Low pressure moved slowly south near the Pacific Northwest coast between the 2nd and the 4th before moving inland over northern California and Nevada on the 5th. The system brought significant snow and rain to the northern Sierra and western Nevada.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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.
Low pressure moved slowly south near the Pacific Northwest coast between the 2nd and the 4th before moving inland over northern California and Nevada on the 5th. The system brought significant snow and rain to the northern Sierra and western Nevada.
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 Jan 1, 10:05 PM PST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Reno NV
1005 PM PST Sun Jan 1 2017
.UPDATE...
First the wind. Gusty winds continue across a broad swath of the
region. The surface front appears to be hung up over the far
southern part of the CWA this evening. The strongest winds
associated with this boundary are across southern Mono County
where KMMH is still gusting into the 55-70 mph range. Farther
north most of the region is seeing gusts below 45 mph...except in
some wind prone areas east of the Sierra. Since the strongest
winds are not very widespread we have decided to let the advisory
for Mono County expire. That does not mean the winds will
decrease immediately down there. In fact...some wind prone areas
could see gusts in excess of 50 mph into the early morning hours.
Now to the snow. Upslope conditions west of the Sierra are helping
push moisture into the western part of the forecast area this
evening. This increasing low to mid level moisture along with
increasing instability is resulting in an broader coverage of
snow showers stretching from the Tahoe basin north to the Oregon
Border. Parts of northern Washoe County are also seeing snow
showers. And there is enough forcing associated with a jet streak
aloft and instability behind the surface front to develop these
showers into western Nevada. The best forcing is currently along
and north of Interstate 80 where a band of snow showers is
evident in radar imagery from just north of Reno northeast to
about Winnemucca. This band is somewhat diffuse and quite wide.
The radar returns are not very strong and the moisture is not very
deep. Satellite imagery does not show much in the way of deep cold
cloud tops. This points toward very light accumulations for
now...but with gusty winds continuing there should be quite a lot
of blowing snow creating hazardous travel overnight. By early
tomorrow morning some of the model data increases moisture and
shower coverage. If the band in western Nevada maintains its
integrity through the night we may need a Winter Weather Advisory
for parts of the I-80 corridor. For now we will hold off on
that...but reevaluate in the next few hours. 20
&&
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... /Issued 656 PM PST Sun Jan 1 2017/
UPDATE...
Wind prone areas east of the Sierra are still likely to see gusts
greater than 50 mph for a few more hours...but most gusts in the
Reno/Carson City area have decreased. We will let that advisory
expire along with the Wind Advisory for the Tahoe Basin. Snow is
developing in the Tahoe basin and a Winter Weather Advisory is
now in effect along with the advisory for northeast California.
Latest HRRR and NAM guidance shows less chance of snow making it
into the Yerington/Hawthorne region late tonight...and a much
smaller chance of any getting as far south and east as Fallon.
Have delayed the onset of snow for the Reno/Carson City and
lowered chances quite a bit for Fallon/Yerington. It is still not
out of the question that banded snow will develop in some of
these areas...but the best forcing appears to be north of those
locations.
The Tahoe Basin is likely to see moderate to heavy snow later
tonight. That is also the case for parts of western Lassen and
central Plumas counties above 5500 feet. The HRRR still shows a
band from around Doyle to north of Lovelock after midnight. 20
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... /Issued 605 PM PST Sun Jan 1 2017/
UPDATE...
Winds on Pyramid Lake are decreasing a bit this evening as they
are across the Tahoe Basin and far western Nevada. We will allow
the advisory for Pyramid to expire while keeping the Wind
Advisories for Tahoe and the Sierra Front up through 7 pm. Some
wind prone locations are seeing gusts in excess of 45 mph...but
most of these areas are gusting no more than 40 mph now.
Farther south...gusty winds continue for the typical windier
areas of Mono County. This advisory will remain in place through
at least 10 pm.
Light snow is spreading into the western edge of the Tahoe Basin
now and is becoming a bit more widespread across parts of Lassen
and Plumas counties and northeast into Surprise Valley and far
northern Washoe County. We still expect a band of moderate to
heavy snow to develop later tonight from northeast California
into northwest Nevada with upslope precipitation spreading through
northeast California and the Tahoe Basin by early Monday morning.
The latest HRRR shows the most likely location for the band
tonight running from about Doyle to just north of Lovelock and
persisting for about 5 hours. Wherever this band develops there
could a localized amounts of 2-3 inches of snow with little or no
snow 5-10 miles either side of the band.
We will be looking at this closer for possible updates through the
evening. 20
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... /Issued 351 PM PST Sun Jan 1 2017/
SYNOPSIS...
A strong cold front will bring gusty winds today and Monday. Snow
showers will develop in the Sierra and for portions of western
Nevada. Light to moderate accumulations are possible tonight
through Monday night, mainly in the northern Sierra and north of
Highway 50. A stronger storm arriving Tuesday night and Wednesday
could bring heavier snow, or a rain-snow mix in lower elevations.
SHORT TERM...
A strong cold front is slowly dropping south through northeast
California and western Nevada this afternoon. Winds ahead of the
front are gusting between 35-45 mph this afternoon, with a few
spots in wind prone-areas reaching close 45-55 mph. With this in
mind, the wind advisories for Tahoe, the Reno-Carson City- Minden
area, and Mono County look good for the next few hours. As far as
snow, that should begin to break out in the next couple/few hours
in the northern Sierra and northern Nevada as deeper cold air and
moisture slowly drops south.
For most of western Nevada tonight, the best chance of seeing
snow showers will be a short few hour window after the front moves
through later this evening. Across western Nevada this means only
about a trace to at most an inch roughly between Hwy 50 & I-80,
with more in the 1-3 inch range from about Pyramid Lake and
Lovelock northward. Locally higher amounts are possible across
northern Pershing and Washoe County as moisture and instability
are expected to be deeper there.
Monday should feature mainly periodic light snow showers as
models don't depict much in the way of spillover except across far
northern Washoe and Pershing Counties. Elsewhere across western
Nevada, the best chance for more than sporadic snow showers and
accumulations will be to the east of Lake Tahoe and Pyramid Lake
where lake enhanced snow showers will be possible. Profiles have
plenty of temperature difference from 700 mb to the surface with
the cold air intrusion and flow is unidirectional. The only holdup
for Tahoe will be moisture as simulations only show saturation up
to around 650 mb. Pyramid Lake may have a bit better chance to
get the lake effect machine going as moisture will be deeper
there.
For the northern Sierra and northeast California Monday and Monday
night, efficient upslope along with an unstable, moist atmosphere
will combine with an upper wave moving around the base of the
trough positioned near the Pacific Northwest coast to bring continued
light to moderate snow. With this in mind, our snow totals may be
a bit low for Tahoe northward through Lassen County, especially
near the crest, and will have to be re-examined by the next shift.
By later Monday night and Tuesday, snow showers are expected to
wane considerably (especially east of the Sierra) after the upper
wave moves off to the east. However, the break will be short-lived
as the next disturbance approaches the region. Simulations are
still at odds regarding key details that will affect how much snow
falls in northeast CA, the Sierra, and western NV Tuesday night
and Wednesday. The key appears to be how close to the coast an
upper low is as deeper moisture is tapped, which will affect the
degree of amplification of a ridge and potential warm air
advection over the interior West.
The 12z GFS remains more amplified and brings warm air advection
(and heavier precipitation) more into northern CA and extreme
northwest Nevada. Meanwhile, the 00Z/12Z EC and most of its 00Z
ensemble runs have a flatter flow with the heavier precipitation
farther south, which would hit western NV and the Tahoe area. The
18Z GFS has come in a bit flatter so the potential remains for a
period of heavier snow with at least several inches for western
Nevada Tuesday night into Wednesday. Stay tuned as we begin to
iron out the details...hopefully the models will consolidate soon!
Regarding snow levels, they do not look to be an issue through
Tuesday night with all snow expected. However, on Wednesday
uncertainty increases as the more amplified ridge in the GFS
allows much warmer air to creep into the region behind the the
warm air advection while the EC's flatter flow holds down snow
levels considerably...and even brings in colder air late
Wednesday. In any case, the wet pattern continues with most models
showing significant additional precipitation for the Sierra and
western NV. Snyder
LONG TERM...Wednesday night through Sunday...
A complex weather pattern persists into next weekend with wide
contrasts in medium range guidance especially from Thursday through
Friday. Because of these model fluctuations and disagreements with
the large scale weather pattern, there is not a particularly high
level of confidence for the specific weather, especially in the
lower elevations and urban areas. Highlights of our updates to the
extended forecast are as follows.
- Widespread moisture Wednesday night into Thursday, then decreasing
precip chances (but not going fully dry) for Friday. Next weekend we
bring back high precip chances, with potential for large amounts of
rain and snow, as guidance is in relatively good agreement with
bringing a moderate-strong atmospheric river across the Sierra and
western NV.
- Temperatures were pushed upward a few more degrees from Thursday-
Friday with milder temps at night. Some of the scenarios favored a
more amplified ridge with temps rising several degrees above
average, but we are currently taking a middle ground approach with
temperatures and snow levels.
- We have abandoned the idea of min temps dropping below 20 degrees
thru the extended period, as only a handful of the latest guidance
still indicates this colder scenario. Even if precip diminishes
toward the end of the week, widespread cloud cover is more likely to
limit radiational cooling at night.
- Most scenarios keep all snow in the Sierra above 7000 feet, with
the potential for a few feet of snowfall between Thursday-Sunday
with the majority occurring next weekend. Below 7000 feet, the
high level of varied scenarios make snow amount projections very
challenging at this time. We are including the possibility of a rain-
snow mix up to near lake level in the Tahoe basin from Wednesday
night into next weekend. At the same time, some of the colder
scenarios would keep mostly snow even down to western NV valleys, so
we will mention both rain and snow throughout the extended forecast
at all elevations below 7000 feet.
Bottom line...if you have travel plans later this week into next
weekend, be sure to check the latest forecasts and always be ready
for winter weather in such an active pattern. Friday may provide
a small window of opportunity for fewer travel impacts, but it
is possible for winter travel conditions to be nearly continuous
over the Sierra passes, with more significant impacts possible next
weekend. MJD
AVIATION...
Gusty winds will continue through this evening with peak gusts
35-45 kt for the main terminals and Sierra ridge gusts up to 80
kt. Even overnight into Monday, only a slight drop off in winds
is expected. Turbulent conditions with mountain wave activity
will continue to be an issue through Monday evening, followed by
lighter surface winds through Tuesday which may lead to LLWS as
ridge level winds are not expected to decrease very much through
Tuesday.
Periods of snow showers will bring MVFR/IFR conditions at times
this evening and continue thru Monday night from I-80 northward,
especially for KTVL/KTRK. A few inches of snow accumulation are
likely on the pavement at KTVL/KTRK each forecast period from
tonight to Monday night, with only minimal snow amounts (most of
the snow that falls will blow around rather than accumulate) for
western NV terminals southward to KMMH.
A more potent storm system is likely to bring more significant
snow amounts for all Sierra terminals, and possibly in lower
elevations from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday night. MJD
&&
.REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
NV...Winter Weather Advisory until 10 AM PST Tuesday NVZ002.
Lake Wind Advisory from 7 AM to 7 PM PST Monday for Pyramid Lake
in NVZ004.
CA...Winter Weather Advisory until 10 AM PST Tuesday CAZ071.
Winter Weather Advisory until 10 AM PST Tuesday CAZ072.
&&
For more information from the National Weather Service visit...
http://weather.gov/renoPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
738 PM PST SUN JAN 01 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0419 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 SSW WASHOE DRIVE FIRE 39.34N 119.81W
01/01/2017 M58.00 MPH WASHOE NV DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
THE NDOT SENSOR AT BROWNS CREEK BRIDGE RECORDED A WIND
GUST OF 58 MPH AT AN ELEVATION OF 5243 FT.
0420 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 SW PLEASANT VALLEY 39.33N 119.79W
01/01/2017 M64.00 MPH WASHOE NV DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
THE WEATHER SENSOR AT THE GALENA BRIDGE RECORDED A WIND
GUST OF 64 MPH AT AN ELEVATION OF 5026 FT.
0510 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 NE INCLINE VILLAGE 39.31N 119.88W
01/01/2017 M83.00 MPH WASHOE NV MESONET
THE DRI WEATHER SENSOR ON SLIDE MOUNTAIN RECORDED A WIND
GUST OF 83 MPH AT AN ELEVATION OF 9650 FT.
0517 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 5 NNW CARSON CITY 39.23N 119.81W
01/01/2017 M60.00 MPH WASHOE NV DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
A WEATHER SENSOR JUST SOUTHWEST OF WASHOE LAKE RECORDED A
WIND GUST OF 60 MPH.
0623 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 5 SE MOUNT ROSE SKI ARE 39.27N 119.82W
01/01/2017 M61.00 MPH WASHOE NV DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
THE NDOT SENSOR IN WASHOE VALLEY RECORDED A WIND GUST OF
61 MPH.
0350 PM NON-TSTM WND GST E GALENA 39.38N 119.83W
01/01/2017 M51.00 MPH WASHOE NV PARK/FOREST SRVC
THE GALENA RAWS SENSOR RECORDED A WIND GUST OF 51 MPH AT
AN ELEVATION OF 5610 FT.
0433 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 E SODA SPRINGS 39.34N 120.27W
01/01/2017 M64.00 MPH NEVADA CA PARK/FOREST SRVC
THE TAHOE DONNER RAWS SENSOR RECORDED A WIND GUST OF 64
MPH AT AN ELEVATION OF 7399 FT.
0635 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 W CROWLEY LAKE 37.62N 118.84W
01/01/2017 M59.00 MPH MONO CA AWOS
THE WIND SENSOR AT MAMMOTH YOSEMITE AIRPORT RECORDED A
WIND GUST OF 59 MPH.
0638 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 E INCLINE VILLAGE 39.24N 119.88W
01/01/2017 M51.00 MPH WASHOE NV PARK/FOREST SRVC
THE LITTLE VALLEY RAWS SENSOR RECORDED A WIND GUST OF 51
MPH.
&&
BOHARAThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
An estimated 12 inches of snow fell at the Sheldon SNOTEL, with higher amounts possible farther west closer to the Surprise Valley in eastern California.
Storm total snowfall between 43 and 70 inches was reported in the higher elevations (generally above about 7000 feet) of the Carson Range, with between 9 and 14 inches at lake level, between the 2nd and the 5th.
Rain changed to snow on the afternoon of the 4th, with widespread snowfall totals of 4 to 6 inches in the Reno-Sparks area by the morning of the 5th. Areas farther north in the Palomino Valley and along Red Rock Road north of Stead received up to 8 inches. Lesser amounts between 1 and 4 inches fell south of the Reno-Sparks area.
Between 3 and 6 inches of snow fell in the Fallon area from the evening of the 4th into the morning of the 5th. Higher amounts between 6 and 9 inches fell between Sutcliffe and Fernley.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, January 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: 689086, 689085, 689087, 689088.