A winter like storm brought up to three feet of snow to the mountains and up to two feet in the valleys across portions of central and eastern Nevada. In addition gusty winds caused significant blowing and drifting of snow in places.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 like storm brought up to three feet of snow to the mountains and up to two feet in the valleys across portions of central and eastern Nevada. In addition gusty winds caused significant blowing and drifting of snow in places.
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 Mar 28, 1:48 AM PST, 11 hours 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV 248 AM PDT MON MAR 28 2016 .SYNOPSIS...A MAJOR SPRING SNOWSTORM WILL CONTINUE TO BRING MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW TO MOST OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEVADA TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. && .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED OVER MOST OF THE GREAT BASIN REGION OF NEVADA. THE MODELS SEEM TO BE IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH ONLY SLIGHT DIFFERENCES IN WHERE THE STRONGEST PRECIPITATION BAND WILL SET UP. PRECIPITATION BANDING SET UP OVER NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY EARLIER THIS EVENING WITH THE SNOW LEVELS DESCENDING TO THE VALLEY FLOOR AROUND 7 PM LOCAL TIME. THERE WERE A COUPLE LIGHTNING STRIKES NOTED BETWEEN 5 AND 8 PM OVER NORTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND THE RUBY MOUNTAINS WHERE THE STRONGEST H7 CONFLUENCE WAS MODELED. SPRING CREEK RESIDENT REPORTED SNOW AROUND 8 PM AND SNOW BEGAN TO MIX IN WITH RAIN AT THE WEATHER OFFICE AT 1040 PM...FOLLOWED BY A CHANGE OVER TO RAIN AND SNOW AT THE ELKO AIRPORT AROUND MIDNIGHT. RADAR INDICATES THE BEST PRECIPITATION BAND NOW SET UP BETWEEN TUSCARORA AND LAGES JUNCTION AS IT HAS BEEN ALL EVENING. THINGS SEEM TO BE ON TRACK THE SNOW AMOUNT FALLING HOWEVER LITTLE IS STICKING TO THE GRASS AND ROADWAYS AS YET IN THE ELKO AREA DUE TO TEMPERATURES HOVERING RIGHT AT THE FREEZING MARK. A STRONG UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS CURRENTLY CLOSING OFF OVER OREGON STATE AND WILL DIVE QUICKLY SOUTH THIS MORNING. COLD AIR IS RAPIDLY DESCENDING ACROSS NORTHERN NEVADA. AS THE LOW DROPS SOUTH IT IS PICKING UP A GREAT FETCH OF PACIFIC MOISTURE AND SPREADING IT ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN WITH AN EMPHASIS ON NORTHERN NEVADA THIS MORNING. THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL WRAP-AROUND MOISTURE EXPECTED AND THE ELONGATED LOW CENTER WILL HELP STALL THE MOVEMENT AND SET UP A LINGERING PRECIPITATON BAND FAVORING CENTRAL NEVADA AND EAST OF THE RUBY MOUNTAINS. LATE THIS AFTERNOON...WHEN THE H7 AND H5 LOWS ARE STACKED OVER WHITE PINE COUNTY...THE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL BE EXTRA TIGHT. MODELED WIND GUSTS ARE SHOWING UP STRONGEST OVER HUMBOLDT COUNTY AND AT KTPH THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH AT LEAST MID-EVENING. NORTHWEST NYE ALREADY HAS A WIND ADVISORY GOING SO ADDED WINDS FOR WINNEMUCCA TO THE CURRENT WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY PRODUCT. ALL ADVISORIES AND WARNINGS WILL HAVE A BLOWING SNOW ASPECT DUE TO THE WINDS. LATER TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY THE UPPER LOW WILL TRACK NORTHEAST INTO NORTHERN UT WHICH WILL GIVE ANOTHER SHOT OF ACCUMULATING SNOW TO NE NV IN THE WRAP-AROUND FLOW. THE UPPER LOW WILL DRIFT SOUTH ALONG THE NV/UT BORDER THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH WRAP AROUND SNOW CONTINUING ACROSS EASTERN NV. WHEN ITS ALL SAID AND DONE EXPECTING TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6-12 INCHES IN THE VALLEYS OF EASTERN NV AND 1-3 FEET IN THE MOUNTAINS. STRONG POST FRONTAL WINDS EXPECTED TODAY ACROSS NORTHWEST NYE COUNTY HAS PROMPTED ISSUANCE OF A WIND ADVISORY. .LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT TUESDAY. MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT TO BEGIN THE LONG-TERM PERIOD...SHOWING A DRYING AND SLIGHTLY WARMING TREND THROUGH ABOUT FRIDAY NIGHT. MODEL DIFFERENCES CREEP IN STARTING ABOUT 06Z SATURDAY AND EXTEND THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE LONG TERM FORECAST. THERE IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE THAT SOME PRECIP WILL FALL FROM SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SO LEFT POPS AS IS. NOT ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO RAISE THEM ABOVE ABOUT 20 PERCENT...EXCEPT IN HIGHER TERRAIN MONDAY. SLIGHT WARM UP UNTIL FRIDAY THEN LEVELING OFF. SOME AFTERNOONS COULD BE A BIT GUSTY BUT SEE NO ADVISORY PRODUCTS BEING ISSUED YET. && .AVIATION...RAIN TURNING TO SNOW OVERNIGHT AND THIS WILL TRANSITION ALL THE WAY THROUGH WHITE PINE COUNTY DURING THE MORNING HOURS. THE INCOMING STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BRING PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW TO MUCH OF THE REGION TODAY...BUT HEAVIEST SNOW WILL BE HIT AND MISS. LARGEST IMPACTS WILL BE AT KEKO AND KELY WITH REDUCTIONS IN CIGS AND VIS LIKELY AT TIMES. WET SNOW WILL BE HEAVY ON EQUIPMENT AND SHOULD BEGIN MELTING TUESDAY. && .LKN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM PDT WEDNESDAY FOR NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY-NORTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND NORTHERN EUREKA COUNTY-RUBY MOUNTAINS/EAST HUMBOLDT RANGE-SOUTH CENTRAL ELKO COUNTY- SOUTHWESTERN ELKO COUNTY. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON PDT MONDAY FOR HUMBOLDT COUNTY. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 11 AM MONDAY TO 5 AM PDT WEDNESDAY FOR SOUTHEASTERN ELKO COUNTY-WHITE PINE COUNTY. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 5 AM MONDAY TO 5 AM PDT WEDNESDAY FOR SOUTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND SOUTHERN EUREKA COUNTY. WIND ADVISORY FROM 8 AM MONDAY TO 5 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR NORTHWESTERN NYE COUNTY. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 11 AM MONDAY TO 11 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR NORTHEASTERN NYE COUNTY. && 92/98/98
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV
1226 PM PDT MON MAR 28 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0800 AM HEAVY SNOW LAMOILLE 40.74N 115.49W
03/28/2016 M4.0 INCH ELKO NV CO-OP OBSERVER
CO-OP OBSERVER STATION LAMOILLE COOP /LOIN2/
1100 AM HEAVY SNOW 2 SSW WINNEMUCCA 40.94N 117.75W
03/28/2016 M1.7 INCH HUMBOLDT NV CO-OP OBSERVER
CO-OP OBSERVER STATION WINNEMUCCA COOP
/EWIN2/
1100 AM HEAVY SNOW 2 NE ELKO 40.86N 115.74W
03/28/2016 M1.4 INCH ELKO NV OFFICIAL NWS OBS
1.4 INCHES OF SNOW MEASURED AT 11 AM AT NWS
OFFICE IN ELKO.
1100 AM HEAVY SNOW 10 SSW DEETH 40.94N 115.38W
03/28/2016 M9.0 INCH ELKO NV MESONET
MESONET STATION LAMOILLE #3 SNOTEL /LMLN2/
7700 FT.
1200 PM HEAVY SNOW 4 SE SPRING CREEK 40.70N 115.54W
03/28/2016 M4.0 INCH ELKO NV PUBLIC
PUBLIC REPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA OF 4 INCHES
OF SNOW IN SPRING CREEK NEAR THE HORSE
PALACE
&&
NWS ELKO NV
IRIS SYSTEMThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter storm, 2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Eight to fourteen inches of snow fell across White Pine county. In addition gusty north winds caused blowing and drifting of the snow.
Around two feet of snow fell in Eureka and 7 inches in Austin.
One to 3 feet of snow was reported by SNOTEL sites.
One to two feet of snow was reported in Spring Creek with 27 inches in Lamoille. Elburz reported 9 inches.
Arthur reported 10 inches of snow. In addition gusty north winds caused snow drifts up to 4 feet deep.
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, March 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: 619086, 619085, 619083, 619081, 619082.