Pacific storm brought breezy winds to the region, locally strong, with little to no precipitation continuing the development of drought.
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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 REV wrote it up.
Pacific storm brought breezy winds to the region, locally strong, with little to no precipitation continuing the development of drought.
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 Mar 8, 2:28 PM PST, 32 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Reno NV
228 PM PST Mon Mar 8 2021
.SYNOPSIS...
An active weather pattern will continue through mid-week followed
by additional systems late in the weekend into early next week.
The main travel impacts for the Sierra this week are most likely
from Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning. Snow showers will
also be possible on western Nevada valleys floors Wednesday morning
which may result in travel slow downs for the morning commute.
&&
.SHORT TERM...
A cold low off the Pacific Northwest will provide a few days of
unsettled winter weather as it makes a slow progression inland
through the middle of the week. First up today will be a
continuation of areas of light snow showers along with gusty
westerly winds. Peak gusts thus far have generally been in the
40-50 mph range with gustiest winds expected through the next 3-4
hours or so.
Light snow showers will continue across the northern Sierra
tonight with road impacts a possibility with up to an inch or two
of accumulation not out of the question across northern Sierra
passes. Most showers should taper off after about midnight with a
lull in the weather expected until the main Sierra snow potential
arrives Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday.
Main updates to the forecast were to upgrade the Winter Storm
Watch to Winter Weather Advisories across the Sierra and into far
Northeast California through Lassen County. Being a cold low
pressure system, snow levels will generally start off around 3500
feet Tuesday afternoon before falling below 3000 feet by Wednesday
morning which means potential travel impacts not only for the
Sierra Tuesday into Wednesday but also for lower western Nevada
valleys mainly Wednesday morning when light accumulations are
possible.
Snow totals across the Sierra generally looking at about 4-8" for
the Tahoe basin below 7000 feet, the Carson Range, and along
passes through Lassen, Plumas, and Sierra counties. Sierra
ridgetops are looking at about 8-16" through the Tahoe Basin into
Mono County. 2-6" will be possible for communities along Highway
395 through Mono County.
Overall, looking for snow showers in the Sierra to begin as early
as mid-afternoon Tuesday across the Sierra with the heaviest snow
rates (1-2"/hr) after about midnight through about sunrise
Wednesday. Best potential for snow showers across western Nevada
valleys will be early Wednesday morning as a reinforcing frontal
boundary moves through. While 0.5-1.0" of snowfall will be
possible on the valley floors Wednesday morning, western foothill
locations may see upwards of 1-3". Fuentes
.LONG TERM...Thursday through next Monday...
Thursday looks brisk with northerly breezes and well below average
temperatures in the 30s and 40s for Sierra and lower valleys,
respectively, as a cold upper low overhead drops into southern CA/NV
by later that day. There could be isolated to scattered snow
showers; however, chances for road impacts outside of the high
Sierra (above ~7500 ft) are low, especially after 10 AM, given the
intensifying road heating as we get into mid-March.
Friday looks drier and a tad bit warmer, but still about 5 degrees
below average, as the region remains under cold north to east flow
with the upper low slowly meandering into the Desert Southwest.
Saturday looks quiet and dry with typical mid-March afternoon
temperatures as high pressure builds overhead briefly.
Sunday will bring increasing winds with fairly mild conditions as a
cold front approaches northeast CA/northwest NV. The front currently
appears progressive so precipitation amounts are projected to be on
the lighter side. There is still considerable uncertainty with how
far south precipitation winds up and when it might arrive given
that some solutions wait for a secondary wave Monday night to push
better forcing to the I-80 corridor and points south while others
push the low/front clear through the area by Monday morning. Given
the large range in frontal timing and key spacial differences with
the upper system, the blend of models/NBM indicates this
uncertainty via precipitation chances below 20-25%. In any case,
with the cold air moving in with the system most, if not all,
precipitation that falls should be in the form of snow.
Temperatures look to fall off to below average Monday although the
forecast highs for next Monday could wind up being another 5-10
degrees colder if the faster frontal solutions pan out.
-Snyder
&&
.AVIATION...
A cold front has pushed through northeast CA, the Sierra (south to
Mono County), and western NV as a disturbance (rotating around
trough off Pac NW coast) nears the NW California/southwest OR coast.
Behind the front, southwest-west winds remain gusty with widespread
25-35 kts at this time. With 35-55 kts sustained over the Sierra
crest and a 120 kt jet moving over the Tahoe area at this time, some
turbulence is likely over and east of the Sierra. Turbulence remains
possible through tonight and, to a lesser degree, Tuesday as westerly
upper flow persists but weakens.
Due to the disturbance moving inland this evening, scattered -SHSN
are expected this evening in the Sierra (mainly north of Hwy 50) and
across portions of northeast CA with higher terrain obscuration and
MVFR CIGS/IFR VIS, most likely close to the Sierra crest. A few
showers could push past the Sierra into far western/northwestern NV
this evening but they should remain isolated with only brief higher
terrain obscuration at best.
The deep parent upper low off the Pac NW coast today slowly drops
south along the West Coast Tuesday into Wednesday, bringing periods
of MVFR/IFR and mountain obscuration. Snow accumulations are likely
for Sierra terminals including TRK/TVL by Tuesday night into
Wednesday morning with a lower chance for KMMH. Light snowfall
accumulations remain possible Wednesday morning into the lower
valleys of northeast CA and far western NV but confidence is low
as to where. -Snyder
&&
.REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
NV...Wind Advisory until 7 PM PST this evening NVZ001.
Lake Wind Advisory until 7 PM PST this evening NVZ002.
Winter Weather Advisory from 4 PM Tuesday to 7 PM PST Wednesday
NVZ002.
Wind Advisory until 7 PM PST this evening NVZ003.
Lake Wind Advisory until 7 PM PST this evening NVZ004.
CA...Winter Weather Advisory from 1 PM Tuesday to 7 PM PST Wednesday
CAZ071.
Winter Weather Advisory from 4 PM Tuesday to 7 PM PST Wednesday
CAZ073.
Wind Advisory until 7 PM PST this evening CAZ073.
Lake Wind Advisory until 7 PM PST this evening CAZ072.
Winter Weather Advisory from 4 PM Tuesday to 7 PM PST Wednesday
CAZ072.
&&
For more information from the National Weather Service visit...
http://weather.gov/renoThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts 50-60 mph near Walker Lake with 57 mph measured at NDOT station NW of Hawthorne.
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, March 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: 947286.