Another of a series of quick hitting systems moved through Nevada producing heavy mountain snows and gusty winds.
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 LKN wrote it up.
Another of a series of quick hitting systems moved through Nevada producing heavy mountain snows and gusty winds.
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 26, 3:25 PM PST, 35 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Elko NV 325 PM PST Sun Dec 26 2021 .UPDATE...Updated the WWA to extend Humboldt County through 4 PM on Monday. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED AT 228 PM / SYNOPSIS...Gusty winds and blowing snow, along with refreeze, will cause continued icy roads tonight. The next system will bring snow, wind, and blowing snow to the region on Monday, creating more hazardous driving conditions. SHORT TERM...Tonight through Wednesday afternoon Light scattered snow showers continue this afternoon, mainly north of US Hwy 50, along with gusty westerly winds creating some patchy areas of drifting snow. Snow showers should dwindle to just some isolated showers or flurries tonight in all areas except, once again, the northern portion of Humboldt County and the northwestern portion of Elko county, where a boundary will remain fairly stationary. This will provide continued snow showers there overnight, with gusty winds continuing the blowing and drifting of snow. Actually, gusty winds stay elevated overnight throughout northern and central Nevada and could blow snow back on some roadways. Issued an SPS for the overnight hours to highlight this hazard as well as refreeze on roads. Lows tonight will be in the mid teens to mid 20's. The next system will be moving across northern and central Nevada on Monday. The models/ensembles continue their trend at an even earlier arrival, with snow arriving along I-80 possibly by very early morning. There is not total agreement between models, their ensembles, and guidance, so the Winter Weather Advisories were set to begin in northern Nevada at 4am Monday and central Nevada at 10 AM. However, snow arrival start time could be a bit on either side of those times. Winds and blowing snow will once again be a factor with this system, though the winds should begin to decrease some behind the main snow band, which looks to be by 4 pm in northern Nevada and 10 PM in White Pine County. Highs on Monday will be in the mid 20's to mid 30's. The longwave trof over much of the US digs further south beginning Monday night, allowing arctic air to drop into Nevada, plunging temperatures into the single digits above to below zero. Local areas, however, will likely drop further with the fresh snow. A closed low splits off from the main longwave by Wednesday off of the California coast, which will steer the main storm track away from our area, though there will still be some isolated snow showers around at times on Tuesday and Wednesday in more of an upper northwest flow. These showers are not expected to produce any road impacts, though could drop an inch or two in the mountains of Elko and White Pine Counties. Highs will only be in the mid teens to lower 20's on Tuesday and then still remain below freezing in the 20's on Wednesday. Lows on Tuesday night look to be in the single digits, though again, has the potential to once again drop below zero in this very cold air mass. LONG TERM...Wednesday night through next Sunday. The pattern at the beginning of the long term will be dominated by a long wave upper trough with a center circulation in south-central Canada. An elongated trough will move through central Nevada late Wednesday night with isolated snow showers possible through the day period Thursday. The northwest flow will keep a lid on any warming as highs are forecast to be in the mid to upper 20s on Thursday. Winds are expected to be breezy. A stronger piece of energy is forecast to clip the area late Thursday night and into Friday. Light snow is expected with this feature and it will remain quite chilly over the region with highs remaining in the 20s. Winds will again be breezy during the afternoon. Northerly flow will remain over the region on Saturday as shortwave riding tries to build in behind the front for Saturday. A cold start to the morning is anticipated with lows in the single digits to below zero. There will be a snowpack so will need to see later runs as these temperatures may be a little too warm. The upper ridge is anticipated to move east on Sunday allowing for another possible system to move into the western United States. AVIATION...Conditions will generally be VFR during the early evening hours tonight with ISOLD -SHSN bringing localized MVFR conditions across the area, but another system is set to affect local airports through tomorrow. A strong cold front will march from the northwest to the southeast. A combination of snow and strong, gusty winds will create LIFR conditions with intermittent VLIFR conditions in the heaviest showers. The worst flying conditions are expected between 11-17Z for the KWMC-KBAM-KEKO terminals with very poor flying conditions around 17Z-23Z for KTPH and KELY. Strong SW-W15-25G35-40KT winds will switch to the W-NW10-15G20KT behind the front, which will also bring reductions to VSBY due to BLSN. The heavier snow in the north will switch to snow showers late in the forecast period. Any shower could bring a quick reduction in CIGs/VSBY to IFR. && .LKN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory until 4 PM PST Monday for Humboldt County-Northern Elko County. Winter Weather Advisory from 10 AM to 10 PM PST Monday for Northwestern Nye County-White Pine County. Winter Weather Advisory from 4 AM to 4 PM PST Monday for Northern Lander County and Northern Eureka County-Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range-South Central Elko County-Southern Lander County and Southern Eureka County-Southwest Elko County. && 90
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV
339 PM PST SUN DEC 26 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0841 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 8 E JARBIDGE 41.88N 115.26W
12/26/2021 M64 MPH ELKO NV MESONET
MESONET STATION POCN2 POLE CREEK RAWS
STATION ELEVATION: 8501 FT.
&&
91PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV
341 PM PST SUN DEC 26 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0230 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 42 ESE MANHATTAN 38.19N 116.42W
12/26/2021 M65 MPH NYE NV MESONET
MESONET STATION CMP26 WARM SPRINGS SUMMIT
STATION ELEVATION: 7549 FT.
&&
91PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV
342 PM PST SUN DEC 26 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0652 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 SW ELKO 40.82N 115.78W
12/26/2021 M59 MPH ELKO NV ASOS
ASOS STATION KEKO ELKO AIRPORT ASOS STATION
ELEVATION: 5048 FT.
&&
91PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV
344 PM PST SUN DEC 26 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1132 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 11 SSE BLUE EAGLE RANCH 38.38N 115.51W
12/25/2021 M58 MPH NYE NV MESONET
MESONET STATION TMBN2 TIMBER MTN STATION
ELEVATION: 9000 FT.
&&
91PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV
349 PM PST SUN DEC 26 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0526 AM HIGH SUST WINDS 2 NE EMIGRANT PASS 40.65N 116.28W
12/26/2021 M45 MPH EUREKA NV MESONET
MESONET STATION EMPNV 2.0 NE EMIGRANT PASS
(NV DOT) STATION ELEVATION: 6068 FT.
&&
91PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV
350 PM PST SUN DEC 26 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0526 AM HIGH SUST WINDS 2 NE EMIGRANT PASS 40.65N 116.28W
12/26/2021 M45 MPH EUREKA NV MESONET
MESONET STATION EMRNV 2.0 NE EMIGRANT PASS
(NV DOT).
&&
91The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Fifteen inches fell at (BERN2) Bear Creek Snotel, Elevation 8040 feet.
Ten inches fell at (TJMN2) Toe Jam Snotel, Elevation 7700 feet.
Eleven inches fell at (JAPN2) Jacks Creek Snotel, Elevation 8420 feet.
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: 990377, 990378, 990381.