A fast-moving storm brought a round of gusty winds and light snow to far western Nevada from the 30th into the 31st. This caused minor travel impacts to these areas during the morning commute on the 31st.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 fast-moving storm brought a round of gusty winds and light snow to far western Nevada from the 30th into the 31st. This caused minor travel impacts to these areas during the morning commute on the 31st.
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 Dec 30, 2:15 AM PST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Reno NV 215 AM PST Wed Dec 30 2020 .SYNOPSIS... A quick moving cold front will bring a period of gusty winds and light snow showers tonight into the Thursday morning commute. A significant pattern change is projected starting Saturday night with a series of moist Pacific storms directed at the region through next week. Strong winds, heavy mountain snows, and oscillations between rain or snow in valleys are likely. && .SHORT TERM... Abundant high clouds and light winds will prevail much of today ahead of the next fast moving cold front that is on track to bring a period of gusty winds followed by light snow tonight and early Thursday. Timing has not changed significantly with snow reaching northeast CA and far northwest NV this evening and then spreading southeast through the Sierra and western NV generally between midnight and 8 AM Thursday. Gusty southwest to west winds will develop across the ridges late this afternoon and really pick up momentum this evening and overnight ahead of the main cold front. Gusts 60-80 mph will be common with a few exposed ridge locations reaching close to 100 mph. Fortunately, winds down low will not be as strong with most gusts 25-35 mph, locally higher for wind prone locations along Highway 395. Most ensemble guidance continues to indicate fairly light but still impactful amounts of snow. Accumulations will range from less than an inch for most lower valley floors to as much as 6 inches right along the crest. Expect slick and hazardous roads through the Tahoe Basin and into northeast CA with the possibility of slick conditions even down in the lower valleys as temperatures will be close to or slightly below freezing and snow will fall before daybreak. Behind this system, it will generally be quiet Thursday afternoon into Friday. Strong gusty northeast winds will develop across the ridges beginning Thursday afternoon and continuing into early Friday morning (70+ mph). A period of choppy Lake Tahoe waters is once again possible as winds gust to 30-35 mph. Temperatures will be close to seasonal normals with mid 30s to mid 40s each afternoon and morning lows dropping into the teens and 20s. Hohmann .LONG TERM...Saturday onward... Things still looking good for a wet start to 2021. The latest atmospheric river detection progs are indicating at least 3, possibly up to 4 or 5, distinct Pacific moisture plumes in the ideal 35-40N latitude range. This in conjunction with the mean position of the upper level low just off the PacNW coast, based on prototype 500 mb cluster analysis, and a strong westerly jet, makes for an ideal set up to usher storms into the region. The first system for late Saturday into Sunday will be the weakest of the series, but acts as primer for the ones to follow. Decent storms are then possible every 1-2 days through approximately January 9. Ensembles are hinting at an 85-90% chance for at least 2" of liquid along the Sierra crest through the first 10 days of January, with 55-80% chance for at least 4" (highest values from Tahoe north). While snow levels will certainly fluctuate through these series of storms, overall the region tends to remain on the cold side of the jet. This means the mountains should see all snow out of this, with a mix of rain/snow for mountain valleys and lower valleys of western Nevada. As we progress into the middle to end of next week, colder air does settle into the region, which could tip the odds in favor of snow at all elevations. Chances of seeing some form of accumulating snow in lower valleys of western Nevada are approximately 65%, per NBM, from the middle to the end of next week. EPS/GEFS meteograms are focusing the best probabilities for lower elevation snow Wednesday night into Thursday at this point, but being a week out, this could easily change. Of course, we can't get storms without the wind. We'll see several periods of gusty winds this weekend through next week, but based on ensemble guidance the strongest wind potential will be the first half of next week. Breaks between storms and travel windows may be short the first week to ten days of January, so be sure to check back for the latest details if you have travel plans. -Dawn && .AVIATION... No significant aviation concerns early this morning with incoming mid and high level clouds and light winds. Southwest-west winds will begin to increase late this afternoon ahead of an approaching cold front. Winds will initially increase aloft, leading to mountain wave turbulence and potentially some wind shear. Winds likely to begin surfacing late this afternoon and early evening, remaining gusty through the night. Wind gusts to primarily be in the 20-30 kts range for terminal sites. This cold front will bring a quick shot of snow to the region with lowering cigs/vis and terrain obscuration from approximately 08z-14z tonight. A brief 1-3 hour window of IFR conditions is expected along the front. Snow accumulations of a dusting to half inch for KRNO, KCXP, KSVE, KNFL, KHTH with up to 2" for Sierra runways such as KTRK and KTVL and a dusting up to 0.5" at MMH. -Dawn && .REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NV...None. CA...None. && For more information from the National Weather Service visit... http://weather.gov/reno
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
For the higher elevations of western Nevada, snowfall around the northern portion of the Carson Range and the Lake Tahoe Basin was generally around 2 to 3 inches above 6500 feet MSL. Along the south and east shore, up to an inch fell.
Very light snowfall up to an inch fell across Reno with a dusting to half an inch falling in the northern portion of Carson Valley.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, December 2020
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: 944554, 944561.