A Pacific storm system brought heavy rain and snow to the Spring Mountains and their eastern foothills.
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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.
A Pacific storm system brought heavy rain and snow to the Spring Mountains and their eastern foothills.
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 Dec 23, 1:10 PM PST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 110 PM PST Thu Dec 23 2021 .SYNOPSIS...Rain and higher elevation snow will be common across the southern Great Basin and Mojave Desert into Friday afternoon. The weather pattern will remain active through next week with additional rounds of showers, cooler temperatures and lowering snow levels. && .SHORT TERM...Today through Saturday. There were a few showers and sprinkles in the Las Vegas Valley this morning. The main area of precipitation will move into the Valley this evening and continue overnight. The main change to the forecast is some higher precipitation amounts, particularly over the higher elevations of Clark County and in portions of Mohave County. As a result we have issued a Flash Flood Watch for the Flag Fire burn area on the Hualapai mountains for this evening through tomorrow afternoon. Portions of Mohave County, especially south of Interstate 40 may see widespread 1.5 to 2.5 inches of rain over the next 24 hours or so. The latest SPC HREF indicates mean 24-hr QPF values around 3 inches in the Spring Mountains and Hualapai Mountains. Impacts are expected to be minor but the Big Sandy River will see substantial rises and is expected to get near the 12 foot level which is the action stage to closely monitor the situation. At this point, the levels are expected to remain below flood stage. Snow levels have remained quite high, around 9500 feet in the Spring Mountains. Precipitation totals have ranged from one to two inches at several of the higher elevation sites like Rainbow Canyon, Angel Peak and Bristlecone Trail with dramatically lighter amounts down into the foothills and valley. Snow levels will fall to around 8000 feet late tonight in the Spring Mountains and then down to below 7000 feet at the tail end of the precipitation on Friday morning. In the eastern Sierra Snotel sites have been generally in the 4 to 8 inch range so far. As far as the wind goes, some brief isolated gusts are possible above 40 mph, but with the precip drag should limit any widespread concerns. These should diminish in most locations by Friday morning. The current weather system will weaken during the course of the day on Friday with precipitation ending during the afternoon in Clark and San Bernardino Counties, and during the evening hours in Mohave County. The next, weak, shortwave trough will approach the eastern Sierra on Saturday night, and lift through the forecast area on Sunday morning. Precipitation should be light with this system, however, snow levels will be much lower with levels below 4500 feet in the Owens Valley where an inch or two of snow is possible, and 5000-6000 feet elsewhere. .LONG TERM...Sunday through Wednesday. Extended range models continue to indicate that the Western US will remain in a long wave trough pattern that will bring unsettled weather through at least the end of next week. Looking at the latest clusters, it shows that the deep trough will remain over the west coast will only minor differences between each individual cluster. This means that we will likely remain in a unsettled pattern with below normal temperatures. Timing of each individual shortwave is still difficult at this time, but the operational models indicate at least 3 different shortwaves digging into the Great Basin by the end of next week. The difference between the current shortwave that will impact the area this week is that the next few systems will be digging in from the northwest allowing for much colder air to be associated with each system. Snow levels are likely to be lower where precipitation does fall and that could cause travel issues between Christmas Day and New Years, with snow impacts possibly as low as 4000 feet. && .AVIATION...For Harry Reid...Increasing southwest winds can be expected this afternoon as the trough along the west coast begins to affect Southern Nevada. Showers are expected in the vicinity of the terminal this afternoon, but more widespread precipitation is not expected until this evening. CIGs will continue to lower to 030-050 by late afternoon, and may briefly drop to 015-030 at times during the evening and early night hours in heavier showers. The precipitation should come to an end tomorrow morning with CIGs rising to AOA 070 by late morning. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...Wet weather is expected at all TAF sites at some point over the next 24 hours. Liquid precip is still anticipated at all sites with the exception KBIH where a change to snow is possible as the rain moves out of the area late this evening and overnight. Winds at all sites should remain AOB 20kts with the exception of KDAG where some gusts to 25kts are possible this afternoon and evening. CIGs will continue to decrease to 030-050 as the precipitation moves in, and may fall to 015-030 at times in heavier rain late this afternoon through tonight. Conditions will improve on Saturday as the system moves to the east. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && SHORT TERM...Czyzyk LONG TERM...Gorelow AVIATION...Planz For more forecast information...see us on our webpage: https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter
The Las Vegas radar (KESX), 176 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:17 UTC.
1 heavy snow, 1 strong wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
An estimated 16 inches of snow fell in Rainbow Canyon.
A combination of heavy rain, heavy wet snow, and strong winds brought down a tree on Mount Charleston, which took out power lines as it fell.
Highway 159 was closed due to flooding.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, December 2021
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: 996346, 996349, 996352.