A low pressure system passing by to the north brought a period of heavy snow to the eastern slopes of the Sierra.
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The episode as NWS VEF wrote it up.
A low pressure system passing by to the north brought a period of heavy snow to the eastern slopes of the Sierra.
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 20, 3:35 AM PST, 4 hours 25 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 335 AM PST Mon Feb 20 2017 .SYNOPSIS...A storm system moving into central and northern California will bring high elevation snow to the southern Sierra Nevada and White Mountains through Tuesday. Lighter precipitation is possible across the southern Great Basin. Breezy conditions are expected at times through mid-week with cooler temperatures occurring during the second half of the week. && .SHORT TERM...through Wednesday night. Trough over the eastern Pacific driving a narrow atmospheric river of moisture with precipitable water values approaching 1.50" into the central California coast this morning. Heaviest precip will occur under this band from the Bay Area inland into the central Sierra today. Moist orographic flow will enhance precip on the west side of the southern Sierra with lighter amount spilling over the crest into Inyo County, including the Owens Valley. The moist flow will continue into Tuesday before starting to weaken. More uncertainty exists among the models in just how much light precip makes it east of the Sierra's into the southern Great Basin. Did not make much change keeping at least a chance in the Spring Mountains/Sheep Range and the counties across south central Nevada. Snow levels still looking quite high during the main event through Tuesday with levels staying above 7000-7500 feet in Inyo County. For the southern Great Basin it will mostly be a rain event with snow levels ranging between 8000 and 9500 feet today and Tuesday. The Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect from the easter Sierra Slopes and White Mountains through 10 am PST Tuesday. The trough will move into California and the Great Basin Wednesday through Wednesday night. Again there is some uncertainty regarding precip coverage as models QPF placement not the greatest. Due to the uncertainty left highest POPS in for the south central Nevada Counties and northern Mohave County. Breezy to windy from the south/southwest today and Tuesday. Gusty westerly winds will continue across the Mojave Desert Wednesday with an eventual shift to a northerly direction Wednesday night following a cold frontal passage. Extensive cloud today will likely inhibit high temperatures so trimmed a few degrees off the previous forecast. Tuesday still looks like the warmest day with values falling back closer to normal Wednesday as trough enters the Great Basin. .LONG TERM...Thursday through Sunday. Broad troughing will persist across the western states Thursday and Friday with our region underneath a brisk northwest flow. This will lead to continued cool and breezy conditions, with only very low shower chances confined to the higher terrain of the Sierra and southern Great Basin. Temperatures area wide will remain several degrees below average. Another storm system will begin to dig down southeast Saturday and Sunday, but there are differences among the model guidance as to how vigorous this energy will be. If it digs down the west coast, it would result in a more significant influence and wetter weather, while if it remains a more open wave it would tend to be drier. For now, continued cool temperatures and mountain showers look like the most confident outlook, and it will continue to be a period that is monitored in the days ahead. && .AVIATION...For McCarran...Extensive period with CIGS around 5 kft look to persist through 00z-03z this evening before potentially scattering out tonight. Southerly winds will increase with gusts up to 20 kts possible between 21z and 02z. For the rest of southern Nevada...northwest Arizona...and southeast California...Rain and high elevation snow mainly over northern Inyo County today with lower CIGS and mountains obscured. Elsewhere, CIGS will range between 5-7 kft. Southerly winds will increase areawide with gusts 20-25 kts for KBIH and across southern central Nevada. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && Short Term/Aviation...Pierce Long Term...Outler 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. Local standard time, as filed.
Ten inches of snow fell in Aspendell.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 2017
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: 681170.