A winter storm brought heavy snow to elevations above 6500 feet where up to 16 inches of snow was reported.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 brought heavy snow to elevations above 6500 feet where up to 16 inches of snow was reported.
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 Mar 5, 3:38 PM PST, 11 hours 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV 338 PM PST SAT MAR 5 2011 .SYNOPSIS...A COMPLEX STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE GREAT BASIN SUNDAY AND MONDAY. A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IS EXPECTED IN MOST VALLEYS SUNDAY BUT THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS MAY RECEIVE SEVERAL INCHES OF NEW SNOW. A MORE POTENT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH MONDAY...POSSIBLY DELIVERING SIGNIFICANT SNOW TO THE VALLEYS. WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED BY WEDNESDAY. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. A FEW SHOWERS ARE SHOWING UP ON RADAR OVER NORTHERN NEVADA AT THIS TIME...HOWEVER NOT MUCH MORE THAN VIRGA OVER THE VALLEYS. REACHED HIGH TEMPERATURES...THE LOW 50S...IN THE NORTH EARLY IN THE DAY...11 AM OR NOON...BEFORE CLOUDS BEGAN THICKENING AND STABILIZING TEMPS. MODELS APPEAR TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE DUAL SHORTWAVE PATTERN EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE GREAT BASIN EARLY TOMORROW MORNING THROUGH MONDAY. THE ALEUTIAN LOW IS SPINNING OFF SOME SOLID ENERGY AT PRESENT AND A COUPLE MOISTURE-LADEN SHORTWAVES WILL AFFECT THE LKN FORECAST AREA AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. IR SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS AN INCREASINGLY DIRTY FLOW AS LOW-AMPLITUDE HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OFF THE PACIFIC COAST...EXPANDING OVER THE WESTERN STATES...BEGINS TO BUCKLE FROM THE FIRST SHORTWAVE INTRUSION. SNOW HAS DEVELOPED OVER OREGON THIS AFTERNOON. HAVE ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY DUE TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND THE RUBY MOUNTAIN ZONE EFFECTIVE AT 4 AM PST SUNDAY. INFLUX OF QPF IS SIGNIFICANT WITH THE FIRST AND SECOND SW HOWEVER...WITH A POSSIBLE 12 HOUR BREAK BETWEEN...DECIDED TO TREAT AS TWO SEPARATE POTENTIAL EVENTS WITH A HEAVY SNOW WARNING POSSIBLE FOR THE SAME TWO ZONES MONDAY. ADVISORY LEVEL SNOW IS POSSIBLE ALL OTHER AREAS WITH THE SECOND...COLDER SW ON MONDAY. WITH RAPIDLY CLEARING SKIES MONDAY NIGHT...TUESDAY MORNING LOWS WILL BE IN THE TEENS AND WITH A LINGERING NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT TUESDAY...AFTERNOON HIGHS WILL BE HARD-PRESSED TO REBOUND QUICKLY SO IT WILL LIKELY BE ON THE COOL SIDE. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT SATURDAY. MUCH QUIETER WEATHER RETURNS FOR THE LONG TERM. WHATEVER SNOW WE GET ON MONDAY...IT WILL NOT TAKE LONG TO MELT IT AWAY NEXT WEEK. STRONG HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE BUILDS IN AGGRESSIVELY TUESDAY NIGHT/WEDNESDAY WITH 500 MB HEIGHTS OF 570-576 DM. INCREASING MARCH INSOLATION AND INCREASING THICKNESSES WILL MAKE SHORT WORK OF ANY SNOWPACK IN THE VALLEYS...SO OPTED TO FOLLOW THE WARMEST GUIDANCE FOR MAX TEMPS WEDNESDAY...UPPER 40S/LOWER 50S. DESPITE AN INCREASE IN CLOUDS...INCREASED SW FLOW ALOFT WILL ALLOW FOR BETTER MIXING AND FURTHER WARMING WITH MOST LOCALES WELL INTO 50S THURSDAY AFTERNOON. 12Z GFS/ECMWF AGREE THAT NEXT PROGRESSIVE SHORTWAVE WILL ONLY GIVE A GLANCING BLOW TO NORTHERN NEVADA. KEPT SOME POPS FOR THE NORTHERN CWA THURSDAY NIGHT...BUT OTHERWISE REDUCED POPS AS IT LOOKS VERY INSIGNIFICANT AT THIS TIME. A SMIDGE COOLER /BACK TO NORMAL/ BEHIND THIS SHORTWAVE FRIDAY. A SOMEWHAT STRONGER WAVE WILL TRY TO GENERATE SOME PRECIP NEXT SATURDAY. BT && .AVIATION...CLOUD CEILINGS GRADUALLY LOWER THROUGH 12Z SUN ALTHOUGH VFR TO PERSIST AT ALL TERMINALS THROUGH THE NIGHT. MVFR/IFR LIKELY AT ALL SITES 12Z SUN-00Z MON WITH WIDESPREAD -RASN. DOMINANT PRECIP TYPE EXPECTED TO BE RA...ALTHOUGH SN WILL MIX IN AT TIMES AT KEKO. VISIBILITY TO VARY CONSIDERABLY AT KEKO WITH TEMPS BORDERLINE BETWEEN RA/SN ON SUN. A STRONGER SYSTEM WILL BRING HEAVIER SNOW AND IMPACT AVIATION OPERATIONS ON MONDAY. BT && .LKN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 7 PM PST SUNDAY FOR NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY...RUBY MOUNTAINS/EAST HUMBOLDT RANGE. && 92/99/99
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
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall amounts ranged from 9 to 16 inches at most SNOTEL sites.
Many SNOTEL sites reported between 7 and 12 inches of snow. Wild Horse Reservoir reported 9 inches of snow.
Snowfall amounts above 6500 feet were estimated at 8 to 10 inches based on lower elevation precipitation reports from Coop Observers.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, March 2011
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: 276923, 276922, 276924.