A cold low pressure system dove south out of Canada, bringing strong winds ahead of it and cold temperatures behind it.
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 VEF wrote it up.
A cold low pressure system dove south out of Canada, bringing strong winds ahead of it and cold temperatures behind it.
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 Feb 21, 2:05 AM PST, 9 hours 15 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 205 AM PST Mon Feb 21 2022 .SYNOPSIS...Cooler, unsettled weather can be expected for much of the week as low pressure over Canada drops into the western states. Gusty winds in the Sierra will spread across the Mojave Desert today. Rain and low elevation snow will be possible Tuesday into Wednesday, with the best snow chances being across Mohave and Lincoln counties. && .SHORT TERM...through Wednesday night. Early morning satellite loop clearly showed the cold trough which will drive our weather for the next few days approaching from the north. There are lots of hazards to cover in the short term, so will take it day by day. Today: Winds in the eastern Sierra slopes have been unimpressive thus far, but should ramp up before sunrise. Mid level water vapor imagery showed a small area of descending motion in the lee of the mountains that should help mix the winds down to the surface. There is still some question regarding how far the winds might penetrate down the slopes and eastward into the Owens Valley, but the risk is there, so the Wind Advisory will remain in place. As the belt of stronger mid level winds progresses south later this morning, surface winds will respond across the Mojave Desert, and the Wind Advisories look good there as well. The strongest winds will be in the Barstow area, and could flirt with High Wind Warning criteria this afternoon and early evening. The winds will also persist longest there (through Tuesday), and have opted to stick with the Wind Advisory rather than have a Warning for a few hours this afternoon followed by an Advisory tonight and Tuesday. Also added a Lake Wind Advisory for the Lake Mead NRA, as wave model output keeps creeping up with each successive run, and now shows waves over two feet high in portions of Boulder Basin, Virgin Basin, and Lake Mohave. As the second shortwave trough digs into the longwave trough and sharpens/deepens it on Tuesday, precip chances will overspread our area from north to south Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday night. Chilly temperatures will already be in place, with even colder air pouring in Tuesday night. Snow levels will already be down to the valley floors in Lincoln County as the precip chances move in on Tuesday, and will crash down to 2500 to 3000 feet in Mohave County Wednesday morning as the best chances for precip arrive. With that in mind, hoisted a Winter Storm Watch for areas above 3000 feet in Lincoln and Mohave counties from Tuesday morning through Wednesday morning. Forecast snow amounts in Mohave County have been fairly steady for a couple of days at around one inch in Kingman, up to six inches on Interstate 40 near the Yavapai County line, and around seven inches in Colorado City. Amounts in Lincoln County have been slowly trending up, and are now up to four to seven inches along Highway 93 from Caliente north, with a foot or more on the highest mountain peaks. There will also be a chance of flurries/very light snow on the desert floors as low as the Las Vegas Valley Tuesday night and Wednesday. While not as impactful as the totals expected in the Winter Storm Watch area, it will generate quite a bit of excitement if it occurs. By sunset Wednesday, the main trough axis is forecast to be exiting stage right and taking the precip chances with it. .LONG TERM...Thursday through Sunday. Much calmer weather expected for the extended period as the broad trough across West slides eastward and high pressure rebuilds through the weekend. Thursday will start off cool however with a crisp Canadian airmass entrenched across Great Basin. Hard freezes will be a possibility for parts of Mohave County Thursday morning, especially with the likelihood of snow cover across the middle and higher elevations. Additionally, low temperatures near or below freezing are probable across much of the Mojave Desert including Las Vegas. Overnight wind trends will ultimately play a large role in just how cool the morning lows get. Thereafter, a gradual moderating trend is expected Friday through the weekend as a high pressure ridge builds back across the West. Temperatures will trend closer to seasonal normal by Sunday, but still likely hover a couple degrees on the cool side of average. && .AVIATION...For Harry Reid...Minor to moderate impacts possible through the next 30 hours for Harry Reid. South-southwest winds generally 10-15kts gusting to around 20kts overnight. Wind and gust speeds are expected to increase by mid to late morning from the southwest and gradually become more westerly. Gusts will likely exceed 30 kts, especially during the afternoon hours before gusts drop off in the evening and winds become lighter by midnight. Dense cloud cover with CIGS AOA 15kft through daybreak then skies will clear. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...Initially light winds across the region this afternoon will increase in the afternoon out of the southwest for most terminals. Previous concerns of downslope winds reaching KBIH are less likely with no guidance showing this occurring. Gusty southwest winds will continue overnight into early the early morning hours at TAF sites with the exception of north winds at KBIH and lighter south-southeast winds at KIFP and KEED. By mid-late morning, southwest winds will increase at all TAF sites (except KBIH) and continue through the afternoon, with the strongest winds expected at KDAG. Dense mid-high clouds are expected to clear out at KBIH before sunrise this morning and by 9 am at all other TAF sites. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && SHORT TERM...Morgan LONG TERM...Outler AVIATION...Salmen For more forecast information...see us on our webpage: https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 dust storm, 1 high wind, 1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Dust storm conditions contributed to an 11-vehicle accident with nine injuries (indirect) near mile marker 50 on Highway 95. The highway was closed for approximately four hours.
This gust occurred 3 miles NE of Mount Charleston.
One person died in Las Vegas of cold related causes.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold/Wind Chill, Las Vegas Valley | 2022-02-24 | 67 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, February 2022
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: 1008480, 1008481, 1008482.