A cold low pressure area tracked from the Gulf of Alaska to the Mojave Desert, bringing low elevation snow.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 area tracked from the Gulf of Alaska to the Mojave Desert, bringing low elevation snow.
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 28, 8:50 PM PST, 3 hours 10 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Las Vegas NV
850 PM PST Tue Feb 28 2023
.SYNOPSIS...A major winter system is still expected to impact the
region through tomorrow bringing strong winds and low elevation
snowfall chances. Snow accumulations in mountain roadways will
likely result in significant travel impacts. The storm will depart
to our east Wednesday night with drier conditions expected the
remainder of the week with a slow warming trend expected.
&&
.EVENING UPDATE...
Forecast has been tracking well from the afternoon shift and did not
have much insight to add from the below short term discussion,
however, latest wind projections in the NBM this evening continue to
linger post-frontal winds Wednesday night through Thursday across
much of the advisory area and persist through Thursday for the
Colorado River Valley. Decided to go ahead and extend the wind
advisory for parts of the area including Las Vegas and the CRV
through 12Z/21Z Thursday respectively. Given the trajectory and
momentum of this strong cold front passage Wednesday night, cannot
rule out localized funneling effects through the northwest HWY 95
gap during this time frame, and the possibility for lingering
convective activity to enhance gusts, keeping them well over 40 mph
through the night Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
.SHORT TERM...through Wednesday night.
Still on track for a quick moving but cold late-winter system to
track through the southern Great Basin and Mojave Desert late
tonight into tomorrow. This afternoon's satellite imagery indicates
our storm currently resides over the PacNW region but will drop
southward overnight as a ~532dm closed low over far southern Nevada
by this time tomorrow.
In the meantime, winds will be gradually ramping up across the
Mojave Desert, in particular the Western Mojave Desert near
Barstow and Twentynine Palms where a High Wind Warning goes into
effect at 2pm. High resolution guidance continues to advertise
strong wind gusts around Morongo and Yucca Valleys developing
after dark tonight, with an additional push of strong northwest
winds tomorrow afternoon and evening. Guidance is not quite as
bullish on the winds as it once was near Barstow, but they still
may flirt with high wind gusts to around 60 mph late tonight and
into Wednesday morning as the cold front moves through. Further
east, southwesterly wind gusts will extend across the I-15
corridor and into the Las Vegas Valley region, though wind gusts
in this corridor may tend to be more sporadic and strongest in
downslope regions nearest the higher terrain.
As the storm system drops southward tonight, precipitation will be
on the increase across the Sierra, Spring Mountains, and higher
terrain of northern Arizona. This will amount to a few inches of
new snow in the higher mountain terrain overnight, but the main
show will begin to take shape just prior to daybreak as the closed
low makes its approach and an intensifying surface low develops
near Beatty. This precipitation band will be moving quickly but
feature briefly moderate to heavy precipitation rates along with
sharply falling snow levels. Winter Storm Warnings remain in good
shape for much of the region.
Given the very low snow levels accompanying this storm, listed
below are some travel corridors especially likely to be impacted
by winter conditions:
*Routes leading to Mt Charleston including Highway 156, 157, 158.
*Highway 160 over Mountain Springs Summit.
*Interstate 40 from Kingman and points eastward.
*Route 66 between Kingman and Peach Springs
*Interstate 15 at Halloran Springs Summit and Mountain Pass.
*Highway 389 in northern Mohave County.
Of interest is the potential for snowfall in the Las Vegas metro
area, especially given tomorrow is the first day of meteorological
Spring. Snow levels will start out at precipitation onset around
3500 feet and fall to near 2500 feet by midmorning on the
back edge of the precipitation shield. Examination of forecast
soundings suggest wet bulb temperatures during the heaviest
precipitation of around 38-39F degrees at KLAS, suggesting the
potential for a rain-snow mix as things begin to wind down, but we
will probably be hard pressed for any accumulations in town.
However, higher elevations such as Anthem Hills and Summerlin
stand the chance at a light dusting tomorrow morning, with better
chances for a couple inches of snow close to Red Rock Canyon
recreation area.
Precipitation band will shift into Northwest Arizona by late
morning, with heavy snow above 3000 feet expected including the
Kingman area. Meanwhile, additional light showers may wrap around
the low across southern Nevada that will continue into Wednesday
afternoon and evening. Gusty northwesterly winds will also fill in
behind the storm system and wind advisories have been posted for
Inyo, Esmeralda, and Nye counties for tomorrow as well. Some
lingering snow shower may hang around into Wednesday evening
before the low departs to the Four Corners and drier and more
stable air works in from the west.
.LONG TERM...Friday through Early Next Week.
Northwest flow will continue through Friday with the exit of the mid-
week system, but with a quick rebound in H5 heights, temperature
recovery should be quick through the weekend. During this time, yet
another deepening closed low will be pushing south from the
Aleutians. While this type of low has been easily trekking southward
this season, resulting in the several winter events for the region,
the evolution of this one is a bit more unclear. While this low is
dropping south, high pressure will be developing at the same time
across Mexico, strengthening a ridge across the southern CONUS and
blocking the southward motion of the closed low. This should serve
to keep the low up in the Pacific NW as it gets cutoff from the
polar vortex to the north.
At this point, the EC/GEFS slowly weaken this low through the first
half of next week with gradually less breezy days and less precip
potential. With the current progged positioning of this low (which
is an area of high variance and low certainty), this would keep
southern Nevada mostly dry, but still below average for temps. PoPs
for the long term are mostly confined to the Sierra and northernmost
tier of our forecast area. However, if this tug of war between the
low to the north and the high to the south wobbles, so will these
possibilities.
&&
.AVIATION...For Harry Reid...Yet another day of gusty southwest
winds in the Las Vegas Valley, with gusts up to 25-30 knots. Wind
speed uncertainty increases after sunset, with guidance suggesting
downslope winds developing on the western/southern portions of the
valley. The big question is whether it reaches the airport. Opted to
included a slight increase in winds beginning around 05z, lasting
until the arrival of precipitation. Rain chances and low CIGs move
in around 11z. Precipitation will be light most of the time, but
periods of moderate rain and CIGs as low as 2500 feet are possible.
The main band of rain exits the valley during the morning hours, but
precipitation chances hang around into the afternoon until the cold
front moves through. Gusty northwest winds are expected to accompany
the frontal passage, with a light rain-snow mix possible as well.
For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast
California...South-southwest winds expected again across the area
this afternoon, with the strongest gusts at KDAG. Gusty conditions
continue tonight at KDAG and possibly increase in the Las Vegas
Valley as some downsloping occurs. Elsewhere, light south breezes
persist. Precipitation begins to move in to KBIH as early as 06z,
where light snow and low CIGs are expected. Light rain is forecast
to impact KDAG and the Las Vegas Valley site around 11z, bringing
CIGs down to 2500-4000 feet. The Colorado River Valley sites are the
last to see precipitation, with light rain arriving around 14z.
Precipitation chances are expected to wane as the cold front passes,
which will also bring gusty northwest winds.
&&
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Winter conditions are expected
late tonight through Wednesday night with low elevation snow
accumulations possible. Spotters are encouraged to report
significant snow accumulations or reductions in visibility.
&&
UPDATE...TB3
SHORT TERM...Outler
LONG TERM...TB3
AVIATION...Woods
For more forecast information...see us on our webpage:
https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and TwitterThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
The Rainbow Canyon SNOTEL estimated 19 inches of new snow. Five inches of snow also fell in Mountain Springs, which closed Highway 160.
Highway 164 was closed from Searchlight to I-15 due to snow.
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, March 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: 1089487, 1089488.