S. on the 26th which pushed a strong cold front through eastern California.
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 REV wrote it up.
Low pressure moved south from the Gulf of Alaska and into the Northwest U.S. on the 26th which pushed a strong cold front through eastern California. The strong front brought gusty winds and some damage near South Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Lakes.
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 Apr 26, 8:44 AM PST, 1 hour 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
944 AM PDT THU APR 26 2012
.UPDATE...
WINDS HAVE BEEN SLOW TO INCREASE THIS MORNING AS SHOWERS CONTINUE
TO CROSS THE SIERRA. CURRENT WINDS GUSTS ARE BELOW 35 MPH IN THE
LOWER VALLEYS. RIDGE WINDS DID DROP OFF EARLIER THIS MORNING BUT
ARE STARTING TO CREEP BACK UP TO 40-70 MPH, SO THIS SHOULD HELP
INCREASE GUSTS IN THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS. THE BIGGEST CONCERN IS A
LENGTHY DURATION OF SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR AND ABOVE 25 MPH THROUGH
EARLY THIS EVENING ACROSS WESTERN NEVADA, WITH AREAS OF BLOWING
DUST IMPACTING PERSHING, CHURCHILL AND MINERAL COUNTIES.
SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO DECLINE AS DRIER AIR BEHIND THE TROUGH
PUSHES INTO THE SIERRA. CURRENT SNOW LEVELS ARE NEAR 7500-8000
FEET AND MAY NOT DROP MUCH BELOW 7000 FEET UNTIL THIS EVENING WHEN
THE UPSLOPE SHOWERS END. BRONG
&&
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 347 AM PDT THU APR 26 2012/
SHORT TERM...
AREAS OF RAIN CONTINUE TO SPREAD ACROSS MUCH OF ERN CA-WRN NV AT
THIS TIME, ALTHOUGH THE COVERAGE AND INTENSITY IS EXPECTED TO
DECREASE DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS AS THE DEEPER MOISTURE GETS
KICKED FARTHER TO THE EAST. PRECIP TOTALS HAVE RANGED FROM A FEW
HUNDREDTHS FROM RENO-CARSON EAST ACROSS W-CNTRL NV, WITH HEAVIER
AMOUNTS GENERALLY BETWEEN 0.2 AND 0.6 INCH ALONG THE SIERRA AND
INTO NERN CA-NWRN NV. BASED ON THESE PRECIP AMOUNTS, THE POTENTIAL
FOR BLOWING DUST IN WRN NV WHEN THE WINDS KICK UP TODAY HAS
DECREASED ESPECIALLY NORTH OF HWY 50. FOR NOW HAVE LEFT A MENTION
OF BLOWING DUST SOUTH OF FALLON AND INTO MINERAL-LYON COUNTIES BUT
RADAR ECHOES HAVE INCREASED IN PAST HOUR BTWN FALLON AND HAWTHORNE,
SO IF MORE PRECIP IS MEASURED THESE AREAS MAY ALSO BE EXCLUDED
FROM THE MENTION OF BLOWING DUST. OTHERWISE, ALL EXISTING WIND
ADVISORIES WILL REMAIN IN PLACE FOR TODAY THRU THIS EVENING AS THE
UPPER JET ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROF ALONG THE WEST COAST MOVES
INLAND ACROSS CA-NV. ONLY CHANGE MADE WAS TO START THE VALID TIME
OF THE ADVISORIES THREE HOURS EARLIER AS THE LATEST GUIDANCE SHOWS
THE INCREASE IN WIND SPEED TAKING PLACE DURING THE MID-LATE
MORNING.
THE PASSAGE OF THIS TROF WILL ALSO BE ACCOMPANIED BY MUCH DRIER
AIR AND COOLER TEMPS, BRINGING MOST PRECIP TO AN END THIS MORNING.
CURRENT SNOW LEVELS ARE AROUND 8500-9500 FT ALONG THE SIERRA AND
WILL DROP TO NEAR LAKE LEVEL BY EARLY THIS EVENING, BUT ONLY A FEW
LIGHT SHOWERS WILL REMAIN BY THIS TIME SO NO SIGNIFICANT TRAVEL
IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED EVEN OVER THE PASSES TODAY.
FOR FRIDAY-SATURDAY...RIDGE REBUILDS OFF THE WEST COAST WHILE DRY
NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT PREVAILS OVER THE REGION. TEMPS WILL ONLY
WARM UP A FEW DEGREES ON FRIDAY AS LIGHT N-NE SFC WINDS PREVAIL
WITH 700 MB TEMPS STILL RATHER COOL IN THE -2 TO -6 C RANGE FROM
HWY 50 NORTHWARD. FURTHER WARMING IS EXPECTED BY THIS WEEKEND AS
THE COOLER AIR MASS RETREATS WITH 700 MB TEMPS RISING BY 2-3
DEGREES C. BY SATURDAY AFTN, SOME LOCATIONS IN WRN NV SHOULD REBOUND
TO AROUND 70 DEGREES WITH LESS CLOUD COVER OVERHEAD. MJD
LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...
NO CHANGES THIS MORNING. ELONGATED TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN CONUS
WILL SHEAR APART EARLY NEXT WEEK AS SOUTHERN EXTENSION CLOSES OFF
BAJA AND NORTHERN BRANCH GETS ABSORBED IN THE MAIN FLOW ACROSS THE
NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTRY. ON SUNDAY, MODELS CONTINUE TO HINT AT
SOME WEAK INSTABILITY ALONG THE SIERRA, CO-LOCATED WITH DEFORMATION
OF TROUGH. MAINTAINED THE VERY LOW POPS BUT LEFT MENTION OUT OF
FORECASTS. IF THIS SIGNAL CONTINUES TO SHOW CONTINUITY, ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE NEEDED FOR LATE SUNDAY. NORTHERN JET BECOMES
MORE CONSOLIDATED JUST TO OUR NORTH EARLY TO MID NEXT WEEK WITH S/WV
ENERGY BRUSHING AREA. THE GFS INDICATES SOME LIGHT QPF ACROSS THE
NORTH WHILE THE ECMWF IS A BIT FURTHER NORTH. AS ON SUNDAY,
MAINTAINED A DRY FORECAST WITH ONLY VERY LOW POP NUMBERS. SLIGHTLY
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND SHORT PERIODS OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING
WINDS WILL BE THE PREVAILING WEATHER CONDITIONS. HOHMANN
AVIATION...
GRADIENTS WILL INCREASE TODAY AS A COLD FRONT SWEEPS ACROSS THE
REGION. EXPECT WIND GUSTS TO 40KT AT TIMES, POSSIBLY HIGHER FOR A
SHORT DURATION ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS ALONG THE HIGHWAY 395
CORRIDOR. RIDGE GUSTS WILL BE CLOSE TO 75KT.
STEADY RAIN AND HIGH ELEVATION SNOW WILL BE ONGOING THIS MORNING AT
KTVL/KTRK WITH WIDESPREAD HIGHER TERRAIN OBSCUREMENT AND OCCASIONAL
CIGS/VSBY FALLING TO SOME FLIGHT RESTRICTION THRESHOLDS THROUGH 18Z.
PRECIPITATION WILL BECOME MORE SHOWERY IN THE AFTERNOON AND THEN
WIND DOWN BY EVENING. RAIN COULD BRIEFLY MIX OR CHANGE TO SNOW
BEFORE TAPERING THIS AFTERNOON. HOWEVER IT WILL BE LIGHT AND
NO ACCUMULATIONS ARE ANTICIPATED.
LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS AT KRNO/KMMH EARLY THIS MORNING WILL BECOME MORE
ISOLATED AFTER 15Z WITH GRADUAL BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS THROUGH THE
DAY. NO RESTRICTIONS.
AT KTRK SOME FZFG MAY DEVELOP EARLY FRI AM AS SKIES CLEAR OUT WITH
TEMPS DROPPING TO NEAR DEW POINTS. ALTHOUGH THE STEADY RAIN WILL
END EARLY THIS MORNING, LEFTOVER CLOUD COVER AND ISOLD AFTN
SHOWERS MAY PREVENT THE GROUND FROM FULLY DRYING OUT TODAY,
RESULTING IN A GREATER FZFG POTENTIAL. HOHMANN
&&
.REV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NV...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING NVZ001-004.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING NVZ005.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING NVZ003.
LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING NVZ002.
CA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING CAZ070.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING CAZ073.
LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING CAZ072.
&&
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RENOPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
724 AM PDT THU APR 26 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0518 AM HEAVY RAIN 2 NNE CRESCENT MILLS 40.12N 120.90W
04/26/2012 M1.29 INCH PLUMAS CA TRAINED SPOTTER
TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTED 1.29 INCHES OF RAINFALL
FROM NOON YESTERDAY THROUGH 500AM.
0523 AM HEAVY RAIN PLUMAS EUREKA STATE PAR 39.77N 120.69W
04/26/2012 M1.97 INCH PLUMAS CA MESONET
24 HOUR RAINFALL TOTAL WITH 1.04 INCHES RECORDED FROM
MIDNIGHT - 500AM.
0618 AM HEAVY RAIN VERDI 39.52N 120.00W
04/26/2012 M0.49 INCH WASHOE NV CO-OP OBSERVER
COOPERATIVE OBSERVER REPORTED 0.49 INCHES FOR A 24 HOUR
RAINFALL TOTAL.
0723 AM HEAVY RAIN 4 ESE JANESVILLE 40.28N 120.48W
04/26/2012 M1.20 INCH LASSEN CA TRAINED SPOTTER
RAINFALL TOTAL SINCE NOON YESTERDAY.
&&
MCGUIREThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The El Dorado County sheriff reported several trees down near the Lake Tahoe Golf Course between 1400-1445PST. The trees caused damage to homes and cars.
A spotter reported some damage to metal roofs in Mammoth Lakes. Widespread wind gusts of 45-55 mph were recorded on the 26th. However, the Mammoth Airport reported brief gusts as high as 63 mph. Over Mammoth Mountain, winds gusted well over 100 mph with gusts between 125-150 mph above 9500 feet.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2012
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: 378591, 378592.