A relatively quick moving area of low pressure impacted Central and Northern California the 22nd into the 23rd, which brought mountain snow and valley rain to the Sierra Nevada.
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 REV wrote it up.
A relatively quick moving area of low pressure impacted Central and Northern California the 22nd into the 23rd, which brought mountain snow and valley rain to the Sierra 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 Mar 22, 2:03 AM PST, 3 hours 57 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Reno NV 303 AM PDT Fri Mar 22 2019 .SYNOPSIS... The next storm moves in today bringing light snow accumulations down to 5000 feet by Saturday morning. After a brief break on Sunday, another storm is possible by Monday with gusty winds, valley rain, and mountain snow heading into the middle of next week. && .SHORT TERM...Now through Sunday Night... Main updates this forecast cycle were to increase the precipitation amounts and chances for western Nevada Saturday morning with the incoming storm starting this afternoon. Snow levels were also looked at closely for Saturday morning as model soundings were showing the potential for snow down to valley floors. After a chilly and quiet start to this Friday morning, the next storm moves into the region this afternoon. Relatively light showers could start my midday today, but travel impacts due to snow likely won't begin until after sunset today. Rain and snow will still create slick driving conditions starting late this afternoon, so be sure to check road conditions before you head out. The coldest air will work its way into the region early Saturday morning, with snow levels dropping to near valley floors by sunrise on Saturday. While there may be some light snow in western Nevada on Saturday and more moderate snowfall in the Sierra, the bulk of the precipitation will occur during the day and likely limit snow accumulations on road surfaces. Plan for light accumulations in the foothills of western Nevada, including Virginia City and the Highlands by Saturday morning. Sierra travel will also likely be impacted by higher snow amounts Saturday morning, but with the high sun angle the road conditions will likely improve later in the day. The storm barrels through by Saturday afternoon which will really limit liquid totals along the Sierra crest to around 0.75". Simulations as well as model soundings are showing efficient spillover into western Nevada for Saturday so anywhere between 0.10"- 0.3" of liquid totals will be possible and make for a wet and gloomy Saturday. Shortwave ridging will give us a short break Saturday night into Sunday. Sunday will likely be the best day to prepare for the stormy week ahead or to just get out and enjoy the weather. -Edan .LONG TERM...Monday through Friday... The storm for the middle of the week still looks good and the models/ensembles continue to hit Tuesday night through Wednesday night the hardest. That said, it is not a huge storm by Sierra standards (or compared to what we've seen over the winter), but a solid one and stronger than your typical late March storm. The ensembles are in good agreement with this storm so confidence is higher than normal for late March. Monday into Tuesday, there is an initial short wave that will push the front toward I-80 before stalling. The moisture with it is shallowing as it moves in, but there could be some decent precip amounts Monday before it falls apart. There is still some uncertainty as to how wet, so anywhere from a quarter inch to an inch of water is possible I-80 north in the Sierra. Snow levels look to be near 6000-7000 feet. A bit of a break is likely Monday night into Tuesday, but some shallow light showers are possible along the front into the Sierra. The main part of the storm will move through late Tuesday night into Wednesday evening with a potent cold front. QPF amounts with this portion could be 2+ inches in the Sierra with lighter amounts into western Nevada. Snow levels will start 5500-6500 feet north to south before falling to near 4000 feet behind the front Wednesday night. A good bout of snow is expected, especially above 7000 feet. As for spillover, we will see at least some since the front is dynamic and the stability is weak. Whether it is just a 2-3 hour burst along the front or something longer will become clearer in the coming days. Anywhere from a few hundredths to 1/2 inch of rain could fall. Behind the front Thursday, it will be cold with more showers into the Sierra as yet another short wave moves through. There will be enough instability for snow/pellet showers into western Nevada. Drier, but continued below normal temperatures are possible Friday behind the system. X && .AVIATION... VFR today with increasing mid and high clouds through the day. After 00Z, CIGs will drop to near 4000 feet in the Sierra, but remain near 10,000 feet to the east. -RA/SN are expected tonight with the biggest impacts around KTRK/KTVL and lesser for the other terminals. Winds aloft are only about 20-25 kts at ridge level so we are not expecting any significant winds or LLWS. Some light mtn wave turbulence is likely. Precip details for each terminal below: KTVL/KTRK: Expect MVFR CIGS/VIS after 02Z in -RASN, then becoming IFR after 06Z as snow levels lower and it becomes all SN. Conditions are likely to be below airfield minimums for a few hours, with improving conditions after 12-15Z Saturday. Runway accumulations of a wet 1-3 inches are likely. KRNO/KCXP: Primarily VFR with CIGs lowering to 4-5000 feet at precip moves in after 06Z. -RA is expected with CIGs lowering to 2500-3000 feet at times in any heavier bursts from 08-13Z. Improving conditions after 14Z. KMMH: VFR through 07Z with CIGs gradually lowering to 4-5000 feet with some mtn obscuration. After 09Z MVFR CIGS expected with periods of -SHSN through 16Z. Any runway accumulation is expected to be light, around an inch. X && .REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NV...None. CA...None. && For more information from the National Weather Service visit... http://weather.gov/reno
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service RENO NV 248 AM PDT Fri Mar 22 2019 CAZ070>073-NVZ001>005-222200- Surprise Valley California-Lassen-Eastern Plumas- Eastern Sierra Counties-Greater Lake Tahoe Area-Mono County- Mineral and Southern Lyon Counties-Greater Reno-Carson City- Minden Area-Western Nevada Basin and Range including Pyramid Lake- Northern Washoe County- Including the cities of Cedarville, Eagleville, Fort Bidwell, Portola, Susanville, Westwood, Sierraville, Loyalton, South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe City, Truckee, Markleeville, Bridgeport, Coleville, Lee Vining, Mammoth Lakes, Hawthorne, Yerington, Smith Valley, Mina, Schurz, Stateline, Glenbrook, Incline Village, Sparks, Verdi, Gardnerville, Virginia City, Fernley, Fallon, Lovelock, Silver Springs, Nixon, Imlay, Empire, and Gerlach 248 AM PDT Fri Mar 22 2019 ...Colder storm to impact travel this evening through Saturday morning... A colder spring storm will begin to move into the Sierra and northeastern California today, with the peak intensity expected this evening through Saturday morning. Several inches of snow are possible tonight into Saturday morning in the Sierra. By early Saturday morning, we could see a couple inches of snow in western Nevada foothill locations, including Virginia City and the Highlands. Additional showers will continue throughout the day on Saturday, but warmer roads will limit chances for snow accumulation. Snow levels will fall to around 4500 feet in northeast California, 5000 feet in the Tahoe Basin and along the I-80 corridor, and 5500 feet farther south into Mono and Mineral Counties. Rain is likely below these elevations, though amounts will be limited due to the speed of the system. Anyone with travel plans over the Sierra this evening through Saturday morning should be prepared for longer drive times along with likely chain controls. Driving conditions will improve during the day Saturday, with travel expected to be good through Sunday. http://weather.gov/reno
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 winter weather, 1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall amounts between 1 to 3 inches fell around the Tahoe Basin from lake level to as high as 7000 feet MSL in a 24 hour period from 22 March 0600PST to 23 March 0600PST.
Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort reported 2 inches of snowfall at their base elevation (7953 feet MSL) in a 24 hour period from 22 March 0600PST to 23 March 0600PST.
According to the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center, a full course slab avalanche was accidentally triggered on a 40 degree slope by two snow travelers who were utilizing splitboards to travel in the Ripper Chute on the Dana Plateau at an elevation of 11600 feet MSL (above treeline on the northeast aspect of Mount Dana) at approximately 23 March 1030PST. One snow traveler was able to self-arrest, while the climber 10 feet below was swept the entire course of the couloir. The lower climber sustained minor injuries and was able to walk/glissade on a shovel out to the trailhead. Technical details of the avalanche were as follows. The weak layer was storm snow. The bed surface was old snow. The crown height of the avalanche was 2 feet. The avalanche average length and width were 1000 feet and 20 feet, respectively. The avalanche was estimated to be a D2 in destructive size (could bury, injure, or kill a person) and an R3 in relative size (medium, relative to the path). According to the report, there was precipitation in the form of snow with less than a 1 in per hour accumulation rate. Overcast skies, bad visibility, and blowing snow with strong southeast winds were also observed.
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, March 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: 830705, 830706, 831053.