Residual effects of the atmospheric river that slammed into California brought isolated flooding and high winds to southern Nevada.
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 VEF wrote it up.
Residual effects of the atmospheric river that slammed into California brought isolated flooding and high winds to southern Nevada.
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 Mar 10, 2:45 AM PST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 245 AM PST Fri Mar 10 2023 .SYNOPSIS...Rain and high elevation snow will continue in the Sierra and Owens Valley today. Scattered showers will spread eastward as well with only very light precipitation amounts expected outside of the higher terrain and the Spring Mountains. Gusty winds will be on the increase as well especially across the Mojave Desert and Arizona Strip. Improving conditions are expected over the weekend but another storm system will move in by the middle of next week. && .SHORT TERM...through Saturday night. Atmospheric river event is well underway across California this morning as a deep and anomalous moisture tap remains aimed at the Pacific Coast. Precipitation has been spilling over the Sierra Crest with Bishop picking up 0.25" as of midnight and Oak Creek RAWS up to 0.75". Lighter amounts of a tenth of an inch or less have spread as far east as the Cottonwood Mountains and Panamint Range in Inyo County as well as western Esmeralda County around Dyer. Expecting more of the same for the coming 24 hours with the moisture hose aimed at the central and southern Sierra. The ongoing flood watch remains in good shape with rain falling on a melting snow pack and saturated soils which will both add to hydrological concerns in the area. Further east, conditions have remained dry thus far but anticipating that will change in the coming hours as the atmospheric profile moistens up from the top down. With rich moisture of a tropical origin overspreading the region, any terrain barriers in the way will be favored to pick up precipitation, mainly in the form of rain as snow levels climb to near 10k feet. High resolution guidance remains bullish on precipitation amounts in the Spring Mountains, with the HREF/HRRR suggesting 3-4" of rainfall falling today near the Spring Mountain Ridgeline and Kyle Canyon. While deep snowpack in the area will absorb some of this rainfall, the added moisture content and warm airmass invading the area will work to increase the rate of snow melt, especially in the elevations below 7000 feet where the snow pack is a bit thinner. Enhanced runoff and streamflow should be anticipated around the Spring Mountains today and tomorrow and localized flood concerns are possible in especially sensitive drainages. Outside of the mountain terrain, despite the abundance of moisture, only very light precipitation amounts are expected due to the lack of stronger dynamic forcing moving through. However, guidance has trended a little wetter today as the primary moisture plume moves through. It now appears more conceivable that a few hundredths of an inch may fall into the lower Desert terrain as well, mainly north of I-40, and rainfall chances have increased for this possibility. Rain chances will dwindle for most of the forecast area by 10 pm tonight, but lingering rain chances will continue around the Sierra and Owens Valley into Sunday morning. Outside of the rain chances, still expecting strong winds to increase through the morning hours. In fact, winds have already begun to gust above 60 mph near Kyle Canyon and Angel Peak in the Spring Mountains. Downslope winds in the Las Vegas Valley will be a concern as well, enhancing the wind speeds in the western and southern parts of town where gusts exceeding 50 mph are suggested by current high resolution guidance. These winds will ease later this evening, but remain breezy into Saturday. .LONG TERM...Sunday through Thursday. Sunday and Monday look like a break in the atmospheric river action, with zonal flow transitioning to flat ridging and limiting precip chances to the Sierra and the northern fringes of the CWA, with minimal to no impact expected. Expect locally gusty westerly winds in the favored terrain areas such as Barstow and the Sierra, but not looking like advisory level at this time. The next AR is still targeting our area Tuesday and Wednesday. On the positive side, snow levels look a bit lower, hovering around 8000 feet during the heaviest precipitation, and dropping to 5000 to 6000 feet on the back side of the storm. Another round of very heavy precip is likely for the Sierra, with liquid equivalent totals of about six inches at the crest. Snow ratios around 12:1 would suggest about six feet of snow at the crest, with a bit less at the resort level. Barring a significant change in either storm track or snow levels, Winter Storm Warnings will be needed. Low pressure passing by to the north on Wednesday (a bit slower than in previous model runs) should generate enough forcing for some light precip in the deserts. There is quite a bit of model spread for Thursday, with solutions ranging from ridging overhead in the wake of the storm to low pressure lingering overhead for one more day. Regardless, impactful weather looks unlikely. Of note, Monday and Tuesday could be the warmest days since about November 1st for much of the Mojave Desert. This will promote more mountain snow melt, possibly keeping creeks and rivers swollen. && .AVIATION...For Harry Reid...Winds will increase out of the southwest by early afternoon, with a few gusts to 35kts possible during the afternoon. The current forecast has winds decreasing slightly and remaining southwest overnight. However, some model guidance is now indicating a more significant wind decrease after 06Z, as well as a turn more to the south and south-southeast. If this trend continues, future forecasts may need to be adjusted. A few showers in the vicinity of the terminal will be possible this morning and again early this evening. However, most of the precipitation is expected to stay mainly west of the airfield, closer to the Spring Mountains. CIGs will hover between 4kft and 6kft through tonight before gradually improving Saturday morning. Mountain obscuration is likely near the airfield today due to low clouds and precipitation. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...A storm system will result in areas of precipitation, gusty winds, and at times low CIGs across the region today. The most significant impacts are expected at KBIH, where periods of rain are expected into Saturday, as well as CIGs hovering around 2kft. Mountain obscuration is also likely near the field. Scattered showers are also possible at KDAG late this afternoon and evening, although gusty southwest winds up to 40kts this afternoon will be the primary concern. Winds will be mainly southerly at KEED and KIFP, with gusts to 25kts possible this afternoon, followed by lighter winds overnight. While primarily dry conditions are expected at these sites, a few showers will be possible late this afternoon. Other than KBIH, CIGs between 4kft and 8kft can be expected through the TAF period. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && SHORT TERM...Outler LONG TERM...Morgan 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.
1 high wind, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
These gusts occurred 3 miles NE of Mount Charleston. High winds occurred intermittently during the period.
The Meadow Valley Wash flooded Echo Dam Road. The times of the flooding were estimated.
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: 1089497, 1089498.