A strong low pressure system brought isolated heavy snow to the southern Great Basin and isolated high winds to the Mojave Desert.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 VEF wrote it up.
A strong low pressure system brought isolated heavy snow to the southern Great Basin and isolated high winds to the Mojave Desert.
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 Dec 18, 2:58 PM PST, 2 hours 31 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 258 PM PST TUE DEC 18 2012 .SYNOPSIS...A STORM SYSTEM WILL EXIT TO THE EAST TONIGHT...LEAVING DRY WEATHER AND BREEZY NORTH WINDS IN ITS WAKE FOR WEDNESDAY. DRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY...THEN ANOTHER STORM WILL BRING PRECIPITATION CHANCES TO THE SIERRA BEGINNING SATURDAY AND SPREADING ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA SUNDAY AND MONDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE QUITE CHILLY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...WITH A MODERATING TREND EXPECTED OVER THE WEEKEND. && .SHORT TERM...SATELLITE LOOP SHOWED TROUGH AXIS SWINGING ONSHORE IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA THIS AFTERNOON. AREA RADARS SHOWED ONE BAND OF PRECIPITATION EXTENDING THROUGH SAN BERNARDINO...CLARK AND MOHAVE COUNTIES...WHILE THE LIGHTNING DETECTION NETWORK SHOWED OCCASIONAL ISOLATED STRIKES IN ANOTHER BAND DEVELOPING OVER NYE AND LINCOLN COUNTIES. CONFIDENCE IN THE WINTER WEATHER WARNING AND ADVISORY IS DIMINISHING WITH TIME...AS SURFACE OBS HAVE SHOWN SNOW LEVELS TO BE TOO HIGH ALL DAY LONG THUS FAR. HOWEVER...STRONG COLD FRONT IS ALREADY INTO THE NORTHWEST CWA...AND CANNOT RULE OUT A QUICK BURST OF HEAVY SNOW AS THE COLD AIR POURS IN...SO HAVE LEFT THE PRODUCTS INTACT. FARTHER SOUTH AND WEST...WINDS HAVE BEEN CRANKING OVER INYO AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES. OVER INYO...A BRIEF DOWNSLOPE EVENT WAS OCCURRING IN THE LEE OF THE SIERRA AHEAD OF THE FRONT...WITH A RAPID SHIFT TO STRONG NORTH WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT...WHICH WERE THEN DIMINISHING AN HOUR OR TWO AFTER THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. DUE TO THE SHORT DURATION OF THIS EVENT...ISSUED A SHORT TERM FORECAST TO COVER IT. OVER SAN BERNARDINO...WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WERE HITTING ADVISORY CRITERIA IN AREAS WHERE RAIN WAS NOT FALLING...WITH WIND SPEEDS CUT IN HALF BY PRECIPITATION DRAG IN AREAS WHERE RAIN WAS FALLING. THE BACK EDGE OF THE PRECIP WAS MOVING THROUGH WESTERN PARTS OF THE COUNTY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...AND A PERIOD OF STRONG WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED AS THE RAIN ENDS...WITH AN OVERALL DECREASING TREND LATER THIS EVENING. STRONGER WINDS WILL SPREAD SOUTH INTO THE MORONGO BASIN LATER THIS EVENING AND PERSIST UNTIL AROUND MIDNIGHT. ONCE WE GET THROUGH TONIGHT...QUIET WEATHER IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. AM SOMEWHAT CONCERNED ABOUT FREEZING TEMPERATURES THURSDAY MORNING...BUT THE ONLY ZONES WHICH HAVE NOT HAD THEIR FIRST FREEZE OF THE SEASON ARE LAKE MEAD AND THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY...AND TEMPS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN ABOVE FREEZING THERE. .LONG TERM...A LARGE UPPER LOW SITTING OFF THE COAST OF WASHINGTON AND OREGON IS FORECAST TO REMAIN IN PLACE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. PIECES OF ENERGY ARE FORECAST TO ROTATE AROUND THE PARENT LOW AND AS THEY MOVE TOWARD THE COAST THEY SHOULD INITIATE PRECIPITATION INTO INYO AND POSSIBLY PORTIONS OF ESMERALDA COUNTY IN THIS TIME FRAME GIVEN THE TAP SHOWN BY THE ECMWF AND GFS INTO A PLUME OF MOISTURE ORIGINATING FROM THE PACIFIC CROSSING THIS AREA. THE BEST CHANCES ARE EXPECTED TO BE ALONG THE CREST AND IN THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA WITH CHANCES DECREASING TO THE EAST. SNOW LEVELS ARE FORECAST TO BE AROUND 5000-6000 FEET DURING THIS TIME FRAME. GUSTY WINDS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS BUT PRECIPITATION SHOULD LIMIT THE STRENGTH OF THEM. OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA IT SHOULD BE DRY WITH PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS EXPECTED. TEMPS SHOULD BE AT TO A LITTLE ABOVE NORMAL...ESPECIALLY FOR LOWS. THE PARENT LOW FINALLY GETS KICKED INLAND ON SUNDAY AND TRANSITION FROM A CLOSED LOW TO AN OPEN WAVE AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE WEST SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. THERE ARE SOME DIFFERENCES WITH THE MODELS AND HOW THEY HANDLE THE TIMING OF THIS SYSTEM FOR OUR AREA WITH THE 12Z ECMWF FASTEST AND THE 12Z GFS AND GEM ABOUT 6-12 HOURS SLOWER. MOST OF THE 12Z GFS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS WERE FASTER THAN THE OPERATIONAL RUN AND MORE IN-LINE WITH THE ECMWF. AT THIS TIME I OPTED TO BLEND ALL THE MODELS WITH TIMING AND SPREAD POPS EAST ACROSS THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND THEN INTO THE MOJAVE DESERT ON SUNDAY NIGHT. THE GREATEST CHANCES AT THIS TIME WERE PLACED ACROSS THE SIERRA IN INYO COUNTY AS WELL AS LINCOLN COUNTY...THE CLARK COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF NORTHERN MOHAVE COUNTY. FOR THE LOWER ELEVATIONS THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A BIG PRECIPITATION EVENT. IF THE FASTER TIMING HOLDS...MONDAY AFTERNOON SHOULD BE DRY AREAWIDE BUT FOR NOW I KEPT IN POPS OF SLIGHT CHANCE OR GREATER IN ALL AREAS EXCEPT DEATH VALLEY AND CENTRAL SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY. TEMPS SHOULD REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL ESPECIALLY FOR LOWS DUE TO THE SOUTHWEST FLOW...GOOD MIXING AND EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER IN PLACE ACROSS THE AREA. ONCE THIS SYSTEM MOVES ON OUT...IT APPEARS CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS DAY SHOULD BE DRY FOR OUR AREA. TEMPS SHOULD DROP A FEW DEGREES - ESPECIALLY FOR LOWS BUT AT THIS TIME LOOK CLOSE TO NORMAL. ONE THING WORTH WATCHING WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR GUSTY NORTHWEST TO NORTH WINDS ON CHRISTMAS EVE INTO CHRISTMAS MORNING THAT COULD ENHANCE HOW COLD IT FEELS FOR THOSE OUT AND ABOUT FOR THE HOLIDAY. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...THROUGH 03Z OR SO WEDNESDAY...CIGS SHOULD REMAIN ABOUT WHERE THEY ARE AT EXCEPT NEAR ANY AREAS OF PRECIPITATION...IN WHICH CASE THEY WILL LOWER TO NEAR 5K FEET. THE BEST ODDS ARE THE AIRPORT COMPLEX FOR ANY SHOWERS APPEAR TO BE THROUGH 02Z WEDNESDAY. AROUND 02Z WEDNESDAY A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PASS THROUGH THE AIRPORT AND SHIFT WINDS AROUND TO THE NORTHWEST. GUSTS SHOULD BE 25-30 KTS. OVERNIGHT CLOUDS SHOULD START TO CLEAR OUT AND BECOME FEW-SCT AOA 7K FEET. MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING...THEN ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT. BY 18Z WEDNESDAY...WINDS SHOULD SHIFT MORE TOWARD THE NORTH AND START TO GRADUALLY DECREASE IN SPEED UNDER A CLEAR SKY. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...CIGS WILL MAINLY BE 4K-8K FEET ACROSS THE AREA AHEAD OF AND ALONG A COLD FRONT THAT WILL PRESS SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING. A BAND OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO ACCOMPANY THE FRONT WITH MOST AREAS SEEING 1-3 HOURS OF PRECIPITATION. IN MOST OF THE TAFS PRECIP WILL BE LEFT AS VCTY. THE BEST CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION WILL BE ACROSS LINCOLN...SAN BERNARDINO...MOHAVE AND THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF CLARK COUNTY. MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS ARE EXPECTED WITH SNOW LEVELS AROUND 5K FEET LOWERING TO 3K-4K FEET BY TONIGHT. THE FRONT SHOULD PASS THROUGH KDAG...KIFP...KEED AND KIGM BETWEEN 05Z AND 08Z WEDNESDAY. AFTER THE FRONT PASSES THROUGH WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING TO 20-30 KTS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE MOJAVE DESERT WITH WINDS DECREASING FURTHER IN ALL AREAS EXCEPT THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY BETWEEN 10Z AND 18Z WEDNESDAY. FEW-SCT CLOUDS AOA 7K FEET ARE EXPECTED LATER TONIGHT WITH A GENERALLY CLEAR SKY EXPECTED AFTER 18Z WEDNESDAY. && .CLIMATE...THE RECORD FREEZE-FREE STREAK AT THE OFFICIAL LAS VEGAS CLIMATE STATION AT MCCARRAN AIRPORT HAS NOW REACHED 377 DAYS COUNTING TODAY. BASED ON THE LATEST FORECAST WE EXPECT THIS SHOULD LAST ONE MORE DAY. THE LATEST OCCURRENCE OF THE FIRST FREEZE EVER ON RECORD FOR LAS VEGAS AT MCCARRAN AIRPORT IS DECEMBER 19TH SET IN 1995 AND TIED IN 2002. IF WE MANAGE TO GET THROUGH THE ENTIRE DAY TOMORROW WITHOUT A FREEZE THEN WE WILL BREAK THIS RECORD. && .VEF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NV...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM PST TODAY FOR NVZ015. AZ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 PM MST TODAY FOR AZZ001-003. CA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT PST TONIGHT FOR CAZ523>525. && MORGAN/STACHELSKI HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 332 AM PST TUE DEC 18 2012 NVZ015-190800- LINCOLN COUNTY- 332 AM PST TUE DEC 18 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED TODAY AND A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM UNTIL 6 PM ABOVE 4500 FEET. SNOWFALL OF 5 TO 10 INCHES IS EXPECTED BETWEEN 4500 AND 6000 FEET WITH UP TO 12 INCHES IN THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS. THIS WILL CAUSE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. THE NEXT STORM WILL BRING A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW TO THE AREA SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE NEXT STORM WILL BRING A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW TO THE AREA SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. CAZ523>525-190800- WESTERN MOJAVE DESERT-EASTERN MOJAVE DESERT-MORONGO BASIN- 332 AM PST TUE DEC 18 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING STRONG WINDS TO THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR GENERALLY WEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 55 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE NEXT STORM WILL BRING A CHANCE OF RAIN AND STRONG WINDS TO THE AREA SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. AZZ002-036-CAZ519>522-526-527-NVZ014-016>022-190800- LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY-LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA- EASTERN SIERRA SLOPES-OWENS VALLEY-WHITE MOUNTAINS OF INYO COUNTY- DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK-CADIZ BASIN-SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY- UPPER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY-ESMERALDA AND CENTRAL NYE COUNTY- NORTHEAST CLARK COUNTY-WESTERN CLARK AND SOUTHERN NYE COUNTY- SHEEP RANGE-SPRING MOUNTAINS-LAS VEGAS VALLEY- SOUTHERN CLARK COUNTY- 332 AM PST TUE DEC 18 2012 /432 AM MST TUE DEC 18 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING A GOOD CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW TO THE AREA THROUGH THIS EVENING ALONG WITH LOCALLY GUSTY WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE NEXT STORM WILL BRING A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW AND LOCALLY STRONG WINDS TO THE AREA SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. AZZ001-003-190800- NORTHWEST PLATEAU-NORTHWEST DESERTS- 432 AM MST TUE DEC 18 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AREAS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM TO 11 PM MST ABOVE 5000 FEET. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE NEXT STORM WILL BRING A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS TO THE AREA SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
318 PM PST TUE DEC 18 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1250 PM NON-TSTM WND GST BISHOP AIRPORT 37.37N 118.36W
12/18/2012 M53.00 MPH INYO CA ASOS
BISHOP AIRPORT MEASURED A PEAK WIND GUST OF 53 MPH.
0314 PM SNOW PIOCHE 37.93N 114.45W
12/18/2012 M2.0 INCH LINCOLN NV CO-OP OBSERVER
PIOCHE CO-OP OBSERVER REPORTED 2.0 INCHES OF SNOW SINCE
245 PM TODAY AT AN ELEVATION OF 5990 FEET.
&&
STACHELSKIThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
This gust occurred at Bicycle Lake (KBYS).
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, December 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: 418624.