A winter storm brought heavy snow to most of northern and central Nevada. Many locations received 10 to 20 inches of snow.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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 LKN wrote it up.
A winter storm brought heavy snow to most of northern and central Nevada. Many locations received 10 to 20 inches of snow.
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 Elko, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 21, 9:50 AM PST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV 950 AM PST MON DEC 21 2015 .SYNOPSIS...EXPECT BACK TO BACK STORMS THIS WEEK. THE FIRST STORM IS ALREADY ON NORTHEAST NEVADA'S DOOR STEP. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW EXPECTED LATER TODAY...OVER NIGHT AND WILL CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY.THIS MOISTURE LADEN SYSTEM...IS EXPECTED TO BRING HEFTY AMOUNTS OF SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS...AND SEVERAL INCHES OF NEW SNOW TO THE VALLEYS. THE SECOND STORM IS EXPECTED CHRISTMAS EVE AND INTO CHRISTMAS DAY...WHICH WILL ALSO BRING ANOTHER BATCH OF WINTRY WEATHER TO THE REGION. && .UPDATE...LATEST NUMERICAL GUIDANCE AND THERMAL PROFILES SUGGEST RAIN WILL MIX WITH THE SNOW IN THE EKLO/SPRING CREEK AREA FROM LATE MORNING INTO EARLY THIS EVENING BEFORE GOING BACK TO SNOW LATER TONIGHT AS THE SURFACE COLD FRONT SINKS SOUTH OVERNIGHT. JUST RECEIVED A REPORT FROM SPRING CREEK ALONG THE RUBIES WITH SNOW HAS CHANGED TO RAIN. ANY SNOW HAS CHANGED TO RAIN IN WMC/DENIO AS WELL AND IS MIXED RAIN AND SNOW IN BATTLE MOUNTAIN. WILL CONTINUE WITH MENTIONING MIXING WITH OR CHANGING TO RAIN IN MANY AREAS BEFORE GOING BACK TO SNOW TONIGHT. UPDATED PRODUCTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED AT 236 AM / SYNOPSIS...EXPECTING BACK TO BACK STORMS THIS WEEK. THE FIRST STORM IS ALREADY ON NORTHEAST NEVADA'S DOOR STEP. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW EXPECTED LATER TODAY...OVER NIGHT AND WILL CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY.THIS MOISTURE LADEN SYSTEM...IS EXPECTED TO BRING HEFTY AMOUNTS OF SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS...AND SEVERAL INCHES OF NEW SNOW TO THE VALLEYS. THE SECOND STORM IS EXPECTED CHRISTMAS EVE AND INTO CHRISTMAS DAY...WHICH WILL ALSO BRING ANOTHER BATCH OF WINTRY WEATHER TO THE REGION. SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE NESDIS OPERATIONAL BLENDED TPW CLEARLY DEPICTS THE ATMOSPHERIC RIVER ON THE VERGE OF CAREENING INTO CALIFORNIA. THE NAEFS PW ANOMALIES ARE RUNNING ALMOST 3 STANDARD DEVIATIONS ABOVE NORMAL FOR THIS MONDAY-TUESDAY EVENT...PINGING INTO A RETURN INTERVAL OF 10-30 YEARS OVER NE NV. THE GEFS-M CLIMATE RETURN INTERVAL IS ONLY AT 5 YEARS...BUT EVERY MODEL HAS A LONG DURATION QPF EVENT SPANNING FROM ROUGHLY 12Z MONDAY TO 12Z WEDNESDAY. ELEVATION AND UPSLOPE ENHANCEMENT WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN SNOW AMOUNTS. THE VALLEYS CAN EXPECT 1 TO 4 INCHES OF NEW SNOW...WHILE PLACES LIKE THE ARC DOME WILDERNESS...JARBIDGE...AND THE RUBIES CAN ANTICIPATE OVER A FOOT OF NEW SNOW...WITH SOME OF THE LOCALIZED TERRAIN FAVORED AREAS EXPECTING MUCH MUCH MORE. THIS GRID PACKAGE INCORPORATED THE GFS SNOW RATIOS. KEPT THE HEADLINES PRODUCTS IN PLACE. THIS STORM WILL BE SLOW TO CLEAR OUT. WEDNESDAY THERE WILL BE FLURRIES AND POCKETS OF RESIDUAL MOISTURE...SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS NOT EXPECTED...BUT HAD TO KEEP POPS BUMPED UP IN THIS POST FRONTAL ENVIRONMENT. LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT MONDAY. FAIRLY WELL ESTABLISHED LONG WAVE OVER NORTH AMERICA TRIES TO BREAK DOWN DURING THE LONG RANGE FORECAST PERIOD. THIS BREAKS UP THE QUASI- ZONAL ATMOSPHERIC RIVER WHICH HAS BEEN POINTED AT THE GREAT BASIN...BUT ALSO BUCKLES THE MEAN FLOW COMING IN TO THE REGION FOR A PROGRESSIVE SERIES OF SHORT WAVES. OF COURSE...THE VARIOUS MODELS' DEPICTIONS OF THE LONGEST RANGE LOOK LIKE THE BICKERING OF A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY REUNION. HENCE...NOT MANY TWEAKS TO THE FAR RANGE...LET ALONE RE-INVENTING THE WHEEL. WILL CONCENTRATE ON THE MIDDLE RANGE...WHICH IS CHRISTMAS EVE THROUGH SATURDAY. OLD SHORT WAVE FROM TUESDAY EXITS THE STATE AND NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT SETS UP WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING BUT A SHORT WAVE DROPS IN FROM THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC WITH A FAIR AMOUNT OF MOISTURE AVAILABLE. NOTHING LIKE TUESDAY'S EVENT...AND CERTAINLY LESS THAN WAS HINTED AT FOR THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT-THURSDAY TIME FRAME A FEW DAYS AGO. GFS IS A LITTLE FASTER THAN THE EURO POSITIONING THE SHORT WAVE AXIS WITH ATTENDANT SURFACE FRONT. GENERALLY EXPECTING FRONTAL PASSAGE DURING THE DAY WITH A GOOD LIKELIHOOD OF SNOW ON CHRISTMAS EVE ALMOST EVERYWHERE. BEST SHOT AT A WHITE CHRISTMAS EVE WILL BE GENERALLY ALONG THE FRONT BUT LOOKS LIKE MOISTURE FIELDS SUGGEST A BAND FROM JACKPOT TO ELKO TO WINNEMUCCA TO GABBS...AND BETWEEN THE OWYHEE DESERT AND EUREKA. CHRISTMAS EVE NIGHT BEST SHOT OVER WHITE PINE COUNTY AND THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF NYE...BUT LOWER POPS THAN DURING THE DAY. TRAVEL PROBLEMS? PERHAPS OVER HIGHER TERRAIN OR ON ROADS WHICH ARE LESS TRAVELED. CHRISTMAS DAY...SHORT WAVE MOVES ON AND IS REPLACED BY NORTHERLY FLOW FROM SURFACE TO ALOFT. RESULT IS COLD TEMPS...LOWER POPS THAN ON CHRISTMAS EVE. THE PARTICULAR ORIENTATION OF THE INCOMING SHORT RIDGE AND SURFACE FLOW HINT AT A CYCLONIC WIGGLE OVER CENTRAL NEVADA SO BEST POPS AND CHANCE FOR A WHITE CHRISTMAS WILL BE SOUTH OF US HIGHWAY 50...INCREASING FROM WEST TO EAST SO THAT WHITE PINE COUNTY HAS THE BEST SHOT. POPS REMAIN SLIGHT CHANCE TO CHANCE AT BEST. OVERALL TREND OF POPS ON CHRISTMAS DAY SEEMS TO BE TO LOWER THEM A LITTLE EACH MODEL RUN. STAY TUNED FOR MORE TWEAKING AS THIS ENTERS THE SHORT TERM PERIOD. SATURDAY...OLD SHORT WAVE MOVES SOUTHEAST AND CLOSES OVER NORTHERN MEXICO WHICH ALLOWS A SIGNIFICANT SHORT RIDGE TO FORM OVER THE WEST COAST. RIDGE AXIS EXTENDS FROM OFFSHORE SAN FRAN TO WESTERN MONTANA WHICH PUTS THE GREAT BASIN INTO A COLD NORTHEASTERLY SURFACE FLOW PATTERN. COUPLED WITH SNOW ON THE GROUND AND ENTRENCHED COLD AIR IN THE VALLEYS OF NEVADA...DON'T EXPECT MUCH WARMING. COLD DAYS...FRIGID NIGHTS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. AVIATION...LOTS OF MOISTURE AND A SERIES OF DISTURBANCES WILL KEEP CONDITIONS VFR-ISH AT ALL TAF SITES. DURING THE DAY SNOW SHOWERS WILL FORM AT KWMC...KEKO...AND KELY WHICH WILL BRIEFLY DROP CONDITIONS TO MVFR OR EVEN IFR AT TIMES. GUSTY SOUTH WINDS WILL ALSO DEVELOP IN THE AFTERNOON AT ALL SITES. NOTE...SIGNIFICANT SNOW COULD ACCUMULATE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY IN THE VICINITY OF AIRFIELDS... AND ESPECIALLY AROUND NORTHERN NEVADA AT LOCAL OR PRIVATE AIRFIELDS. ALTHOUGH CIGS IMPROVE AT THOSE SITES TONIGHT...THEY SHOULD LOWER ONCE AGAIN BY THE END OF PERIOD AS THE NEXT SYSTEM APPROACHES. NO MAJOR IMPACTS EXPECTED AT KTPH WITH JUST LOWERING CIGS...BUT REMAINING VFR. && .LKN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM PST TUESDAY FOR HUMBOLDT COUNTY-NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY-NORTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND NORTHERN EUREKA COUNTY-SOUTH CENTRAL ELKO COUNTY-SOUTHWEST ELKO COUNTY. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PST TUESDAY FOR NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY-RUBY MOUNTAINS AND EAST HUMBOLDT RANGE. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM PST TUESDAY FOR SOUTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND SOUTHERN EUREKA COUNTY-WHITE PINE COUNTY. && 89/99
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Between 8 and 15 inches of new snow was reported. Amounts include 18 inches at Eureka and 8 inches in Diamond Valley.
Around 10 inches of new snow was reported in Elko and Spring Creek.
Most locations received 10 to 20 inches of snow. Amounts include: 18 inches at Wild Horse Reservoir, 15 inches at Tuscarora, and 12 inches at Gibbs Ranch.
The COOP observer in Beowawe reported 6 inches of snow, while the Lewis Peak SNOTEL reported 16 inches.
SNOTEL sites mostly received between 10 and 20 inches of snow. The highest total was 23 inches at Green Mountain.
The COOP observer near Arthur reported 15 inches of new snow.
Many locations reported between 7 and 14 inches of new snow.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, December 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: 609526, 609531, 609517, 609519, 609521, 609529, 609535.