A strong cold front brought high winds to portions of southern Elko county. The Pilot Peak mesonet site along Interstate 80 recorded a peak wind gust of 66 mph.
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.
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 strong cold front brought high winds to portions of southern Elko county. The Pilot Peak mesonet site along Interstate 80 recorded a peak wind gust of 66 mph. A mesonet site near West Wendover recorded a gust to 60 mph. Strong winds also blew down a large sign at the Double Dice RV Park in Elko.
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 Feb 17, 3:14 PM PST, 3 hours 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV 314 PM PST WED FEB 17 2016 .SYNOPSIS...VALLEY RAINS MOVE IN THIS EVENING...WITH RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW THURSDAY MORNING. SNOW SHOWERS TAPER OFF LATE THURSDAY MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS BUT EXPECT WINDY CONDITIONS AND SOME SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ON VALLEY FLOORS, ESPECIALLY IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN NEVADA. DRY AND MILD CONDITIONS FRIDAY INTO NEXT WEEK. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. UPPER TROUGH MOVING IN AS PROGGED, BUT STRONGER THAN PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS. SHORT BUT AMPLE MOISTURE PLUME OVER STATE NOW BUT UPPER LOW SHOWN IN WATER VAPOR IMAGERY IS BRINGING ANOTHER LONGER PLUME AROUND ITS BASE. THE UPPER LOW IS FAIRLY COLD ALOFT AND IS DRIVING A COLD AIR CUMULONIMBUS FIELD WITH OCCASIONAL LIGHTING IN CALIFORNIA. THE LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS COLD FRONT (DUE IN TONIGHT THROUGH TOMORROW AFTERNOON) IS SUFFICIENT TO CREATE SIGNIFICANT QPF VALUES OVER MUCH OF THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN GREAT BASIN. HOWEVER...WARM AIR NOW IN PLACE WILL CAUSE THE PRECIP TO START AS RAIN. AS THE FRONT MOVES IN, THE COLD AIR IMMEDIATELY CHANGES THE PRECIP TO SNOW. INSTABILITY IS ALSO SIGNIFICANT. LI'S IN THE NEGATIVE RANGE EXIST ALONG THE FRONT OVER CENTRAL AND EASTER NEVADA THURSDAY IN THE WEE HOURS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. HAVE PUT ISOLATE THUNDER IN THE SOUTHER HALF OF THE CWA THROUGH FROM 12Z TO 18Z THURSDAY. CAPE VALUES IN THOSE AREAS BRIEFLY REACH 150 J/KG, WHICH IS RATHER ENORMOUS FOR LATE FEBRUARY AT ELEVATIONS OF 5000 TO 7000 FEET MSL. TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS IN THE VALLEYS COULD RANGE FROM 1 TO 4 INCHES BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON...BUT WILL BE WET AND POSSIBLY MIXED WITH RAIN TO START. DO NOT EXPECT THAT MUCH ACCUMULATION ON THE ROADS. WHAT DOES STAY THERE WILL BE SLUSHY AND MESSY. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN AND EASTERN AREAS, AND THE RUBY/EAST HUMBOLDTS. WINDS ARE THE OTHER PROBLEM BUT MAINLY ALONG THE FRONT. GRADIENTS BRIEFLY SUFFICIENT TO CREATE SUSTAINED WINDS UP TO MID-30S MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH. HAVE ISSUED WIND ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN NYE, SOUTHERN EUREKA/LANDER, WHITE PINE, SOUTH CENTRAL ELKO, RUBIES/EAST HUMBOLDTS, NORTHERN ELKO, SOUTHEAST ELKO FOR GRADUATED TIMES THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. TEMPS ARE ALREADY LOWER THAN YESTERDAY'S WARMTH DUE TO HEAVY CLOUD COVER AND WILL JUST GET COLDER AFTER THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH. FLOODING...ELKO COUNTY IS FLOODING. MINOR FLOODING MOSTLY IN LOW SPOTS AND ALL FROM SNOW MELT. HOW THIS PLAYS OUT WITH THE INITIAL PRECIP BEING RAIN WILL BE A CHALLENGE. AFTER THE CHANGE TO SNOW, THE SNOW MELT WILL BE SLOWER, OF COURSE. STILL, MANY PLACES ARE A MESS AND WILL ISSUE FLOOD ADVISORIES AS NEEDED. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR REPORTS... .LONG TERM...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY. MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH THE LONG TERM PERIOD. WEST TO EAST FLOW WILL REMAIN OVER NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEVADA THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. THERE IS SOME MOISTURE ACROSS THE NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA...MAINLY NORTH OF I-80...AND HAVE KEPT ISOLATED SHOWERS FOR THIS AREA. HIGHS FRIDAY WILL BE IN THE LOW 40S TO LOW 50S AND WINDS WILL BE BREEZY DURING THE AFTERNOON. NOT EXPECTING ANYTHING NEAR ADVISORY AT THIS TIME. FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY...A VERY WEAK IMPULSE IS NOTED IN THE FLOW DURING THIS TIME. HAVE KEPT GHOST POPS ACROSS NORTHERN NEVADA FOR EARLY SATURDAY...AND THERE IS SOME SLIGHT COOLING...ONE TO THREE DEGREES...SEEN WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE WEAK WAVE. HIGHS WILL BE IN THE LOW 40S TO THE LOW 50S ONCE AGAIN. WINDS WILL REMAIN LIGHT. SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY...WEST TO EAST FLOW IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE OVER NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEVADA. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE IN THE UPPER TEENS TO UPPER 20S. CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN DRY AND QUIET FOR SUNDAY...WITH HIGHS IN THE LOW 40S TO MID 50S AND LIGHT WINDS. SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY...THERE IS ANOTHER WEAK WAVE THAT WILL SKIRT NORTHEASTERN NEVADA SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY...BRINGING MAINLY ISOLATED SHOWERS TO THE SILVER STATE. THE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT AND LIMITED TO PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN ELKO COUNTY. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE IN THE 20S TO LOW 30S. WINDS ARE ANTICIPATED TO SWITCH TO A NORTHWEST DIRECTION ON MONDAY WITH BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS DEVELOPING OVER EASTERN ELKO COUNTY. HIGHS WILL BE IN THE MID 40S TO UPPER 50S. MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW A RIDGE OVER THE AREA THROUGH THIS TIME FRAME. WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN QUIET AND DRY. HIGHS WILL CLIMB INTO THE MID TO UPPER 40S TO NEAR 60 WITH LOWS IN THE TEENS AND 20S. WINDS WILL REMAIN LIGHT. && .AVIATION...GENERALLY VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE EARLY HOURS THIS EVENING WITH DETERIORATING CONDITIONS AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. SURFACE WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO REMAIN STRONG WITH WINDS S-SW15-30G35-40KT AT ALL TAF SITES THROUGH THE PERIOD...BACKING OFF LATER THURSDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON. IFR/LCL LIFR CONDITIONS DUE TO RAIN AND SNOW ACCOMPANYING AFOREMENTIONED COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE...KWMC AND KTPH BETWEEN 08- 11Z...FOLLOWED BY KEKO AND KELY BETWEEN 11-15Z. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE MARKEDLY DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON BACK TO VFR. && .LKN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM PST THURSDAY FOR NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY- RUBY MOUNTAINS AND EAST HUMBOLDT RANGE-SOUTH CENTRAL ELKO COUNTY- SOUTHEASTERN ELKO COUNTY-WHITE PINE COUNTY. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 1 PM PST THURSDAY FOR NORTHEASTERN NYE COUNTY-NORTHWESTERN NYE COUNTY-RUBY MOUNTAINS AND EAST HUMBOLDT RANGE-SOUTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND SOUTHERN EUREKA COUNTY-WHITE PINE COUNTY. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST THURSDAY FOR NORTHEASTERN NYE COUNTY-NORTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND NORTHERN EUREKA COUNTY- NORTHWESTERN NYE COUNTY-SOUTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND SOUTHERN EUREKA COUNTY-SOUTHWEST ELKO COUNTY. && 98/86/86
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV 322 AM PST WED FEB 17 2016 NVZ030-031-033>041-180000- HUMBOLDT COUNTY-NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY-SOUTHEASTERN ELKO COUNTY- RUBY MOUNTAINS AND EAST HUMBOLDT RANGE-WHITE PINE COUNTY- NORTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND NORTHERN EUREKA COUNTY- SOUTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND SOUTHERN EUREKA COUNTY- SOUTHWEST ELKO COUNTY-SOUTH CENTRAL ELKO COUNTY- NORTHWESTERN NYE COUNTY-NORTHEASTERN NYE COUNTY- 322 AM PST WED FEB 17 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NEVADA...NORTH CENTRAL NEVADA...NORTHEAST NEVADA AND NORTHWEST NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. WARM WITH BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS TODAY WILL AID IN ADDITIONAL SNOW MELT. PONDING OF WATER IN LOW LYING AREAS IS POSSIBLE...WITH SOME RURAL ROADS MUDDY OR WATER COVERED. VALLEY RAINS RETURN THIS EVENING AND EARLY TONIGHT...WITH RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW BY SUNRISE IN MOST LOCATIONS. HEAVIEST SNOWS WILL BE ACROSS EAST-CENTRAL NEVADA THURSDAY MORNING WHERE CURRENTLY 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE FORECAST. SHOULD MODELS CONTINUE TO TREND SNOW LEVELS A LITTLE COOLER...OR SLIGHTLY HIGHER PRECIPITATION...SNOW ADVISORY CRITERIA WOULD BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TOMORROW THROUGH NEXT TUESDAY. SNOW SHOWERS DURING THE EARLY TO MID-MORNING HOURS ON THURSDAY WILL TAPER OFF IN THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON HOURS. WARM AND DRY FRIDAY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO REPORT WEATHER PHENOMENA ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. JR
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 strong wind, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong winds blew down a 50 by 25 foot sign at the Double Dice RV Park in Elko. Wind gusts up to 51 mph were measured at the NWS office about 1/4 mile away. Damages are estimated.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, February 2016
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: 613660, 613569.