Several days of precipitation in the Carson Range of the northern Sierra due to moist flow from the Pacific wrapped up with a final heavy snowfall event on the 24th.
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.
Several days of precipitation in the Carson Range of the northern Sierra due to moist flow from the Pacific wrapped up with a final heavy snowfall event on the 24th.
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 24, 3:29 AM PST, 1 hour 31 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
329 AM PST THU DEC 24 2015
.SYNOPSIS...
A COLD FAST MOVING STORM WILL BRING PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW AND SNOW
SHOWERS TO THE SIERRA AND WESTERN NEVADA TODAY AND TONIGHT. SNOW
COVERED ROADS AND BLOWING SNOW ARE LIKELY FOR MUCH OF THE REGION.
COLD CONDITIONS ARE ON TAP FOR CHRISTMAS DAY INTO THE WEEKEND.
WHILE MOST OF NEXT WEEK APPEARS DRY WITH A SLOW WARMING TREND, ONE
OR TWO WEAK STORMS MAY IMPACT THE AREA WITH LIGHT PRECIPITATION.
&&
.SHORT TERM...
RAISED WINDS SLIGHTLY FOR THE HIGHWAY 395 CORRIDOR NEAR AND SOUTH
OF HIGHWAY 203 (MAMMOTH LAKES) THIS AFTERNOON, OTHERWISE MINIMAL
CHANGE TO THE SHORT TERM FORECAST. ALL WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES FOR
TODAY STILL LOOK ON TRACK.
LOOKING AT THE INFRARED AND WATER VAPOR SATELLITES, THE UPPER JET
CORE HAS DROPPED INTO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA/SOUTHERN NEVADA (DRY SLOT
IN WATER VAPOR) WITH COLDER CLOUD TOPS MOVING INTO NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA AND NORTHWEST NEVADA AHEAD OF THE UPPER LOW CORE OFF
THE OREGON COAST. THERE WAS CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING WITH THE
MAIN BAND AS IT MOVED ASHORE NEAR ARCATA, CA A FEW HOURS AGO,
INDICATIVE OF THE INSTABILITY AND CONVECTIVE NATURE OF THE COLD
LOW (100-250 J/KG OF CAPE NEAR COAST PER 10Z SPC MESOANALYSIS).
WIDESPREAD SHOWERS OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WILL CONTINUE TO DRIVE
SOUTH AND EAST THIS MORNING, WITH THE 09Z HRRR BRINGING SNOW AND
SNOW SHOWERS TO ALL OF THE NORTHERN SIERRA AND WESTERN NEVADA (TO
ABOUT HIGHWAY 50) BETWEEN ~5-9 AM. SHOWERS WILL SPREAD SOUTH OVER
EASTERN MONO AND MINERAL COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON. THERE COULD BE
A WIDE RANGE OF SNOWFALL TOTALS THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON, ESPECIALLY
EAST OF THE SIERRA, AS LOCALIZED HEAVY SNOW BANDS DEPOSIT IN SOME
AREAS AND NOT OTHERS. LAKE EFFECT SNOW IS ALSO LIKELY TO BRING
SOME LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS DOWNWIND OF LAKE TAHOE AND EVENTUALLY
(~LATE AFTERNOON) PYRAMID LAKE TODAY. IN FACT, THERE ARE SIGNS
THAT LAKE TAHOE IS ALREADY FIRING UP SOME LAKE EFFECT SNOW NEAR
AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 50 IN FAR WESTERN NEVADA.
BRIEFLY TURNING TO WINDS, THEY SHOULD GUST MAINLY INTO THE 25-35 MPH
RANGE TODAY AHEAD OF THE PRECIPITATION BAND. HOWEVER, LOCAL GUSTS
OF 40-50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN WIND PRONE AREAS ALONG HIGHWAY 395
SOUTH OF RENO THROUGH MONO COUNTY AND OUT INTO FAR WESTERN MINERAL
AND SOUTHERN LYON COUNTIES.
THE MAIN AREA OF SNOW SHOWERS DROPS SOUTH OF I-80 THIS EVENING,
ALTHOUGH RESIDUAL SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT ESPECIALLY
DOWNWIND OF PYRAMID LAKE AND PERHAPS LAKE TAHOE (THIS EVENING
ESPECIALLY). THE NAM HAS FINALLY BACKED OFF ON A SECOND SHOT OF
SNOW FOR CHURCHILL AND PERSHING COUNTIES TONIGHT, MORE IN LINE
WITH OTHER MODELS. ANY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TONIGHT SHOULD REMAIN
LIGHT FOR WESTERN NEVADA, EXCEPT DOWNWIND OF PYRAMID LAKE WHERE
SEVERAL INCHES CANNOT BE RULED OUT. FOR THE SIERRA, WESTERN MONO
AND ALPINE COUNTIES COULD SEE ANOTHER 4-8 INCHES TONIGHT AS
UNSTABLE, MOIST UPSLOPE FLOW PUSHES SNOW ACROSS THE CREST INTO THE
EASTERN SIERRA.
CHRISTMAS DAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND WILL REMAIN COLD UNDER NORTH-
EAST FLOW AS THE TROUGH SLOWLY EXITS. LOWS WILL WE QUITE COLD BY
FRIDAY NIGHT AS CLEARING WORKS INTO THE REGION, WITH BELOW ZERO
READINGS LIKELY FOR THE COLDER, SNOW-COVERED VALLEYS OF WESTERN
NEVADA (OUTSIDE MAIN URBAN AREAS) AND CERTAINLY FOR THE SIERRA
VALLEYS. VALLEY INVERSIONS SHOULD BECOME QUITE STRONG BY SATURDAY
AND SATURDAY NIGHT AS A RIDGE BUILDS OVERHEAD. SNYDER
.LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...
FEW CHANGES MADE TO THE LONG TERM AS THE MODELS AND ENSEMBLES DEPICT
A MEAN RIDGE DEVELOPING ALONG THE COAST. THEY STILL DEPICT WEAK
WAVES MOVING THROUGH THE RIDGE OR DROPPING DOWN THE EAST SIDE INTO
THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THE MONDAY SYSTEM LOOKS TO BE THE
STRONGEST, BUT IT REALLY IS QUITE WEAK OVERALL. THE MAIN DIFFERENCES
IN THE MODELS ARE THAT THE GFS IS A BIT FURTHER EAST WITH THE RIDGE
AND HAS THE SYSTEMS THAT DROP DOWN FROM THE NORTH INTO EASTERN
NEVADA. THE EC HAS THEM DROPPING INTO WESTERN NEVADA LIKE INSIDE
SLIDERS. HAVE USED A BLEND OF ALL GUIDANCE AS TRACKING THESE
INDIVIDUAL WAVES IS FUTILE AT BEST 5-7 DAYS OUT.
SUNDAY WILL STILL BE COLD IN THE VALLEYS UNDER A STRONG INVERSION
WHILE MTNS WARM. WITH THE MONDAY SYSTEM, THE BEST CHANCE OF SNOW
SHOWERS LOOKS TO BE IN THE SIERRA FROM TAHOE NORTH AND ALONG THE
OREGON BORDER. IT WILL ALSO HELP TO IMPROVE MIXING A BIT WITH COOLER
TEMPS ALOFT. TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY, TWO MORE WEAK SYSTEMS WILL DROP
IN FROM THE NORTH. FOR NOW, HAVE KEPT IN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS
FOR TUESDAY ACROSS THE NORTH AND LEFT WEDNESDAY DRY. HAVE GONE WITH
A SLOW WARMING TREND, ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS DUE TO BETTER
MIXING. HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ENOUGH SNOW COVER LEFT BY WEDNESDAY IN
WRN NV VALLEYS, THEY COULD BE TRAPPED UNDER A STRONG INVERSION
AGAIN. WALLMANN
&&
.AVIATION...
MAIN CONCERN IS THE SHSN MOVING THROUGH THE SIERRA AND WESTERN
NEVADA TODAY. IFR CONDS THRU 21-00Z FOR KTRK/KTVL THEN SOME MVFR
CONDS THRU 06Z BEFORE IMPROVING. KRNO/KCXP 2-3 HR PERIOD OF IFR
CONDS BETWEEN 15-20Z WITH OCNL MVFR 20-01Z IN -SHSN. KMMH IFR
CONDS 18-01Z THEN GRADUALLY IMPROVING AS WELL. RUNWAY ACCUMS STILL
LOOK TO BE AROUND 6" KTRK/KTVL 2-4" KRNO/KCXP AND 4-6" FOR KMMH.
EXPECT ALL TERMINALS VFR AFTER 09Z FRI.
OTHER CONCERN IS WINDS WITH RIDGE GUSTS 60 KTS ATTM. SOME LLWS THIS
MORNING THRU 15-17Z BEFORE SNOW COMMENCES AND WINDS CLOSER TO
SURFACE ABATE. OTHERWISE SFC WND GUSTS TO 25 KTS MOST LIKELY AT ALL
TERMINALS FROM S-SW THRU 03Z. EXCEPTION WILL BE KMMH WHERE WNW FLOW
ALOFT ALIGNS BETTER AND PEAK GUSTS TO 40-45 KTS POSSIBLE 15-03Z.
WALLMANN
&&
.REV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NV...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING NVZ002.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING NVZ005.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 10 PM PST THIS
EVENING NVZ001-003-004.
CA...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING CAZ071-072.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING CAZ070.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 4 AM PST FRIDAY
CAZ073.
&&
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.
Between 12 and 22 inches of snow fell in the northern portion of the Carson Range on the 24th, with 8 to 11 inches farther south around Lake Tahoe and in the southern portions of the Carson Range.
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: 615381.