Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Arizona, December 30 to 31, 2014

Name: Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Arizona, December 30 to 31, 2014
Start: 2014-12-30T22:00
End: 2014-12-31T23:59
Location: Arizona

December 30 to 31, 2014 · NWS VEF · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A very cold storm system brought rare low elevation snow to the Mojave Desert. The event continued into January 2015.

Where it happened

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.

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: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $525,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 very cold storm system brought rare low elevation snow to the Mojave Desert. The event continued into January 2015.

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 Dec 30, 10:00 PM MST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 30, 10:00 PM MST, 0 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
900 PM PST TUE DEC 30 2014

.SYNOPSIS...A STRONG AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
TONIGHT WILL TRACK EAST TOWARD ARIZONA ON NEW YEAR'S EVE INTO NEW
YEAR'S DAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN PRECIPITATION ACROSS MUCH OF THE
MOJAVE DESERT WITH GREATEST SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN MOHAVE COUNTY
ARIZONA. SNOW LEVEL WILL BE AS LOW AS 2000 FEET. CONDITIONS SHOULD
DRY OUT ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA BY THURSDAY EVENING HOWEVER COLD
WEATHER WILL LAST INTO THE WEEKEND.
&&

.UPDATE...LOWER CLOUDS HAVE BEEN ENHANCING OVER THE SOUTHERN
PORTIONS OF THE CWA THIS EVENING AND SNOW HAS BEEN FALLING FOR THE
PAST COUPLE OF HOURS OVER EXTREME SOUTHWEST SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
INCLUDING THE MORONGO BASIN, YUCCA MESA AND YUCCA VALLEY. SO FAR
REPORTS OF A DUSTING HAVE BEEN RECEIVED IN THESE AREAS. THE LOW IS
CURRENTLY OVER THE SOUTHERN END OF THE SIERRA AND WILL CONTINUE TO
TRACK SOUTHEAST TONIGHT AND THEN EAST ACROSS SOUTHERN NEVADA
WEDNESDAY. AT THE SURFACE WE ARE SEEING SOME GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS
OVER MOST LOCATIONS AND THESE WINDS ARE BRINGING IN SOME VERY DRY
AIR. DEW POINTS OVER CLARK AND MOHAVE COUNTIES ARE CURRENTLY IN THE
SINGLE DIGITS TO MID TEENS SO ITS GOING TO TAKE A WHILE TO MOISTEN
UP THE LOWER LEVELS TO GET SNOW TO FINALLY FALL. IT STILL LOOKS LIKE
THE BEST WINDOW FOR SEEING SNOWFLAKES IN THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY WILL
BE WEDNESDAY MORNING INTO EARLY AFTERNOON...BUT ANY ACCUMULATIONS
OVER A LIGHT DUSTING JUST DOES NOT LOOK TOO GOOD. MOHAVE COUNTY
STILL LOOKS LIKE THE FAVORED AREA FOR SEEING AT LEAST A FEW INCHES
OF SNOW. FOR THE CURRENT ADVISORIES AND WARNINGS...THOSE LOOK GOOD
AND WILL NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES. NO UPDATES PLANNED TO THE GRIDS AT
THIS TIME.
&&

PREV DISCUSSION
330 PM PST TUE DEC 30 2014

.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH NEW YEAR'S DAY

HIGHLIGHT CHANGES WITH THIS PACKAGE. CANCELLED THE WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY FOR NORTHWEST SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY. DELAYED THE START OF
THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CLARK COUNTY UNTIL 10 PM THIS
EVENING. MOVED UP THE ENDING TIME OF THE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR
MOHAVE COUNTY TO 5 PM MST THURSDAY.

SINCE THIS MORNING, COLD FRONT HAS CONTINUE TO SHIFT SOUTH AND LIES
ON A LINE FROM NEAR BARSTOW-NEEDLES-KINGMAN. EAST-WEST BAND OF
CLOUDINESS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT HAS ONLY PRODUCED LIGHT SNOW IN THE
SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA, SHEEP RANGE AND SPRING MTNS WITH REPORTS OF
A HALF INCH OR LESS. EXCEPT THE SNOW WITHIN IN THIS BAND TO
DISSIPATE OVERNIGHT AS FOCUS SHIFTS TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA/NORTHWEST
ARIZONA AS DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER LOW TAKE OVER.

FORCING WITH UPPER LOW ALREADY VISIBLE WITH EXPANSION OF CLOUD
SHIELD NORTHEASTWARD OVER BARSTOW AND THE MORONGO VALLEY OF SAN
BERNARDINO COUNTY. HAVE HAD A REPORT OF LIGHT RAIN IN MORONGO WITH
FLURRIES REPORTED AT THE SLIGHTLY HIGHER ELEVATION OF YUCCA VALLEY.
12Z/18Z DATA HAS DELAYED THE ONSET OF SNOW MORE UNTIL AFTER 06Z THIS
EVENING. OUR CONFIDENCE REMAINS HIGHEST IN MOHAVE COUNTY FOR
IMPACTFUL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS. LOOKING AT AROUND 4 INCHES IN KINGMAN
WITH 5-10 INCHES IN THE HUALAPAI MTNS AND HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF
EASTERN AND NORTHERN MOHAVE COUNTY THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON. SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS MAY NOT MEET CRITERIA ACROSS CLARK AND EASTERN SAN
BERNARDINO COUNTIES BUT DUE TO EXPECTED HIGH VOLUME OF TRAFFIC
HEADED TOWARD LAS VEGAS KEPT ADVISORIES AS IS.

OTHER PART OF THIS STORM IS THE COLD TEMPERATURES. DAYTIME HIGHS
WEDNESDAY AND NEW YEARS DAY WILL BE WELL BELOW NORMAL. THOSE
PLANNING TO CELEBRATE OUTDOORS SHOULD DRESS IN LAYERS. DECIDED
AGAINST A HARD FREEZE WATCH FOR PARTS OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND BEYOND. LATER SHIFTS CAN EVALUATE.

ON NEW YEARS DAY, SNOW SHOWERS AND ANY ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS WILL
BE DECREASING ACROSS MOHAVE COUNTY. DRY AND LESS CLOUD COVER FOR OUR
WESTERN AREAS.

.LONG TERM...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY.

OUR NEW YEAR'S SYSTEM IS STILL ON TRACK TO EXIT ARIZONA AND PUSH
THROUGH NEW MEXICO ON FRIDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL AMPLIFY AND BUILD
ACROSS OUR AREA...BRINGING DRY NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT FRIDAY THROUGH
THE WEEKEND. WOULD ONLY EXPECT TO SEE SOME PASSING HIGH CLOUDS
THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK. AS FOR TEMPERATURES...WE
ARE STILL ANTICIPATING SOME VERY COLD MORNINGS...WITH THE POTENTIAL
FOR A HARD FREEZE IN THE LOWER DESERTS FRIDAY MORNING AND AGAIN
SATURDAY MORNING. TEMPERATURES WILL THEN START TO MODERATE SUNDAY
THROUGH TUESDAY...GETTING CLOSER TO NORMAL VALUES FOR THE NEW
WORKWEEK.
&&

.AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...SUSTAINED NORTH-NORTHEAST WIND 10-20 KTS
WITH GUSTS 20-25 KTS THROUGH THE NIGHT. CEILINGS WILL
RANGE BETWEEN 8-10K FT THIS EVENING, THEN LOWER TO BETWEEN 3-5K FT
AFTER MIDNIGHT AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE DAY WEDNESDAY.
A LIGHT ACCUMULATING SNOW OR FLURRIES CANNOT BE RULED OUT DEVELOPING
EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING AND PERSISTING INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON. THE
VISIBILITY COULD BE RESTRICTED DOWN TO AS LOW AS 5 MILES. CONDITIONS
ARE EXPECTED TO IMPROVE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND NEW YEARS DAY.

FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST
CALIFORNIA...LOWER CEILINGS AND SNOW/RAIN WILL AFFECT TERMINALS IN
MOHAVE COUNTY ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY
UNDER A STRONG/COLD UPPER LOW. PERSIST NORTH-NORTHEAST WIND 10-20
KTS WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KTS THROUGH WEDNESDAY BEFORE DECREASING
WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. CONDITIONS WILL CEILINGS WILL START
TO IMPROVE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY AS THE UPPER LOW SHIFTS
EAST ACROSS ARIZONA.
&&

.SPOTTER ACTIVATION...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING
PROCEDURES.
&&

UPDATE...GORELOW
SHORT TERM/AVIATION...PIERCE
LONG TERM...PADDOCK

FOR MORE FORECAST INFORMATION...SEE US ON OUR WEBPAGE:

HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS OR FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 30, 4:52 PM MST, 5 hours 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
352 PM PST TUE DEC 30 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0855 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST BICYCLE LAKE AIRFIELD   35.28N 116.62W
12/29/2014  M51.00 MPH       SAN BERNARDINO     CA   ASOS

            BICYCLE LAKE AIRFIELD MEASURED A PEAK WIND GUST OF 51 MPH
            FROM THE SOUTHWEST.

0142 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST OAK CREEK RAWS          36.84N 118.26W
12/30/2014  M54.00 MPH       INYO               CA   MESONET

            OAK CREEK RAWS MEASURED A PEAK WIND GUST OF 54 MPH FROM
            THE NORTH.

&&

STACHELSKI

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. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northwest Deserts

When: December 30, 10:00 PM MST to December 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Northwest Deserts forecast zone
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: County Official

Totals ranged from three inches at Golden Valley and Chloride to 12 inches at Cedar Hills and Hualapai Mountain. The heavy snow caused road closures (including Interstate 40 and Highway 93), power outages, and approximately 241 vehicle crashes with an unknown number of (indirect) injuries. The event continued into January 2015.

Winter Weather, Northwest Plateau

When: December 31, 5:00 AM MST to 11:59 PM MST
Where: Northwest Plateau forecast zone
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 35.704, -113.758 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three inches fell at both Pipe Spring National Monument and Colorado City. Several vehicles slid off roads and/or into other vehicles due to snowy roads. The event continued into January 2015.

Heavy Snow, Lake Mead National Recreation Area

When: December 31, 6:00 AM MST to 11:59 PM MST
Where: Lake Mead National Recreation Area forecast zone
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue

Bullhead City recorded its first measurable snowfall on record, with one inch total. Five inches fell at Meadview, and an estimated 12 inches fell at Oatman. The main pass and roads in Oatman were closed from New Year's Eve into New Year's Day. The event continued into January 2015.

Heavy Snow, Lake Havasu and Fort Mohave

When: December 31, 7:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where: Lake Havasu and Fort Mohave forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.704, -113.758 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake Havasu City saw its first ever recorded accumulating snow, with up to two inches on the east side. Snow fell all the way down to the river, but did not accumulate there.

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arizona in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, December 2014

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: 551750, 551753, 551751, 551752.