An atmospheric river impacted the Sierra, bringing heavy snow to areas above about 7000 feet and heavy rain at lower elevations.
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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.
An atmospheric river impacted the Sierra, bringing heavy snow to areas above about 7000 feet and heavy rain at lower elevations.
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 Jan 9, 2:54 AM PST, 6 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 254 AM PST Mon Jan 9 2023 .SYNOPSIS...Next potent storm will bring another round of widespread precipitation to the region today and Tuesday. After a midweek break, chances for precipitation return once again Saturday and Sunday. && .SHORT TERM...Through Tuesday night. Satellite shows the story this morning. The next impressive atmospheric river taking aim at central California with radar showing precipitation on the increase from Ventura County northward up the coast. Further west, quite a bit of lightning associated with stronger trough that will quickly traverse the area Tuesday. This current AR is forecast to move through southern California and the Mojave Desert tonight. NAEFS suggest IVT values +5-6SD above climatology as it passes through. However, not seeing the greatest dynamics with this AR this far south but expect the airmass to moisten from the top-down eventually leading to light rain for the valleys of southern Nevada, southeast California and northern Mohave County this afternoon and tonight. Heavier precipitation still favored to impact western Inyo County, as well as in southern Nevada from enhanced orographic lift over out mountain ranges. Snow levels are forecast to rise throughout the day to 8000-8500 feet keeping any significant impacts above most of our mountain passes and populated centers. Snow levels remain quite high across the Mojave Desert and northwest Arizona falling only to 7000-8000 feet overnight. More substantial drop in the snow levels expected in western Inyo County overnight were values lower to 5000-6000 feet by daybreak Tuesday. Made no change to our existing Winter Weather headlines. That stronger, more dynamic trough is forecast to arrive Tuesday ushering in a period of gusty winds, chances for thunderstorms and quickly falling snow levels behind the cold front in the afternoon/evening. Anticipate a broad area of wind gusts 40-50 mph in parts of San Bernardino, Clark, and Mohave Counties to coincide with the frontal passage between noon and 7 pm PST tomorrow. Therefore, will be issuing a Wind Advisory. Stepping back to our existing Wind Advisory for Esmeralda and central Nye Counties for today. Am adding southern Nye and western Clark to that advisory and extending the time through noon Tuesday. Precipitation chances, thunderstorms and winds will dissipate Tuesday night as the trough quickly shifts east into the Four Corners. .LONG TERM...Wednesday through next Monday Once the incoming winter system passes, a few days of quiet weather are in store for Wednesday through Friday as upper level ridging slides into the western United States and surface high pressure builds over the region. At the same time, the ridge will amplify as a trough in the eastern Pacific with a low centered over the Gulf of Alaska deepens and extends south. The presence of this ridge and off coast trough will also divert the flow of the atmospheric river away from the southern and central California coast. Instead it will track to the north towards the Pacific Northwest, leaving the forecast area dry. Winds should stay light as the pressure gradient relaxes and upper level dynamics become weak. Lastly, temperatures will gradually warm by a few degrees through Friday as the ridge amplifies but remain near average for this time of year. A change in the weather pattern arrives over the weekend, bringing cooler temperatures and another opportunity for precipitation. The previously mentioned eastern Pacific trough will begin to move inland as the ridge shifts east. On Saturday, a disturbance moving around the main troughing pattern (still offshore) will move northeast through the region giving a glancing blow to the CWA. A lack of moisture and an unfavorable vapor transport pattern for what moisture is available should confine snowfall to the Sierra. However, the atmospheric river takes a more southerly track as the main trough moves east and deeper low pressure heads towards northern California, improving dynamics and sending moisture into southern California as well as Nevada and Arizona. A general wet pattern may persist into Monday as the trough and southwesterly flow stay in place over the Southwestern US. Will need to continue to monitor the southerly track of the moisture plume. If it tracks too far south, precipitation totals may decrease particularly in the northern half of the CWA. Besides precipitation, temperatures will remain 5 to 10 degrees normal through this time. && .AVIATION...For Harry Reid...Light winds will persist into the mid- afternoon, with westerly components expected through mid-morning and then easterly components favored by early afternoon. By early evening winds will increase out of the south-southwest, with a few gusts to 20kts possible during the overnight hours. Clouds will overspread the area this morning, with bases initially around 20kft. However, as moisture from the Pacific storm increases, bases will lower to below 10kft by early evening. There is a slight chance of a shower at the field after 6 PM, although better chances will be to the west over the Spring Mountains. However, if the showers do make it to the field, bases will likely fall to 5kft or lower for a period this evening. There will be a better chance of precipitation and lower CIGs by late morning Tuesday. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...Deteriorating conditions can be expected at KBIH this morning, with periods of rain developing and CIGs likely falling to 1kft or lower. Mountain obscuration and turbulence from strong winds blowing over the Sierra are also expected for the entire Owens Valley through this afternoon. Some slight improvement is expected later this evening and overnight, but additional precipitation will be possible around daybreak Tuesday. Elsewhere, lowering CIGs and scattered areas of precipitation can be expected across the northern two-thirds of the region, where MVFR or IFR conditions will be possible through this evening. Increasing south-to-southwest winds are also expected across much of the region later this afternoon and evening. Winds will remain breezy for more areas overnight except the Colorado River Valley, where winds will be lighter. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && SHORT TERM...Pierce LONG TERM...Meltzer AVIATION...Planz 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.
2 heavy snow, 2 heavy rain, 1 flood, 1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.
A spotter in Aspendell measured 53.9 inches of snow.
An observing station at 6880 feet recorded 6.01 inches of rain in 24 hours, with temperatures just above freezing.
The KBIH ASOS recorded 3.12 inches of rain in 23 hours. 3.02 inches fell on the 9th, making it the fifth wettest calendar day at KBIH in the period of record (since 1943). There was minor flooding around Bishop, such as standing water on roads and backed up storm drains.
Highway 168 was closed from Death Valley to the Nevada state line due to heavy snow. Details were very sketchy; it is presumed that the heavy snow fell on Westgard Pass in the White Mountains, and the beginning and ending times are estimated.
Highway 190 was closed from mile marker 4 to Highway 136. The flooding is believed to be from runoff draining down toward the Owens Dry Lake bed after heavy rain fell in the mountains hours earlier.
An avalanche hit three homes in the Aspendell area. One home suffered major damage.
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, January 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1078879, 1078878, 1078876, 1078881, 1078883, 1078882.