A very cold storm system brought rare low elevation snow to the Mojave Desert.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 very cold storm system brought rare low elevation snow 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 30, 2:00 AM PST, 6 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 200 AM PST TUE DEC 30 2014 .SYNOPSIS...A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION TODAY BRINGING GUSTY WINDS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME LIGHT SNOW TO THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN. AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO BECOME BETTER ORGANIZED OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND THEN TRACK EAST TOWARD ARIZONA ON NEW YEAR'S EVE INTO NEW YEAR'S DAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN MAINLY LIGHT PRECIPITATION ACROSS MUCH OF THE MOJAVE DESERT WITH SNOW POSSIBLY FALLING AS LOW AS 2000 FEET. CONDITIONS SHOULD DRY OUT ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA BY THURSDAY EVENING HOWEVER COLD WEATHER WILL LAST INTO THE WEEKEND. && .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH NEW YEAR'S EVE. A COLD FRONT IS CURRENTLY PUSHING THROUGH CENTRAL NEVADA AND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TRACKING SOUTH THROUGH THE DAY. WE WILL SEE NORTHERLY WINDS INCREASE BEHIND THE FRONT WITH MOST LOCATIONS SEEING GUSTY WINDS BY LATE AFTERNOON. SOME LOCATIONS COULD APPROACH WIND ADVISORY LEVELS...BUT AT THIS TIME WILL HOLD OFF ON ANY WIND PRODUCTS. BIG STORY CONTINUES TO BE THE DEVELOPING COLD UPPER LOW THAT WILL MOVE SOUTH THROUGH WESTERN NEVADA OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. SO FAR WE HAVE SEEN SOME LOWER CLOUDS DRAPED OVER THE FAR NORTHERN ZONES...BUT AT THIS TIME NONE OF THE OBSERVATION SITES HAVE SHOWN ANY PRECIPITATION. SNOW HAS STARTED FALLING OVER THE RENO AREA WHICH IS ABOUT ON TRACK WHERE THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE. LOWER CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK SOUTH THIS MORNING AND IS EXPECTED TO REACH NORTHERN INYO AND ESMERALDA COUNTIES BY 18Z THIS MORNING. SNOW AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT AND PLACES LIKE BISHOP COULD SEE UPWARDS OF AN INCH OF SNOW AND EVEN AMOUNTS IN THE SIERRA SHOULD REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS. AS THE LOW CONTINUES TO TRACK SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING SNOW IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE OVER THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY. AMOUNTS IN THE DAGGETT AREA REALLY ARE NOT EXPECTED TO AMOUNT TO MUCH...BUT SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE MOUNTAINS COULD SEE A COUPLE OF INCHES. PLACES LIKE YUCCA VALLEY AND THE YUCCA MESA AREA COULD SEE UP TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW BY LATE THIS EVENING. WITH THE LACK OF MOISTURE AND CURRENT MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW A DOWNTREND IN QPF AMOUNTS HAVE ELECTED TO DOWNGRADE THE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR PORTIONS OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY TO A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WHICH WILL MATCH UP WITH THE CURRENT ADVISORY ALREADY IN PLACE FOR WESTERN SAN BERN COUNTY. JUST FEEL THAT SNOW AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW WARNING LEVELS. BY WEDNESDAY MORNING THE UPPER LOW IS FORECAST TO BE OVER SOUTHERN NEVADA AND THE MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW A BAND OF PRECIPITATION DEVELOPING OVER MOHAVE COUNTY AND EVENTUALLY WRAPPING SOME OF THAT MOISTURE BACK INTO CLARK AND LINCOLN COUNTIES. ALTHOUGH THERE IS SOME UPPER FORCING STILL IN PLACE...THE TREND HAS BEEN DOWNWARD ALONG WITH QPF AMOUNTS. ANY SNOW THAT DOES FALL COULD BE AN ISSUE WITH REGARDS TO TRAVEL...BUT I DONT EXPECT IT TO BE WIDESPREAD OVER CLARK COUNTY...ESPECIALLY LAS VEGAS. HOWEVER...ITS STILL 24-36 HOURS OUT AND SOME CHANGES COULD STILL OCCUR ALTHOUGH ITS BEEN TRENDING DOWNWARD FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS NOW. WITH THAT SAID I HAVE CHANGED THE WINTER STORM WATCH FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST CLARK COUNTIES INCLUDING THE SPRING MOUNTAINS AND SHEEP RANGE TO WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES. JUST DONT THINK THE MOISTURE IS THERE TO WARRANT ANYTHING HIGHER. THE BEST WINDOW FOR SEEING SNOW IN THE LAS VEGAS AREA WILL BE DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY AND BY NEW YEARS EVE MOST OF THE MOISTURE SHOULD BE EAST...ALTHOUGH A FEW FLURRIES ON THE STRIP AT MIDNIGHT CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. BREEZY WINDS AND COLD TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY BE THE BIGGER STORY AS MIDNIGHT TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE LOW 30S. MOHAVE COUNTY STILL LOOKS LIKE THE BEST AREA FOR SEEING ANY SIGNIFICANT SNOW AS A PRECIPITATION BAND FORMS OVER THE COUNTY AHEAD OF THE LOW. AREAS FROM KINGMAN NORTHWARD LOOK LIKE THE WILL RECEIVE AT LEAST A FEW INCHES OF SNOW AND THE CURRENT WINTER STORM WARNINGS LOOK GOOD AND NO CHANGES MADE. SNOW LOOKS TO REMAIN AT LEAST ACROSS NORTHERN MOHAVE COUNTY THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING BEFORE PUSHING EAST DURING THE AFTERNOON. SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO COME TO AN END ACROSS MOHAVE COUNTY BY LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THURSDAY NIGHT LOOKS TO BE DRY AND RATHER CHILLY. .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...WINDS ARE FORECAST TO TURN NORTHERLY AFTER 14Z THIS MORNING WITH SPEEDS UP TO 10KTS. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE DURING THE AFTERNOON WITH SPEEDS POTENTIALLY UP TO 12KTS AND COULD GUST UP TO 20KTS AT TIMES. CLEAR SKIES THIS MORNING...BUT CLOUDS WILL START TO INCREASE BETWEEN 15Z-18Z WITH SCT080 AND EVENTUALLY BECOMING BKN DURING THE AFTERNOON. CLOUDS WILL LOWER AS RAIN AND SNOW CHANCES INCREASE LATE TONIGHT ...POTENTIALLY CONTINUING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. A LIGHT ACCUMULATING SNOW CANNOT BE RULED OUT AT MCCARRAN NEW YEAR'S EVE WITH CEILINGS POTENTIALLY BELOW 3 KFT AND VISIBILITY BELOW 5 MILES. CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO IMPROVE THURSDAY. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...A STORM SYSTEM APPROACHING THE AREA WILL BRING AN INCREASE IN NORTHERLY WINDS TO THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON WITH SPEEDS BETWEEN 15-25KTS WITH GUSTS APPROACHING 35KTS...ESPECIALLY NORTH. SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE THIS MORNING ACROSS ESMERALDA AND NORTHERN INYO COUNTIES AND EVENTUALLY SPREAD SOUTH INTO SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY. SNOW SHOWERS WILL THEN SPREAD INTO CLARK AND MOHAVE COUNTIES WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY WITH CIGS DOWN TO 3K FEET AND VSBYS UNDER 5SM. && .SPOTTER ACTIVATION...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. && SHORT TERM/AVIATION...GORELOW LONG TERM...PADDOCK FOR MORE FORECAST INFORMATION...SEE US ON OUR WEBPAGE: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS OR FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter weather, 1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
One man died of hypothermia in Las Vegas.
About one inch of snow fell in Boulder City. A trace of snow fell as low as Alan Bible Visitor Center at Lake Mead.
One inch of snow was reported in Searchlight and also near Cal-Nev-Ari, forcing the closure of Highway 95 for about three hours. Several vehicle crashes were reported in the Searchlight area.
A trace of snow fell in most parts of Las Vegas.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold/Wind Chill, Las Vegas Valley | 2014-12-30 | 91 | Male | Permanent Home | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, December 2014
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: 551757, 551758, 551760, 551759.