A colder early Spring storm brought another round of winter-like conditions to the region with strong winds today and snow showers. Impacts to travel and recreation included blowing dust, lake wind advisories for stronger breezes and choppy conditions for area lakes, and aviation concerns.
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 REV wrote it up.
A colder early Spring storm brought another round of winter-like conditions to the region with strong winds today and snow showers. Impacts to travel and recreation included blowing dust, lake wind advisories for stronger breezes and choppy conditions for area lakes, and aviation concerns.
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 Apr 1, 2:07 PM PST, 18 hours 53 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Reno NV
307 PM PDT Sat Apr 1 2023
.SYNOPSIS...
Our next storm arrives with strong winds today and snow late
Sunday into Monday. Travel impacts are likely in the Sierra and
possible in Western Nevada early Monday morning. Snow showers and
chilly conditions Monday and Tuesday will give way to a drying and
warming trend the rest of next week.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
The pleasant weather will continue through today and the first half
of tomorrow as a trough gets ready to dip south on Monday. While the
Sun may peek in and out throughout each day this weekend, the wind
will be the only nuisance in this quiet weather. A stiff westerly
wind today will have Sierra ridges gusting to 75+ mph. Much of
western NV/NE CA today will be gusting to 30-35 mph, except 40+ mph
in wind prone locations. Winds will stay breezy overnight tonight,
then slightly increasing tomorrow afternoon ahead of the system.
Western NV valleys could see gusts of 40+ mph, while more wind prone
locations along US-395 may gust up to 60 mph. Temperatures 5-10
degrees below normal will continue this weekend before we get a
blast of cold air on Monday behind the cold front.
After our short break from the active weather, one more storm for
the foreseeable future is set to arrive late Sunday night. A
southwesterly 45-50 kt 700 mb jet Sunday afternoon will continue to
move south over the Sierra, making ridge winds sustained at 50-60
mph gusting 90+ mph. Lower valleys could see gusts of 45-50 mph,
with wind prone locations primarily along US-395 gusting over 60
mph. After Sunday, winds look to stay breezy through Monday
afternoon, but by Tuesday we'll see lighter winds through the
remainder of the week.
The first flakes will fall in the Sierra and NE CA Sunday afternoon,
with the highest snowfall rates Sunday night before midnight. There
will be a few showers into Monday morning, but by Monday afternoon
they will have moved out of the region. More light snow showers may
develop Tuesday afternoon in the Sierra as another trough rolls down
from the north and into the Great Basin. Thankfully, snow totals
aren't nearly as impressive as previous storms, with the Tahoe Basin
likely to see 2-6" below 8000' and 5-10" above 8000'. The Sierra
crest in Mono and Plumas counties could see 2-6", while western NV
valleys only have a 20% chance of a 1" or more.
Starting Wednesday and going through at least next weekend,
temperatures will progressively get warmer each day. By the end of
the week we'll be looking at temperatures in the mid 60's across
western NV! We still have not hit 65 degrees (at the Reno-Tahoe
Airport) since October 30th, 2022! That's a streak of 153 days,
including today. Ensembles continue to agree on a potential ridge
building in over the Western US after next weekend.
-Justin
&&
.AVIATION...
Winds are picking up today as a cold front approaches the region.
FL100 winds out of the west 40-50kts today from around Tahoe
northward. Surface gusts around 20-30 kts possible today with
LLWS and turbulence along and east of the Sierra crest.
The main front will move through the region on Sunday bringing
stronger winds, moderate mountain snowfall and rain/snow showers to
the the valleys. Total runway accumulations of 1-4" are possible at
KTRK/KTVL, and 1-2" at KMMH, with less than 1/2" expected for
KRNO/KCXP/KMEV.
Expect mountain wave turbulence, LLWS, and terrain obscuration as
the front moves through on Sunday. Improved flying conditions can
be expected going into midweek as a ridge of high pressure builds
over the west coast. -Zach
&&
.AVALANCHE...
One more cold storm is expected Sunday into Monday as a low pressure
system digs into the Great Basin. Total snowfall is expected to be
in the 6-10" range in the higher terrain around Tahoe with 3-6"
for the Eastern Sierra. Strong west winds will continue through
tomorrow with the strongest winds expected in the afternoon. Winds
will shift out of the northwest on Monday behind the front.
A strong warming trend is expected through the work week as ridge
builds over the west. -Zach
&&
.REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
NV...Lake Wind Advisory until 7 PM PDT Sunday for Lake Tahoe in
NVZ002.
Winter Weather Advisory from 7 PM Sunday to 11 AM PDT Monday
NVZ002.
Wind Advisory from 8 AM to 11 PM PDT Monday NVZ001.
Wind Advisory from 11 AM to 11 PM PDT Sunday NVZ003.
Lake Wind Advisory until 11 AM PDT Sunday for Pyramid Lake in
NVZ004.
Wind Advisory from 11 AM to 11 PM PDT Sunday NVZ004-005.
CA...Lake Wind Advisory until 7 PM PDT Sunday for Lake Tahoe in
CAZ072.
Winter Weather Advisory from 7 PM Sunday to 11 AM PDT Monday
CAZ072.
Wind Advisory from 11 AM to 11 PM PDT Sunday CAZ073.
Wind Advisory from 8 AM to 11 PM PDT Monday CAZ073.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
The public located 6.0 mi W of Truckee, CA, at the Central Sierra Snow Lab, the Homewood Mountain Ski Base, as well as a trained spotter located near the Homewood Mountain Ski resort, reported 24-hour snowfall totals of 6.7 inches, 10.0 inches, and 8.0 inches respectively.
Mesonet station (MTH01) Mammoth Mountain located 0.9 mi S of the Mammoth Mountain Ski Summit, CA, and mesonet station (XMLC1) Mill Canyon located 4.0 mi SSW of Walker, CA, reported maximum wind gusts of 134 mph, and 88 mph respectively.
Mesonet station (SCTAM) located 0.8 mi SW of Alpine Meadows (Tahoe), and mesonet station (HVRTM) Blue Streak Weather Station located 1.0 mi NNW of the Heavenly Ski Summit, CA, reported maximum wind gusts of 60 mph, and 98 mph respectively.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2023
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1099160, 1099161, 1099162.