Two back to back Pacific storms produced rain, snow, and fog around the region.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 VEF wrote it up.
Two back to back Pacific storms produced rain, snow, and fog around the region.
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 Jan 14, 2:35 PM PST, 6 hours 25 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 235 PM PST Mon Jan 14 2019 .SYNOPSIS...Widespread rain and mountain snow in southeast California will spread east encompassing southern Nevada and northwest Arizona tonight. There will be breaks in precipitation at times on Tuesday and Wednesday before another potent system rolls through late week. && .SHORT TERM...Through Tuesday night. Rain buckets across the high desert of San Bernardino County starting to tip. Amounts so far less than a tenth of an inch around the Morongo Basin and the western Mojave Desert. The only significant change made with this first system was to increase QPF amounts across the lower Colorado River Valley and Mohave County through Tuesday afternoon. Reason for the higher QPF values looks to be associated with an IVT plume that is able to penetrate eastward into the lower Colorado River Valley and Mohave County tonight/Tuesday. Increased QPF values up to 0.50-1.00", 1.00-1.50" in the higher terrain; like the Hualapai Mtns. Those values may be on the conservative side. Later shifts will be monitor radar trends identifying regions where areal flood advisories may be needed. Elsewhere, trying to stay as consistent as I could but some QPF and total snow amounts may have fluctuated a bit from the previous forecast due to slightly higher snow levels across southern Nevada. Overall, total snow accumulations though support ongoing winter weather headlines. Only uncertainty swirls around the advisory above 4000 feet in the Owens Valley where snow levels may bring snow further down into the Owens Valley. Expect precipitation intensities to decrease late tonight from west-east behind existing shortwave trough. The exception looks to be Mohave County where secondary disturbance will aid in additional precipitation through the day Thursday. .LONG TERM...Wednesday through Monday. The next in a series of active weather systems will approach the coast Wednesday and bring widespread precipitation to parts of coastal and inland California. The models have been fairly consistent in showing some weak ridging developing moving across the Great Basin and southern Mojave Desert as the upper low off the coast strengthens. Although there may be some scattered showers around the area on Wednesday, this does not look to be a high qpf event with most of the precipitation will likely be blocked by the Sierra. Have contained the trend of lowering pops especially across the southern and eastern portions of the CWA Wednesday as most of the shower activity should be limited to the Sierra and far northern zones. As the low off the California coast approaches this should help to tap into some deeper moisture and bringing a significant amount of precipitation to the southern Sierra and then widespread precipitation to the remainder of the CWA Thursday and Thursday night. QPF totals should range around quarter to half an inch over the northern zones with up to a quarter inch across the south. Another difference between this system and the early week system is that snow levels will be higher as some warmer air gets worked into the area. Snow levels in the Sierra are expected to be around 7000 feet with the remainder of the area seeing snow levels 7500 feet or higher. Still, areas like Lee Canyon Ski Resort in southern Nevada could see up to a foot of new snow by Friday morning. Areas above 7500 feet in the Sierra could easily see 1-3' of new snow with this mid week system. Models are still hanging on to some moisture across the far eastern areas of the CWA Friday, but overall weather will start to improve as high pressure builds in from the west. Dry conditions look to occur across the entire area Saturday and Sunday with ridging overhead. However, another but weaker system is shown by the models to push the ridge east and move across the northern zones Sunday night and Monday. This could bring precipitation back to the forecast for the Sierra, Esmeralda, central Nye and Lincoln Counties. Precipitation amounts look generally light as this shortwave moves through pretty quick. No significant cold air is expected across the area during the extended period with temperatures running just a few degrees above normal. && .AVIATION...For McCarran...Forecast confidence is low through the next 30 hours. Aviation conditions will continue to deteriorate this evening as light rain, perhaps periods moderate rain, begin between 01z-03z. Ceilings expected to lower around 3-5 kft with onset of precip this evening. Winds below 10 knots are expected but shower activity may dictate speed and direction through Tuesday morning. As rain vacates Tuesday morning, moistened low levels may result in MVFR to IFR visibilities and ceilings. Ceiling improvements are expected between 17z-20z; however, low clouds around 5k feet expected to hang in through Tuesday evening. For the rest of southern Nevada, southeast California, and northwest Arizona...Periods of light to moderate rain is expected at each TAF site over the next 24 hours. Ceilings will lower with the onset of precipitation with most ceilings falling to 2-4 kft, localized moderate to heavy precip may result in CIGs below 1 kft. After the rain ends, some valley locations may see visibility reductions Tuesday morning, with MVFR to IFR visibilities -- confidence is low. Conditions are expected to gradually improve late morning and early afternoon Tuesday. Winds are expected to be light through Tuesday at most TAF sites and generally favor a southerly direction outside of shower influence. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...A series of winter storms will impact the region this week. Spotters are encouraged to report rain/snow amounts according to standard operating procedures. && SHORT TERM...Pierce AVIATION...Boothe LONG TERM...Gorelow For more forecast information...see us on our webpage: http://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter
The Edwards AFB radar (KEYX), 147 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:57 UTC.
3 flash flood, 2 dense fog, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain washed a boulder the size of a vehicle onto Highway 190 at Towne Pass.
Dense fog reduced visibility to less than a quarter mile in Yucca Mesa and along Highway 62 in the Morongo Basin.
Dense fog reduced visibility to about 80 feet in Yucca Valley and Morongo Valley.
Twenty inches of snow fell in Aspendell.
The intersection of Highway 190 and Highway 136 was flooded and briefly closed.
Highway 395 was flooded at Olancha.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2019
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: 793714, 793715, 793716, 793717, 793718, 793719.