Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Nevada, January 16 to 17, 2023

Name: Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Nevada, January 16 to 17, 2023
Start: 2023-01-16T04:00
End: 2023-01-17T22:00
Location: Nevada

January 16 to 17, 2023 · NWS LKN · 10 events in 3 counties and zones

A trough with an atmospheric river component aided in producing snowfall and wind across portions of central Nevada.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 1
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS LKN wrote it up.

A trough with an atmospheric river component aided in producing snowfall and wind across portions of central Nevada.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 heavy snow, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, White Pine

When: January 16, 4:00 AM PST to January 17, 10:00 PM PST
Where: White Pine forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 39.442, -114.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Fourteen and seven tenth inches fell at site (ELRN2) Ely Airport Snow Observer, Elevation 6487 feet. This occurred from 01/16/2023 04:00 PST to 01/17/2023 22:00 PST.

Eighteen inches fell at site (LENN2) Great Basin National Park Coop, Elevation 6850 feet. This occurred from 01/16/2023 07:30 PST to 01/17/2023 07:30 PST.

Eight inches fell at site (CAVN2) Cave Mountain Snotel, Elevation 10577 feet. This occurred from 01/16/2023 10:00 PST to 01/16/2023 22:00 PST.

Nine inches fell at site (WDMN2) Ward Mountain Snotel, Elevation 9152 feet. This occurred from 01/16/2023 10:00 PST to 01/17/2023 14:00 PST.

Eighteen inches fell at site (WHPN2) Wheeler Peak Snotel, Elevation 10067 feet. This occurred from 01/16/2023 12:00 PST to 01/17/2023 20:00 PST.

Eight inches fell at site Berry Creek Snotel, Elevation 9376 feet. This occurred from 01/16/2023 20:00 PST to 01/17/2023 22:00 PST.

Heavy Snow, N Elko Cnty

When: January 16, 7:00 AM PST to January 17, 7:00 AM PST
Where: N Elko Cnty forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 41.146, -115.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Nine inches fell at site (RBLN2) Ruby Lake NWR Coop, Elevation 6019 feet. This occurred from 01/16/2023 07:00 PST to 01/17/2023 07:00 PST.

Six inches fell at site (BERN2) Bear Creek Snotel, Elevation 8040 feet. This occurred from 01/16/2023 12:00 PST to 01/17/2023 06:00 PST.

Heavy Snow, White Pine

When: January 16, 7:30 AM PST to January 17, 7:30 AM PST
Where: White Pine forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 39.442, -114.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Eighteen inches fell at site (LENN2) Great Basin National Park Coop, Elevation 6850 feet.

Heavy Snow, White Pine

When: January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where: White Pine forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 39.442, -114.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Eight inches fell at site (CAVN2) Cave Mountain Snotel, Elevation 10577 feet.

Heavy Snow, White Pine

When: January 16, 10:00 AM PST to January 17, 2:00 PM PST
Where: White Pine forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 39.442, -114.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Nine inches fell at site (WDMN2) Ward Mountain Snotel, Elevation 9152 feet.

Heavy Snow, N Elko Cnty

When: January 16, 12:00 PM PST to January 17, 6:00 AM PST
Where: N Elko Cnty forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 41.146, -115.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Six inches fell at site (BERN2) Bear Creek Snotel, Elevation 8040 feet.

Heavy Snow, White Pine

When: January 16, 12:00 PM PST to January 17, 8:00 PM PST
Where: White Pine forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 39.442, -114.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Eighteen inches fell at site (WHPN2) Wheeler Peak Snotel, Elevation 10067 feet.

Heavy Snow, White Pine

When: January 16, 8:00 PM PST to January 17, 10:00 PM PST
Where: White Pine forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 39.442, -114.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Eight inches fell at site Berry Creek Snotel, Elevation 9376 feet.

Heavy Snow, N Lander & N Eureka

When: January 17, 12:00 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where: N Lander & N Eureka forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 39.959, -116.654 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Six inches fell at site (LWPN2) Lewis Peak Snotel, Elevation 7357 feet.

Winter Weather, White Pine

When: January 17, 4:00 PM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where: White Pine forecast zone
Deaths: 0 direct, 1 indirect
Injuries: 0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 39.442, -114.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snow and wind produced adverse driving conditions along US-93 near the town of Ely, reducing visibility to 3/4 of a mile in the area. This led to a fatal crash due to adverse driving conditions. A passenger was also seriously injured when the Ford F-350 Pickup truck went off the road and overturned. A Winter Weather Advisory was in effect.

The people who died

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
Winter Weather, White Pine	2023-01-17	51	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Indirect

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Nevada in 2023 Every state in 2023 This day in weather history Warnings in Nevada, January 2023

Sources

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1068991, 1068802, 1068980, 1068808, 1068812, 1068803, 1068813, 1068807, 1068804, 1068797.