Low pressure moved into Nevada on the 3rd and pushed a strong cold front through the region. The low brought heavy snow (behind the sharp front) to areas near and north of highway 50 in western Nevada.
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 REV wrote it up.
Low pressure moved into Nevada on the 3rd and pushed a strong cold front through the region. The low brought heavy snow (behind the sharp front) to areas near and north of highway 50 in 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 Dec 3, 5:45 AM PST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
545 AM PST TUE DEC 3 2013
.UPDATE...
COLD FRONT/SNOW BAND CURRENTLY EXTENDS FROM PLUMAS COUNTY EAST TO
PERSHING COUNTY, AND IS SLOWLY MOVING SOUTH. APPEARS THE SNOW BAND
WILL NOT REACH RENO-SPARKS UNTIL AFTER THE MORNING COMMUTE, THOUGH
A CHANGE FROM LIGHT RAIN TO LIGHT SNOW IS POSSIBLE IN THE NORTH
VALLEYS AND SPANISH SPRINGS BY 8 AM. WEB CAMS ACROSS LASSEN
COUNTY ARE SHOWING LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATIONS ON ROADS DESPITE
TEMPERATURES FALLING BELOW 30 DURING THE LAST COUPLE HOURS. THIS
COULD BE A SIGN THE SNOW BAND IS NOT PRODUCING HEAVY SNOW AND THE
CURRENT FORECAST SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TOTALS FOR THE VALLEYS ARE A
BIT HIGH.
SNOW LEVELS ARE FALLING IN THE SIERRA WITH TRUCKEE AND SOUTH LAKE
TAHOE SWITCHING FROM RAIN TO SNOW IN THE LAST HOUR. AS
TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO COOL, TRAVEL OVER THE PASSES COULD BECOME
MORE DIFFICULT LATER THIS MORNING. BRONG
&&
.SYNOPSIS...
TEMPERATURES FALL WELL BELOW AVERAGE BEHIND A STRONG COLD FRONT
TODAY. A BAND OF HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED ALONG THE COLD FRONT TODAY
WITH VALLEY FLOOR ACCUMULATIONS AND SLICK ROAD CONDITIONS FOR THE
THIS MORNINGS COMMUTE. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO BE WELL BELOW
SEASONAL AVERAGES THROUGH NEXT WEEKEND WITH ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM
APPROACHING OUT OF THE GULF OF ALASKA.
&&
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 223 AM PST TUE DEC 3 2013/
SHORT TERM...
NO MAJOR SHIFTS FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECAST FOR TODAYS COLD FRONT
AND SUBSEQUENT SNOW POTENTIAL. IF THERE IS ONE FOIL THAT COULD
LIMIT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS, IT WILL BE A LAYER OF DRY THAT IS
PRESENT FROM 700MB TO 400MB IN MEDFORDS UPPER AIR SOUNDING. THIS
WILL RESULT IN A SHALLOW LAYER FROM THE SURFACE TO 700MB FOR ALL
SNOW FORMATION. WHILE THERE IS AMPLE FRONTOGENESIS TO SUPPORT SNOW
FORMATION AND DECENT DEPOSITION RATES, IT WILL OCCUR WITHOUT CLOUD
SEEDING PROCESSES THAT WOULD ENCOURAGE HEAVIER SNOW ACCUMULATIONS.
STILL, THE DENDRITIC GROWTH ZONE WILL BE LOWER THAN USUAL DUE TO
THE COLD NATURE OF THIS AIRMASS AND MAY OVERCOME THE DRY LAYER
LIMITATION SOMEWHAT. LONG STORY SHORT, TOTALS MAY BE WIDESPREAD
1-3 INCHES WITH ISOLATED TOTALS UP TO 6 INCHES RATHER THAN THE
MORE WIDESPREAD 3 TO 6 INCHES THAT IS CURRENTLY ADVERTISED.
UNFORTUNATELY, WELL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE SINCE THESE SLIDER TYPE
SYSTEMS TEND TO BE EXTREMELY VARIABLE.
ALSO, THERE SEEMS TO BE A SMALL DELAY IN THE APPROACH OF THE FRONT
THIS MORNING. THIS WOULD PLACE THE BEST TIMING AROUND 8 AM FOR
ONSET OF HEAVIEST SNOW UNTIL ABOUT 10-11 AM. SNOW RATES TAPER OFF
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS THE 700MB TROUGH PASSES THEN CEASING
ALTOGETHER AROUND 4-5 PM WITH THE PASSING OF THE 500MB TROUGH.
THIS WOULD STILL BE OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACT TO THIS MORNINGS
COMMUTE, BUT LESS THAN THE 6-8 AM ONSET THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY
DEPICTED BY SHORT-TERM MODELS. ANOTHER CONCERN WILL BE HOW MUCH
RAIN FALLS PRIOR TO TRANSITION TO SNOW. WHILE NOT EXPECTING VERY
MUCH, TEMPERATURES COULD DROP BEHIND THE FRONT CREATING A VERY
THIN FROZEN LAYER BENEATH ANY SNOW ACCUMULATION. THIS WOULD CAUSE
MORE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS, AND CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN THIS
MORNING.
OTHERWISE, TEMPERATURES DROP WELL BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES TONIGHT
INTO THIS WEEKEND WITH DAILY HIGHS BELOW FREEZING. CONTINUE TO
HAVE OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS FOR THE RENO METRO AREA.
THESE TEMPERATURES COULD CHANGE SLIGHTLY DEPENDING ON TODAYS SNOW
FALL. MORE SNOW WOULD EQUATE TO LOWER TEMPERATURES WHILE LESS
WOULD EDGE OVERNIGHT LOWS TOWARDS DOUBLE DIGITS STILL QUITE COLD.
BOYD
LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...
NO CHANGE TO THE LARGE SCALE PATTERN FOR THE END OF THE WEEK. SHARP
AND AMPLIFIED RIDGE TO REMAIN AT 140-150 WEST LONGITUDE WITH DEEP
AND COLD TROUGH OVER NORTH AMERICA INTO THE WEEKEND.
MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH NEXT COLD SYSTEM DROPPING SOUTH ALONG
THE PACIFIC COAST FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. APPEARS BEST CHANCE FOR
SNOW IS EARLY SATURDAY MORNING WHERE SEVERAL INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN
THE TAHOE BASIN-MONO COUNTY WITH LIGHT AMOUNTS POSSIBLE ON THE
WESTERN NEVADA VALLEY FLOORS.
MODEL SOLUTIONS CONTINUE TO SHOW THE POTENTIAL FOR THE RIDGE TO BE
PINCHED OFF OVER ALASKA. THIS WOULD OPEN THE DOOR FOR THE JET TO
UNDERCUT THE RIDGE AND PUSH PACIFIC MOISTURE INTO THE SIERRA BY
SUNDAY OR MONDAY. STILL QUITE A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE FORECAST
WITH A FEW SOLUTIONS LEANING TOWARD ONLY LIGHT SHOWERS OR NO
PRECIPITATION AT ALL. BRONG
AVIATION...
MAIN FORECAST ISSUE TODAY IS THE PRECIPITATION BAND ALONG A COLD
FRONT. THE FRONT IS SLOWLY PROGRESSING SOUTH AND MAY NOT REACH KRNO
UNTIL 17-18Z. RAIN WILL BE THE INITIAL PRECIPITATION TYPE AT THE
RENO-CARSON TERMINALS, UNTIL THE COLD AIR ARRIVES AROUND
18Z. IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS REMAIN POSSIBLE WITH THE SNOW ALONG THE
FRONT. ACCUMULATIONS ARE UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME DUE TO THE NARROW
STRUCTURE OF THE FRONT, THOUGH THE UNSTABLE CONDITIONS WILL LEAD TO
AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW PER HOUR ONCE THE FRONT ARRIVES.
WHEN THE FRONT PASSES, WINDS BELOW RIDGE LEVEL WILL SHIFT TO THE
NORTH AND NORTHEAST. THIS WILL LEAD TO LIGHT UPSLOPE SNOW
PERSISTING FOR RENO-TAHOE-CARSON UNTIL 06Z WEDNESDAY. BRONG
&&
.REV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NV...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON NVZ005.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 10 PM PST
THIS EVENING NVZ001.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON NVZ002.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON NVZ003-004.
CA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON CAZ070-071.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 10 PM PST
THIS EVENING CAZ073.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON CAZ072.
&&
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RENO (ALL LOWER CASE)The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A widespread 4 to 8 inches of snow fell near and north of highway 50 on the 3rd. Some totals south of Reno were likely enhanced by lake effect snow off of Lake Tahoe.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, December 2013
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: 491358.