Low pressure helped to bring favorable downsloping winds to the area.
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 LKN wrote it up.
Low pressure helped to bring favorable downsloping winds to the area.
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 Elko, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 31, 2:47 PM PST, 11 hours 13 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Elko NV 247 PM PST Tue Dec 31 2019 .SYNOPSIS...Snow showers return to northern NV tonight with a mix of rain and snow along with gusty winds across most of northern and central NV Wednesday morning through the early evening hours. A few lingering light snow showers are possible on Thursday with dry conditions Friday. && .SHORT TERM...Tonight through Friday. Dry this evening through midnight for most of NV. The exception will be far northern Humboldt and Elko Counties along the Oregon and Idaho borders where light snow or rain is expected to begin to fall at or shortly before midnight. Showers will expand in coverage across most of northern NV (north of I80) by 4AM Wednesday. Some of the valley locations (mainly below 6500 feet elevation) across Elko and northeastern Humboldt Counties could see a little freezing rain before precipitation changes over to snow. The threat of freezing rain should end by around 10AM for Humboldt and Elko Counties with additional rain or snow lingering through the afternoon hours. Showers expand across most of the rest of northern and central NV Wednesday morning and afternoon with much of central NV receiving between a trace and two inches of snow through Wednesday evening. Heaviest snow accumulations on Wednesday are still expected to be over Elko County where Winter Weather Advisories remain in place. Additionally, there is a chance for snow squall activity on Wednesday as gusty winds and brief heavy snow showers combine which could result in a quick inch or so of snow along with visibilities lowering to a quarter mile or less. A relatively minor change in model guidance from yesterday is a slight increase in snow levels with this system which should lead to a little less snow to valley locations. Due to the strong jet stream moving over NV Wednesday into Thursday, there will be moderate to high winds in the mountains, with down slope gusty winds on the south and eastern slopes of mountains likely at times, such as in the Ruby and Clover valley areas east of the Ruby Mountains in Elko County. Winds will also be gusty at times where northwesterly winds tend to channel, such as near Tonopah and West Wendover. Showers diminish or end Wednesday night and into Thursday across the CWA with little additional snow accumulations. Highs on Thursday are expected to warm back to near normal levels, with dry conditions and slightly above normal temperatures on Friday. .LONG TERM...Friday night through next Tuesday. Model guidance is indicating a quick moving trough and frontal system moving through the area Saturday bringing temperatures down from the 40s Saturday back into the 30s for early next week. However, limited precipitation is expected with this disturbance with less than one half inch of snow through Saturday across northern Nevada. Confidence decreases Sunday with another potential short wave moving through the region but moisture will again be limited. The PacWest will remain active next week but most of the moisture associated with these AR events/troughs will stay to the north of Nevada through the middle of next week. After the frontal passage Saturday night into Sunday, temperatures will be maintained in the lower to mid 30s through Tuesday. Low temperatures Friday night in the 20s will drop into the single digits in a few locations by Tuesday morning resulting in below normal temperatures for much of next week. && .AVIATION...VFR conditions A weather disturbance will bring more precipitation to the state beginning Wednesday morning across northern Nevada. There is a slight chance for freezing at the onset of this wave of precipitation in valleys mainly along and north of Interstate 80. By late morning Wednesday, this light freezing rain should change to snow in valleys then potentially to rain in the afternoon. Snow squalls are also possible late Wednesday morning into the afternoon with rapid reductions in visibility and ceilings accompanied by gusty winds. In short, a complex weather system with mixed precipitation types will lower VIS and CIGs at times to MVFR and IFR conditions. Winds will increase markedly Wednesday afternoon from the west and northwest affecting all TAF sites in addition to possible LLWS in the morning before the gustier surface winds set in. && .LKN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from 4 AM Wednesday to 4 AM PST Thursday for Northern Elko County-Ruby Mountains/East Humboldt Range. Winter Weather Advisory from 4 AM to 7 PM PST Wednesday for South Central Elko County-Southwestern Elko County. && 96/93/93
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Elko NV 239 AM PST Tue Dec 31 2019 NVZ030-033-035>037-040-041-011045- Humboldt County-Southeastern Elko County-White Pine County- Northern Lander County and Northern Eureka County- Southern Lander County and Southern Eureka County- Northwestern Nye County-Northeastern Nye County- 239 AM PST Tue Dec 31 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of Nevada, north central Nevada, northeast Nevada, northwest Nevada, and south central Nevada. .DAY ONE...Today. Patchy freezing fog or a low stratus cloud deck may be around to start the day. Watch for lowered visibilities and slick roads this morning. Otherwise, dry conditions are expected. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tonight through Monday. A winter storm will be moving through the state tonight through Thursday. Although the greatest snow amounts and travel impacts will be across Elko County, other areas will still experience some snow showers. After a brief break on Friday, snow showers can be expected over the weekend. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Station Morey Creek (MORN2), elevation 5500 feet.
Station Ruby Lake (RLKN2), elevation 5970 feet.
Station I-80 Pequop Summit remote (PQRNV), elevation 6954 feet.
Station Ruby Valley (RBVN2), elevation 6899 feet.
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, January 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: 870313, 870314, 870315, 870316.