As plentiful moisture and jet energy streamed into the Pacific Northwest, unsettled weather continued across the Sierra and western Nevada. Periods of light showers and stronger westerly winds aloft allowed ridgeline winds to gust to 70 mph through this two day period.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
As plentiful moisture and jet energy streamed into the Pacific Northwest, unsettled weather continued across the Sierra and western Nevada. Periods of light showers and stronger westerly winds aloft allowed ridgeline winds to gust to 70 mph through this two day period. Well not necessarily impactful, travel over the Sierra was difficult at times due to snow levels dropping with a slushy inch or two falling on regional mountain passes.
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 Dec 1, 12:25 PM PST, 8 hours 10 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Reno NV 1225 PM PST Fri Dec 1 2023 .SYNOPSIS... Unsettled weather will continue through the weekend, with periods of light showers and gusty winds. Travel may be difficult at times in the Sierra. Warmer and drier weather returns early next week. && .DISCUSSION... * Plentiful moisture and jet energy continues to stream into the PacNW, while the Sierra and western Nevada remains on the southern fringes. What this means is our region will see periods of rain and snow showers through the weekend, but coverage will be spotty and totals will be light. At this point, blended guidance has a 60- 80% chance for 2" of greater snowfall over a 48 hour window in the Sierra from Alpine Co northward, and portions of northeast CA and areas of western Nevada near the Oregon border. Elsewhere, chances diminish to 10% or less. * As a ridge builds into the west late in the weekend, it will nudge snow levels up, with rain/snow lines up to 6-6.5kft Saturday, then pushing over 7kft Sunday. * West to northwest winds aloft will continue to be strong, with gusts around 70 mph along ridgelines, especially near and north of I-80. Down into valley locations, winds will be breezy at times, but generally peaking 20-30 mph. This will keep mixing decent for any ongoing prescribed burns. * The aforementioned ridge further amplifies into the first part of next week, pushing temperatures 8-12 degrees above normal -- quite the shift from this past chilly week! This will also contribute to lighter winds and reduced mixing. Precipitation is not expected, but clouds will still be plentiful for areas nearing the Oregon border as the jet continues to push Pacific moisture just north of the region. * SW-W winds to increase again Wednesday ahead of another weak system and cold front Thursday. Once again, rain/snow chances exist, but liquid totals are minimal with blended guidance indicating a 30-60% chance for 0.1" in the northern Sierra and northeast CA, with less than a 10% chance elsewhere. * There is decent ensemble and operational model agreement in a colder low pressure system dropping into the region around Dec 9- 10, but how much moisture it produces and the residence time over the region varies. At this point plan for colder temps returning next weekend along with chances for snow and stay tuned for more details. -Dawn && .AVIATION... * Strong W-NW winds continue aloft as a jet stream is directed into the PacNW. FL100 speeds are sustained 30-50 kts, highest near the Oregon border. This is leading to mountain wave turbulence mainly near and north of I-80. At the surface, peak gusts are reaching 15-25 kts, surfacing between 18-03z each day. These winds will continue into early Sunday before weakening. * Otherwise, only aviation concern will be periods of rain and snow showers throughout the weekend, most prevalent for the northern Sierra, northeast CA, and far N NV near the Oregon border. These will be spotty in coverage and not continuous, but will bring brief periods of lower CIGS/VIS and terrain obscuration. -Dawn && .REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NV...None. CA...None. &&
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy rain, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A mesonet station (SCRN2) located 5.5 mi. N of New Washoe City, and mesonet station (AV157) located 2.0 mi WNW of Stead, NV, reported rainfall storm totals of 1.39 inches and 1.01 inches respectively.
Mesonet station (SLIDE-DRI) located 0.9 mi E of Mount Rose Summit reported a peak wind gust of 93 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, December 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: 1152307, 1152306.