Nevada, 2010

Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Nevada, January 18 to 22, 2010

January 18 to 22, 2010 · NWS VEF · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

A series of four Pacific storms pounded the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin between January 18th and 21st with heavy rain and snow (which led to river flooding), locally high winds, and isolated severe thunderstorms.

Where it happened

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.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
$65,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS VEF wrote it up.

A series of four Pacific storms pounded the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin between January 18th and 21st with heavy rain and snow (which led to river flooding), locally high winds, and isolated severe thunderstorms.

What forecasters said that day

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 Jan 18, 3:23 AM PST, 4 hours 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 18, 3:23 AM PST, 4 hours 37 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 18, 2:40 AM PST, 5 hours 20 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 heavy snow, 1 winter weather, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Spring Mountains

When
January 18, 8:00 AM PST to 8:30 PM PST
Where
Spring Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
37.129, -115.743 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The co-op observer at Mt. Charleston (7600') measured 10 inches of snow.

Winter Weather, Esmeralda/Central Nye

When
January 19, 4:30 AM PST
Where
Esmeralda/Central Nye forecast zone
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
Newspaper
Coordinates
37.914, -117.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A triple-trailer 18-wheeler rolled on icy U.S. Highway 95 at Esmeralda County milepost 19.

Heavy Snow, Lincoln County Except the Sheep Range

When
January 19, 8:00 AM PST to 8:00 PM PST
Where
Lincoln County Except the Sheep Range forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
37.643, -114.877 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The co-op observer at Spring Valley State Park measured 6 inches of snow.

Heavy Rain, Clark

When
January 20, 12:45 AM PST
Where
Clark County, 0.42 mi NE of Sunrise Manor
Deaths
0 direct, 1 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
Newspaper
Coordinates
36.174, -115.064

A man was killed when he lost control of his vehicle on a wet road.

Heavy Snow, Spring Mountains

When
January 20, 12:00 PM PST to January 22, 11:00 AM PST
Where
Spring Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
37.129, -115.743 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The co-op observer at Mt. Charleston (7600') measured 36 inches of snow.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Heavy Rain, Clark2010-01-2051MaleVehicle/Towed TrailerIndirect

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Nevada in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, January 2010

Sources

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: 206908, 208473, 206912, 208476, 206909.