A cold storm system brought snow to lower elevations of the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin.
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 cold storm system brought snow to lower elevations of the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin.
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 Feb 22, 9:47 PM MST, 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 847 PM PST SUN FEB 22 2015 .SYNOPSIS...A WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT THE REGION TONIGHT AND MONDAY BRINGING WIDESPREAD RAIN...MOUNTAIN SNOW AND MUCH COOLER CONDITIONS TO THE AREA. WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE BY TUESDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY WITH SEASONAL TEMPERATURES EXPECTED. MORE UNSETTLED WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE HEADING INTO NEXT WEEKEND. && .UPDATE...SATELLITE AND RADAR DATA SHOWS WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION CURRENTLY OVER A LARGE PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. SURFACE OB TEMPERATURES AT 8 PM SUGGEST A SNOW LEVEL BETWEEN 5000-5500 FEET. RECORDED PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS OUTSIDE OF A COUPLE OF ISOLATED LOCATIONS IN THE WESTERN MOJAVE DESERT HAVE RECEIVED LESS THAN A QUARTER INCH AT THIS POINT BUT THERE IS MORE TO COME THROUGH THE NIGHT INTO MONDAY. BASED ON THE VERY LATEST MODEL DATA, THE BEST TIME FOR STEADY RAIN IN THE VEGAS VALLEY WILL BE AFTER 10 PM THIS EVENING CONTINUING THROUGH 8 OR 9 AM MONDAY. IT COULD MAKE FOR A SLOW...SLIPPERY RIDE TO WORK SO PLEASE USE CAUTION AND CHECK THE WEATHER FORECAST BEFORE HEADING OUT IN THE MORNING. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...LOWER CIGS EXPECTED THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH PERIODS OF RAIN EXPECTED FROM THRU 14Z MONDAY MORNING. THE LOWEST CIGS AND PERIODIC REDUCTION IN VISIBILITY POSSIBLE IN HEAVIER PERIODS OF RAIN. NORTHEAST WINDS 8 TO 12 KTS TO CONTINUE TONIGHT WITH LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS EXPECTED MONDAY. WINDS DIRECTION OVERNIGHT MAY VARY BETWEEN 360 AND 090 DEGREES. CIGS GENERALLY BETWEEN 3500 AND 5000 FEET BUT COULD FALL BELOW 3K FEET AT TIMES...POSSIBLY BETWEEN 1 AND 2K. IMPROVING CONDITIONS EXPECTED MONDAY BUT SCT SHOWERS REMAIN POSSIBLE WITH CIGS HOVERING NEAR 5K. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...WIDESPREAD RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW EXPECTED TONIGHT WITH LOW CIGS AND REDUCED VISIBILITY EXPECTED ESPECIALLY NORTH OF A KNXP-KEED-KGCN LINE. A FEW ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. SNOW LEVEL WILL FALL AS LOW AS 3500 FEET TONIGHT WITH SNOW POSSIBLE DOWN TO THE KBIH. WIDESPREAD MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION AND POCKETS OF TURBULENCE LIKELY. SCATTERED SHOWERS WITH CIGS BETWEEN 4 AND 6K EXPECTED MONDAY WITH IMPROVING CONDITIONS FROM WEST TO EAST. && .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...215 PM PST... .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. LOTS TO DISCUSS THIS AFTERNOON AS A VERY STRONG AND DYNAMIC SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE REGION TONIGHT BRINGING WIDESPREAD RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW TO THE REGION. THE UPPER LOW RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY CLOSING OFF OVER CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WITH A COUPLE OF LIGHTNING STRIKES OBSERVED IN CALIFORNIA CENTRAL VALLEY IN THE PAST HOUR. THIS ACTIVITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE VERY COOL 500MB TEMPERATURES ALOFT WHICH WILL BEGIN SPREADING EASTWARD THROUGH THE MOJAVE DESERT AND SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN TONIGHT. AS THIS COLD POOL ALOFT PROGRESSES THROUGH THE REGION COMBINED WITH VERY STRONG FORCING FOR VERTICAL MOTION TONIGHT...SOME EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REGION AND I HAVE ADDED ISOLATED THUNDER TO THE FORECAST FOR MUCH OF THE AREA FOR THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. AS OF THIS WRITING...MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION OBSERVED HAS BEEN LIGHT WITH SNOW LEVELS RUNNING BETWEEN 4500 AND 5000 FEET ACROSS OUR NORTHERN ZONES...AND THE MT CHARLESTON WEBCAMS INDICATES HEAVIER SNOWFALL HAS JUST BEGUN TO FALL WITH THEIR SNOW LEVEL CLOSER TO 5500 FEET. EXPECT CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE TONIGHT AS FRONTOGENESIS STRENGTHENS TONIGHT AS SIGNIFICANT HEIGHT FALLS PIVOT INTO THE REGION. HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED ALONG A STRIPE ROUGHLY THOUGH THE CENTER OF THE FORECAST AREA WHERE A QUARTER TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH OF LIQUID ARE EXPECTED WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS IN THE SPRING AND SHEEP RANGE. THE BIG WINNERS WILL TO BE NORTHERN MOHAVE COUNTY WHERE OVER AN INCH OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION IS LIKELY TO FALL BY THE TIME THE STORM EXITS MONDAY NIGHT. BIGGEST FORECAST CHALLENGE WITH THIS STORM WILL BE PINPOINTING SNOW LEVELS AND THE ASSOCIATED IMPACTS. FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE SNOW LEVELS HOVERING AROUND 5000-5500 FEET ACROSS CLARK...SAN BERNARDINO...AND MOHAVE COUNTY THROUGH ABOUT 6Z (LOWER FURTHER NORTH). SNOW LEVELS WILL SLOWLY FALL THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT BUT A CLOSER LOOK AT THE FORECAST SOUNDING INDICATES POTENTIAL FOR A BRIEF ROUND OF SNOWFALL ALL THE WAY DOWN AS LOW AS 3500 FEET EARLY MONDAY MORNING ACROSS CLARK AND EASTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE HEAVY PRECIPITATION BAND. THIS COULD HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS TO TRAVEL FOR MOUNTAIN PASS ALONG INTERSTATE 15 AS WELL AS MOUNTAIN SPRINGS SUMMIT. A LIGHT DUSTING IS EVEN POSSIBLE NEAR RED ROCK CANYON EARLY MONDAY MORNING. ELSEWHERE...STILL ANTICIPATING SIGNIFICANT SNOWS IN THE SPRING AND SHEEP MOUNTAINS...AND NORTHERN MOHAVE COUNTY. WILL NEED TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON SNOW LEVELS TONIGHT AND HOW THEY IMPACT COLORADO CITY. SNOW LEVELS JUST SLIGHTLY LOWER COULD BRING THEM UP TO WARNING LEVEL SNOWFALL. AN INCH OR TWO REMAINS POSSIBLE TONIGHT IN BISHOP AND PARTS OF THE OWENS VALLEY. THE UPPER LOW WILL MOVE OVERHEAD MONDAY WITH WIDESPREAD INSTABILITY DRIVEN SHOWERS POSSIBLE ALMOST ANYWHERE DURING THE DAY BUT THE HEAVIEST PRECIP WILL SHIFT EAST INTO NORTHERN ARIZONA. CONDITIONS WILL GRADUALLY IMPROVE MONDAY NIGHT. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. STILL EXPECTING A RETURN TO A MUCH MORE ACTIVE WINTER-LIKE PATTERN WITH NUMEROUS SHORTWAVE TROUGHS LINED UP IN FAST NORTH TO NORTHWEST FLOW. THE STORM CURRENTLY AFFECTING OUR AREA WILL BE EXITING STAGE RIGHT TUESDAY MORNING WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND GUSTY NORTH WINDS IN ITS WAKE. ADVISORIES MAY BE NEEDED FOR TUESDAY. FOR WEDNESDAY EXPECT LIGHTER WINDS AND TEMPERATURES CLOSER TO NORMAL. MODELS HAVE BACKED OFF QUITE A BIT WITH THE TROUGH PASSING BY ON THURSDAY...NOW DEPICTING IT MUCH WEAKER AND FARTHER EAST. TRIMMED BACK POPS AND WINDS AND ALSO RAISED TEMPS A BIT. FOR FRIDAY...MODELS HAVE COME INTO MUCH BETTER AGREEMENT THAN YESTERDAY SHOWING A DEEPENING STORM SYSTEM OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST DIVING SOUTH. THIS WOULD LEAD TO A STRONG WEST TO SOUTHWEST WIND EVENT FOR OUR AREA. THERE IS NOW GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE STORM DIVING INTO THE DESERT SOUTHWEST ON SATURDAY AND LINGERING INTO SUNDAY...WITH CHANCES FOR RAIN AND SNOW AND MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES. RAISED POPS ACROSS THE BOARD FOR BOTH DAYS. BELIEVE THAT AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE EVENT...THE MODEL TEMPERATURE FORECASTS WILL LIKELY TREND COLDER. WINTER IS NOT DONE YET. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED HOWEVER...SNOW AND RAINFALL REPORTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED TODAY AND MONDAY. && UPDATE/AVIATION...SALMEN PREV SHORT TERM...OUTLER PREV LONG TERM....MORGAN 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.
1 heavy snow, 1 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.
Six inches of snow fell at Pipe Spring National Monument.
Visibility was down to 1/8 to 1/4 mile on Interstate 40 near mile marker 66.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, February 2015
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: 558064, 558065.