Above-average temperatures came to an end when a cold front brought rain and snow showers to the mountains of south-central Nevada.
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The episode as NWS LKN wrote it up.
Above-average temperatures came to an end when a cold front brought rain and snow showers to the mountains of south-central 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 Elko, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 7, 1:27 AM PST, 2 hours 33 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Elko NV 127 AM PST Sat Mar 7 2020 .SYNOPSIS...A weak cold front will pass over the state Saturday afternoon, with cooler air behind it, a little moisture, and breezy winds. Typical spring weather with rain in the valleys and light snow in the mountains, especially over eastern and central Nevada. After a little break Saturday night, another weak front passes late Sunday with more rain and snow, mostly over over eastern and northeastern Nevada into Tuesday morning. Through mid week, expect off and on again unsettled weather. && .SHORT TERM...Today through Monday. Closed upper low over the northeast Pacific will drop south along the coast and toss short waves into the interior West through Monday. Strongest one will be today with a wind shift this afternoon to the west and northwest and cold advection dropping surface max temps about ten or so degrees from yesterday's. Mostly valleys will get light rain with snow levels dropping only to about 3500-4000 feet in western Humboldt County to 5500 feet in much of the northeast-central corridor, to even 5500-6000 feet in eastern Nevada. Some higher valleys could get rain/snow mix or light accums. A break between short waves tonight then a weaker one move east across the Basin Sunday into Monday with a weak wind shift and holding max temps down to about today's levels or a bit cooler. Snow totals may be enough to stick to higher summits and cause some slushy travel. A hair warmer Monday but still enough moisture to bring light rain/snow to eastern/northern/central Nevada. Snow levels struggling to drop below 5000 feet. .LONG TERM...Monday Night Through Next Friday. Synoptic Overview: Opposite of dry conditions we have seen lately, next week brings a wet pattern for the region. The upper level low, spun up from the Pacific trough mentioned in previous discussions, moves towards the southern California coast. The potential impact of this is the surge of moisture that would channel into our region. Models have come to a better agreement related to the track the low may take once it moves onshore. Deterministic models continue to take it more southward, towards to U.S./Mexico border, before it loses its cutoff feature. The remaining trough would then sweep through our region. While ensembles still give the low a southeasterly track, they have now shifted the low farther along the California coast before pivoting towards us. This solution also removes the cutoff feature, but also brings the trough axis through our region. Essentially, the likely setup this week is stratiform showers shielding the region. The best chance of a break looks to be late Wednesday/Thursday, but this only applies to northern Nevada at this time. This should be a mostly rain deal for everyone, but accumulating snow cannot be ruled out for the highest elevations. Confidence: Through Wednesday Changes from Previous Forecast: No significant changes from previous forecast. Sensible Weather: Precip: Monday through Wednesday is the time frame where we’re most likely to see showers across the CWA. A short break for northern Nevada may come Thursday, but widespread showers may return Friday as the next system makes its way toward us. Daytime temperatures should well above freezing, meaning most everyone should be seeing rain. Overnight lows may cool down to just below freezing, but any overnight snow wouldn’t last. There is a chance for the highest elevations to receive some snow, but accumulations would be minimal. Winds: Even with some active weather in the region, winds should stay light to breezy through most of the forecast period. Ahead of the next system, winds may be a little more gusty once Friday rolls around. Temperatures: Temperatures through the week trend at, and above, average. Afternoon highs are expected to be in the 40s and 50s before climbing to the 50s and 60s by the end of the week. && .AVIATION...Considerable high cloudiness will continue through tonight, with some mid level clouds in northern Nevada. Lower clouds will move into the area Saturday with mainly VFR to some MVFR decks. Showers will be possible in northern NV impacting KWMC, KEKO, and KBAM. KEKO has the best chance for showers during the afternoon and evening. Breezy conditions all stations this afternoon and then gustier winds are expected on Saturday afternoon, especially at KTPH and KELY, where southerly winds may gust up to 35 kts or so at times. && .LKN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && 98/84/99
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Eight inches of snow fell at Big Creek Summit (BCSN2), Elevation: 8684 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, March 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: 872310.