A strong cold front moved across the area overnight on March 8th-9th. Up to 6 inches of snow fell over portions of the northern Sierra and western Nevada.
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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 strong cold front moved across the area overnight on March 8th-9th. Up to 6 inches of snow fell over portions of the northern Sierra and 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 Mar 8, 1:47 PM PST, 8 hours 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
247 PM PDT SUN MAR 8 2009
.NEAR TERM...TONIGHT AND MONDAY...
ONLY MINIMAL CHANGES TO THE FORECAST FOR TONIGHT AND MONDAY.
CURRENT PATTERN PROGRESSING AS FORECAST OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS
WITH UPPER LOW AND JET DROPPING SOUTH THROUGH THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST. WINDS REMAIN THE BIGGEST CONCERN WITH STRONG SIERRA
RIDGE GUSTS AND MODERATE WINDS FOR THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE
SIERRA AND WESTERN NEVADA.
WINDS INCREASING AT SLOW PACE SINCE THIS MORNING. WINDS WILL
CONTINUE TO INCREASE AS THE FRONT AND COLD AIR APPROACH FROM THE
NORTH THROUGH THIS EVENING. PEAK WINDS WILL OCCUR A FEW HOURS
PRIOR TO THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. 12Z/18Z RUNS NOT QUITE AS IMPRESSIVE
WITH DOWNSLOPE SIGNATURES FOR MONO COUNTY...BUT OVERALL SPEEDS
REMAIN THE SAME.
TIME ESTIMATE ON PEAK WIND AND FRONTAL PASSAGE FOR TONIGHT AND
MONDAY...PEAK WIND TIMING LISTED FIRST.
* NORTHERN WASHOE AND LASSEN COUNTIES...10PM-4AM / 2-4 AM
* I-80 INCLUDING RENO-NORTH TAHOE.......10PM-6AM / 4-6 AM
* US-50 INCLUDING CARSON-SOUTH TAHOE....12AM-7AM / 5-7 AM
* MONO AND MINERAL COUNTIES.............2AM-10AM / 8-10 AM
ORIENTATION OF THE JET WILL PUSH THE FRONT AWAY FROM THE CENTRAL
SIERRA...AND THUS NOT A GREAT SET UP FOR WIDESPREAD HIGH WIND
GUSTS. HOWEVER STILL THINKING THERE WILL BE A FEW 60+ MPH WIND
GUSTS IN CANYONS WITH 45-55 MPH WINDS MORE COMMON FOR MONO COUNTY.
THUS DECIDED TO GO WITH AN ADVISORY FOR MONO COUNTY. ALSO WENT
WITH ADVISORY FOR MINERAL COUNTY AS THE SURFACE THERMAL AND
PRESSURE GRADIENTS ARE STRONGEST SOUTH OF US-50.
* IN THE ADVISORY AREAS GUSTS WILL BE 45-55 MPH WITH 65 MPH GUSTS
IN WIND PRONE AREAS...AND 90-110 MPH SIERRA RIDGE GUSTS.
SNOW POTENTIAL...
MODELS CONTINUE WITH STRONG LIFT AND ABOUT 100 J/KG OF LOW LEVEL
CAPE ALONG AND JUST BEHIND THE FRONT FOR AREAS NORTH AND EAST OF A
SUSANVILLE TO FERNLEY LINE. JET DYNAMICS COINCIDE WITH THE LOW
LEVEL ASCENT SO BOOSTED SNOW CHANCES TO LIKELY FOR THESE AREAS.
SNOW COULD BE MODERATE TO HEAVY...BUT ONLY IN A NARROW BAND.
ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 2 INCHES POSSIBLE...BUT THINK MOST PLACES
AFFECTED BY THE SNOW WILL SEE LESS THAN AN INCH. MOISTURE DEPTH FOR
RENO-TAHOE AND POINTS SOUTH IS PRETTY LOW...BUT MIGHT BE ENOUGH TO
SQUEEZE OUT A BRIEF SHOWER ALONG THE FRONT.
FLOW TURNS COLD AND NORTH-NORTHWESTERLY BEHIND THE FRONT AND WITH
A 10MB NW-SE PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS NEVADA THROUGH MONDAY. GUSTY
WINDS SHOULD CONTINUE MOST OF THE DAY ESPECIALLY AREAS ALONG AND
SOUTH OF I-80. 700 MB TEMPERATURES OF -12C TO -18C FAVOR A COLD
DAY WITH HIGHS STRUGGLING TO REACH 40 IN THE NEVADA VALLEYS.
GUIDANCE STILL HAS NOT CAUGHT ON TO THE MAGNITUDE OF THE COLD
AIR...THUS HAVE STAYED A FEW DEGREES UNDER IT. BRONG
.SHORT TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...
NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE DIMINISHING MON EVE AS THE TROF PULLS
EAST INTO THE ROCKIES...ALTHOUGH SOME STRONGER RIDGE GUSTS COULD
PERSIST UNTIL AROUND MIDNIGHT. HAVE KEPT A FEW VERY LIGHT SNOW
SHOWERS IN FOR EARLY MON EVENING AS LINGERING INSTBY WINDS DOWN.
THIS TAPERING OFF PROCESS LOOKS SIMILAR TO LAST FRIDAY WHEN A FEW
FLURRIES OR BRIEF SNOW SHOWERS LINGERED INTO THE EARLY EVENING
DESPITE GUIDANCE INDICATING AN EARLIER END TO ALL PRECIP. RAPID
CLEARING WILL THEN FOLLOW...RESULTING IN MUCH COOLER MIN TEMPS MON
NIGHT.
FROM TUES-WED...DRY WEATHER WILL PREVAIL ALTHOUGH WEAK SPLIT TROF
REMAINS OVER THE REGION WHILE RIDGE REMAINS WELL OFF THE WEST COAST.
THIS TROF IS MOISTURE STARVED WITH ERN CA-NV CAUGHT IN BETWEEN THE
SPLIT WITH NO MEANINGFUL DYNAMICS OR LIFT. WHILE THE CEASING OF COLD
AIR ADVECTION WILL ALLOW TEMPS TO REBOUND TO NEAR 50 ON TUESDAY AND
LOWER 50S BY WED...THE WEAK NE-E FLOW THRU MIDWEEK WILL DELAY THE
RETURN OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS UNTIL LATER IN THE WEEK. MJD
&&
.LONG TERM...THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...
MEDIUM RANGE MODEL SOLUTIONS HAVE COME MORE INTO LINE THAN THEY
WERE 24 HRS AGO. THE GFS...ECMWF AND CANADIAN NOW SHOW AN UPR
TROUGH OVER THE WRN CONUS ON THURSDAY. ON FRIDAY THE MODELS HAVE
THE TROUGH MOVING EAST INTO THE CNTRL AND SRN ROCKIES. THE
ENSEMBLES ALSO ARE MORE CONSISTENT THAN THEY WERE IN THEIR
PREVIOUS RUNS. THE GFS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS SHOW A RIDGE OVER THE ERN
PACIFIC ON THURSDAY WITH THE UPPER LOW OVER THE WRN CONUS. MOST OF
THE MEMBERS ALSO SHOW THE TROUGH MOVING EAST ON FRIDAY ALTHOUGH
THEY DIFFER SOMEWHAT AMONG THEMSELVES ON THE STRENGTH OF THE WRN
RIDGE.
BY FRIDAY NIGHT THE GFS SOLUTION HAS BECOME SIMILAR TO THE EURO IN
BRINGING AN UPR TROUGH SE OUT OF THE GULF OF ALASKA. HOWEVER DURING
THE DAY ON SATURDAY THE EURO STILL SHOWS AN UPR LOW BECOMING CUT OFF
NEAR 32N 135W. THE GFS STILL HAS A WEAK RIDGE OVER THE ERN PACIFIC.
EVEN WITH THE EURO KEEPING THE ANOMALOUS UPR LOW OFF THE COAST...
BOTH MODELS BRING THE MAIN UPR TROUGH TO THE SE AND INTO THE PACIFIC
NW BY 00Z MONDAY.
WITH THE DISCREPANCIES AMONG THE MODELS HAVE DECIDED TO NOT MAKE ANY
MAJOR CHANGES TO THE EXTENDED FORECAST. HOWEVER...WITH THE GFS AND
ECMWF SOLUTIONS NOW CLOSER TO EACH OTHER IN BRINGING THE SYSTEM
TOWARD THE REGION LATE IN THE EXTENDED FEEL THAT THERE IS A BETTER
CHANCE OF PRECIP DURING THE WEEKEND. AS A RESULT WILL CONTINUE WITH
A MENTION OF A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIP...MAINLY ALONG THE SIERRA...
FOR LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. OHARA
&&
.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE KREV CWFA THROUGH MONDAY.
MAIN CONCERN CONTINUES TO BE THE GUSTY WINDS THIS AFTN AND OVERNIGHT
AS THE COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH. BEST CHANCE FOR LLWS WILL BE FROM
03Z THROUGH 15Z TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING. THE COLD FRONT WEAKENS
SOMEWHAT AS IT MOVES SOUTH ACROSS THE REGION SO THE GREATEST THREAT
OF WIND GUSTS TO 30 KTS WILL BE AT KTRK FROM 09Z THROUGH 15Z. WIND
GUSTS TO 25 KTS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE AT KTVL AND KRNO MAINLY FROM 06Z
TO 12Z. OHARA
&&
.REV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NV...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM PDT MONDAY FOR NVZ004.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON PDT MONDAY FOR
NVZ001.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM PDT MONDAY FOR NVZ002-003.
CA...WIND ADVISORY FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON PDT MONDAY FOR
CAZ073.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM PDT MONDAY FOR CAZ072.
&&
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RENOThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Storm-total snowfall reports: |Spanish Springs area of northeast Reno, 6.0 inches; and |Palomino Valley northeast of Reno, 6.0 inches.
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, March 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: 160472.