINISH LATER IN THE WEEKEND WITH DRY AND SLIGHTLY WARMER CONDITIONS NEXT WEEK. SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY. SHORT TERM MODELS REMAIN IN GOOD GENERAL AGREEMENT ON THE LATEST RUNS. IR SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS CLOUDS INCREASING OVER THE SOUTHWEST CWA ATTM. A MOISTURE-LADEN PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL BE AFFECTING THE CWA THIS WEEKEND. QPF AMOUNTS ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF YIELDING 4-8 INCHES OF SNOWFALL FOR AREAS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80 HOWEVER THE EMPHASIS OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE OVER CENTRAL NEVADA. HAVE ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR ALL ZONES WITH THE TRACK UNCERTAINTY AT THIS TIME. AN INITIAL SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE THROUGH THE STATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. SOME AREAS COULD PICK UP AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW TODAY AND THEN ANOTHER INCH OR TWO TONIGHT HOWEVER AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED THE BRUNT OF THIS STORM WILL BE LATE SATURDAY THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY. DURING THAT PERIOD DIFFLUENCE ALOFT IS MAXIMIZED AS THE MEAN UPPER LOW BEGINS TO MOVE ONSHORE OVER CALIFORNIA DRAGGING IN COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF PACIFIC MOISTURE AS A 130-140KT H3 JET PUSHES THROUGH CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CA PROVIDING GOOD LIFT AND FORCING. MODELS ARE INDICATING A SPLIT JET FLOW WITH A WEAKER NORTHERN BRANCH DRIFTING OVER NORTHERN NEVADA SATURDAY NIGHT AS WELL. THINK THE FAR NORTH WILL AT LEAST GET ADVISORY SNOW AMOUNTS BUT HEAVY SNOW IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE INTERSTATE 80 CORRIDOR SATURDAY NIGHT. 4-8 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE IN VALLEYS SOUTH OF I-80. SNOW SHOWERS SHOULD TAPER OFF SUNDAY. LONG TERM...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT THURSDAY. IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE...A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN PATTERN IS EXPECTED. THE LONGWAVE PATTERN THIS PERIOD WILL FEATURE A WEAK RIDGE OVER THE WEST AND AN H5 CLOSED LOW OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA. TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE SILVER STATE WILL RETURN TO NEAR SEASONAL NORMS...WITH DRY CONDITIONS. HIGHS WILL RANGE BETWEEN THE UPPER 30S AND LOW 40S...AND LOWS GENERALLY IN THE TEENS. AS THE PERIOD UNFOLDS...THE AFOREMENTIONED CLOSED LOW WILL MOVE INLAND SUPPRESSING THE RIDGE OVER THE GREAT BASIN. ADDITIONALLY...IT WILL STEER IMPULSES OF SHORTWAVE ENERGY INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ALONG WITH A PLUME OF MOISTURE...WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION ACTIVITY SPILLING OVER INTO THE NORTHERN MOST REACHES OF THE LKN CWA. NONE THE LESS...THE BULK OF THE CWA WILL REMAIN BONE DRY DURING THIS PERIOD. AVIATION...A PACIFIC STORM WILL MOVE INTO CENTRAL NEVADA TODAY BRINGING SNOW TO THE SILVER STATE. VFR CONDITIONS ARE ANTICIPATED FOR MOST OF THE DAY. HOWEVER...CEILINGS WILL LOWER THROUGHOUT TODAY AND ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL BEGIN THIS AFTERNOON...REDUCING THE VISIBILITY AT TIMES. MORE PACIFIC MOISTURE IS ANTICIPATED THIS WEEKEND. && .LKN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 AM PST SATURDAY FOR NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY...RUBY MOUNTAINS/EAST HUMBOLDT RANGE...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ELKO COUNTY. WINTER STORM WATCH FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING FOR EXTREME EASTERN ELKO COUNTY...HUMBOLDT COUNTY... NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY...NORTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND NORTHERN EUREKA COUNTY...NORTHERN NYE COUNTY...RUBY MOUNTAINS/EAST HUMBOLDT RANGE...SOUTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND SOUTHERN EUREKA COUNTY...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ELKO COUNTY...WHITE PINE COUNTY. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM PST SATURDAY FOR HUMBOLDT COUNTY...NORTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND NORTHERN EUREKA COUNTY... SOUTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND SOUTHERN EUREKA COUNTY. && 90/93
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV 1223 PM PST FRI DEC 11 2009 NVZ013-030>037-122030- NORTHERN NYE COUNTY-HUMBOLDT COUNTY-NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY- SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ELKO COUNTY- EXTREME EASTERN ELKO COUNTY-RUBY MOUNTAINS/EAST HUMBOLDT RANGE- WHITE PINE COUNTY- NORTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND NORTHERN EUREKA COUNTY- SOUTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND SOUTHERN EUREKA COUNTY- 1223 PM PST FRI DEC 11 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NEVADA...NORTH CENTRAL NEVADA...NORTHEAST NEVADA...NORTHWEST NEVADA AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEVADA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW IN EFFECT FOR HUMBOLDT... LANDER...AND EUREKA COUNTIES UNTIL 9 AM PST SATURDAY MORNING... ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST...SOUTH CENTRAL...AND NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY FROM 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON UNTIL 9 AM PST SATURDAY MORNING... LIGHT SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS NORTHERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEVADA THIS AFTERNOON...AND CONTINUE ON AND OFF THROUGH TONIGHT...ENDING SATURDAY MORNING. AREAS AFFECTED INCLUDE HUMBOLDT...LANDER...AND EUREKA COUNTY...AND MOST OF ELKO COUNTY INCLUDING THE RUBIES AND EAST HUMBOLDT RANGE. SNOWFALL TOTALS WILL RANGE FROM 1 TO 4 INCHES IN THE VALLEYS TO 2 TO 6 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS. FURTHER SOUTH...WHITE PINE AND TONOPAH COUNTIES WILL SEE 1 TO 2 INCHES IN THE VALLEYS AND 2 TO 4 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. ...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEVADA FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING... A STRONGER STORM SYSTEM WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE STATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING. VALLEYS COULD RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL 4 TO 7 INCHES OF SNOW...WITH OVER A FOOT POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS. WINDS WILL BE BRISK SUNDAY AS THE STORM SHIFTS EAST INTO UTAH. DRIFTING ON AREA ROADWAYS WILL BE POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO REPORT SNOWFALL TOTALS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. REA
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Eleven inches of snow fell at Wild Horse and nine inches at Tuscarora.
Six to seven inches of snow was reported across most of Humboldt County.
Eight inches of snow was reported in Spring Creek and Elko, seven inches in Wells, six inches in Carlin, Lamoille and Ruby Lake.
Thirteen inches of snow fell at Hole-In-The-Mountain, 10 inches at Dorsey Basin and Lamoille Canyon.
Twelve inches of snow fell at Ruth, eight inches at Ely, six inches at Great Basin National Park, Lages Junction, McGill and Moorman Ranch.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, December 2009
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: 201494, 201493, 201495, 201497, 201499.