Strong low pressure moving into the West Coast brought rain and isolated severe thunderstorms to the Mojave Desert, as well as heavy snow to the Spring Mountains.
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.
Strong low pressure moving into the West Coast brought rain and isolated severe thunderstorms to the Mojave Desert, as well as heavy snow to the Spring Mountains.
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 21, 1:36 AM PST, 24 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 236 AM PDT Tue Mar 21 2023 .SYNOPSIS...An incoming system will bring a triple-threat of hazards: heavy snow, flooding, and strong winds. Winter impacts are expected above 5500 feet in Clark, Lincoln, Nye, Esmeralda, Mohave, and Inyo Counties. Heavy rain concerns are focused in the Morongo Basin and southern Mohave County. Gusty winds will exist across the area, with strongest winds in the Morongo Basin. Cool but calmer conditions expected in the second half of the week. && .SHORT TERM...Today and Wednesday. The unrelenting Winter pattern continues through at least the first few days of astronomical Spring. Radar this morning shows continued light upslope showers in southwestern Utah and far northern Mohave County, as well as light precipitation spreading into our southern locations. This precipitation and moisture will continue to spread north throughout the morning as difluence ahead of the low moves in. After the first surge of shower activity, rain and snow will become more scattered this afternoon and evening, with some focus along the cold front likely as it passes through. The heaviest precipitation will be in the high terrain as a favorable upslope pattern and moist airmass set up. Forecast PWAT values at KLAS this afternoon are around 0.7", which would be a record for the date, despite the brunt of the AR passing to our south. The AR trajectory also allows snow levels to be lower than usual, largely fluctuating between 5500-6500 feet today. This means moderate to major snow impacts above 5500 feet, where Winter Storm Warnings remain in effect in Clark, Lincoln, Nye, Esmeralda, and Inyo Counties. With QPF continuing to trend upward in the Spring Mountains, this event could be one of the more impressive snowstorms on record, especially for mid-March. Farther south in the Morongo Basin and southern Mohave County, orographic enhancement and higher snow levels will yield a flooding threat. Flood watches have been posted for these areas through Wednesday evening. Opted to issue winter products for elevations above 6000 feet in Mohave County, though snow levels will fluctuate throughout the event. A few inches of snow are expected on the Hualapais and other high terrain in Mohave County this morning, before transitioning to rain this afternoon. As snow levels drop tonight, another round of snow is expected. Total accumulations with the second round up to 5 inches in the Hualapais. Snow chances will resume Wednesday afternoon in northern Mohave County, which is why the Winter Storm Warning continues beyond Wednesday morning while the Winter Weather Advisory for southern Mohave County ends. Most locations see a break in the precipitation late tonight and early tomorrow morning, before scattered showers, and possibly a few thunderstorms, develop Wednesday afternoon as the cold base of the trough pivots through. The 00z HREF suggests that a fair amount of clearing is possible on Wednesday. Diurnal heating with cold air aloft generates CAPE values up to 400 J/kg based on the HREF. Not anticipating any severe storms like we saw last week, but the marginal CAPE and shear around 30 knots may support small hail or graupel. This activity is expected to dissipate just after sunset. But wait, there's more! Not only will there be widespread precipitation, but also widespread gusty winds. Wind Advisories have been posted for most of the area Tuesday as blustery south winds develop. Wind gusts of 40-50 mph are forecast, with gusts up to 65 mph possible in the Morongo Basin, where a High Wind Warning has been issued. Expect hazardous crosswinds on E-W roads, especially Highway 62 near Twentynine Palms. Wind speeds will begin to wane late tonight across the area. .LONG TERM...Thursday through early next week. An active pattern continues for the region after the Tuesday/Wednesday system pushes off to the east by Thursday morning. 12Z cluster analysis shows the system evolving into an open shortwave and its axis east of the Colorado River by Thursday morning leaving only lingering PoP chances and some gusty winds in the high elevations of the Sierra and San Bern mountains. By Friday, a much broader low pressure system evolves from the Pacific NW and into the Rockies which undergoes deepening per the 18Z EC 500mb mean. With this trajectory as it is, this would be a much drier system as PWAT values are well below normal for this time of year and no appreciable AR set up associated with it. ECMWF EFI shows little more than potential minor wind impacts through the weekend as this system moves through. Heading into early next week however, uncertainty is still rather high, but 12Z WPC 500 mb cluster analysis show yet another deep trough evolving off the Pacific which could be tied with yet another AR event from the eastern Pacific. The long range cluster analysis shows plenty of variability on moisture content, whether this AR is cohesive enough to lead to significant precip, timing, etc., so very little can be said other than continued active weather looks likely through at least the early part of next week. && .HYDROLOGY...Minor-to-moderate flooding from higher-than-normal streamflows are forecast to continue within the Meadow Valley Wash through the week due to recent rain, regional snowmelt, and controlled releases from the Eagle Valley Dam in preparation for this week's storm system. Forecast precipitation across the southern Great Basin next week will only act to exacerbate the ongoing flooding in Lincoln County. && .AVIATION...For Harry Reid...Gusty winds to around 20kts favoring a northeast direction expected to decrease to around 10kts by late afternoon then becoming variable by mid evening. Similar conditions on Saturday with light winds in the morning becoming northeast and becoming gusty in the afternoon. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...Gusty north winds to 25kts expected at the Colorado River Valley TAF sites through the afternoon then decreasing for the evening and overnight hours. Winds increase out of the north and become gusty once again Saturday morning. Generally light winds up to 8kts favoring a northerly direction is expected at KBIH. Gusty northeast to east winds at KDAG into the evening then light before favoring a northeast to east direction Saturday afternoon. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && SHORT TERM...Woods LONG TERM...TB3 AVIATION...Salmen For more forecast information...see us on our webpage: https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter
The Las Vegas radar (KESX), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:56 UTC.
1 heavy rain, 1 heavy snow, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Rain throughout the Las Vegas Valley led to multiple crashes on the freeways. One man was killed when his vehicle overturned while traveling too fast for the wet conditions.
The Rainbow Canyon SNOTEL estimated 15 inches of new snow.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Rain, Clark | 2023-03-21 | 56 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
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: 1089507, 1089510, 1089508.