Another cold low pressure system diving down from the north brought areas of high winds and isolated impacts from snow.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
Another cold low pressure system diving down from the north brought areas of high winds and isolated impacts from 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 Jan 10, 2:08 PM PST, 1 hour 59 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 208 PM PST Wed Jan 10 2024 .SYNOPSIS...A winter weather system will push a cold front through our forecast area today and tonight, resulting in gusty winds across the region and increased chances of light precipitation. Areas in the higher terrain can expect minor snowfall accumulations, with a chance of flurries in desert valleys. Temperatures will warm through the weekend into the start of next week as ridging sets up off the coast. && .SHORT TERM...Today and Thursday. A cold front associated with a dynamic open wave will push through the forecast area today and tonight. The primary impact from this frontal passage will be the pre-frontal winds, which have already picked up in portions of the western Mojave Desert this afternoon. (Barstow-Daggett Airport's peak observed gust was 48 mph so far today). West wind gusts will elevate across San Bernardino County this afternoon, with peak gusts between 45 and 55 mph expected. Additionally, gusts have picked up on the eastern Sierra Slopes. Some of these gusts will make it down to the valley floor, resulting in occasional crosswinds along Highway 395, which would be particularly hazardous for high-profile vehicles. As such, Wind Advisories are in place for much of San Bernardino County as well as the Owens Valley until 10am Thursday. Precipitation will begin on the eastern Sierra Slopes at any time, with total snow accumulations of up to 10 inches possible above 9000 feet. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect as a result until 4am Thursday. In addition to snow, the eastern Sierra Slopes could see gusts higher than 80 mph at times. The resultant blowing snow could drastically reduce visibilities. The cold front will approach our far northern zones this evening around 8pm, and will move southward through the southern Great Basin and into the Mojave Desert overnight. A quick-moving precipitation band will accompany this cold front, with about a 6 to 8 hour window of precipitation chances for any given location. Snow levels will drop to valley floors as the band pushes southward through the region. As such, precipitation will almost entirely fall as snow across Esmeralda, southern Nye, Lincoln, and higher elevations of Clark and Mohave counties. Precipitation amounts will be modest, with forecast totals along major thoroughfares listed below: [NEVADA] - Highway 266 through Lida Summit: 3-5" - Highway 93 through Pioche: 1-2" [CALIFORNIA] - Highway 395 through Bishop: Up to 0.5" - Interstate 15 through Mountain Pass: Up to 1" [ARIZONA] - State Route 66 through Peach Springs: 1-3" - Interstate 40 through Fort Rock: Up to 2" The precipitation band will push through Las Vegas between 3am and 6am, with around a 40% chance of measurable precipitation. Though the surface temperature will remain above-average overnight, a frozen column of air just above the surface will likely result in (at least) flurries across the Las Vegas Valley overnight tonight. Higher elevations of the Las Vegas Valley including Red Rock Canyon, Summerlin, and southeastern Henderson may see measurable snow accumulations on unpaved surfaces. In general, expect warm road temperatures to prevent much in the way of snow accumulation or ice formation on valley roads, but extra caution is encouraged when driving tonight regardless, as icy patches (and distracted drivers photographing Vegas snow) are harder to see at night. As the front passes through the area, west gusts will subside, and northerly gusts will enhance in its wake. Post-frontal gusts are not anticipated to be strong enough to warrant a wind-related headline, but cannot rule out an isolated gust above 40 mph Thursday morning in southern portions of the Mojave Desert. These isolated gusts will be most prevalent along the Colorado River Valley, where topography will aid in northerly gust enhancement. Skies will clear, wind speeds will wane, and temperatures will warm through the morning, with quiet conditions resuming by the afternoon. .LONG TERM...Saturday through next Wednesday. Temperatures will increase going into the weekend as a ridge of high pressure sets up along the California coast. Over the last few forecast packages, we have been tracking a weak disturbance as it rides along the ridge through the Great Basin Saturday night into Sunday. There remains uncertainty in its exact track, but regardless, impacts should be minimal. PoPs are restricted to the eastern Sierra Slopes and our far northern zones, where snowfall will struggle to exceed 1 inch below 9000 feet. Temperatures will continue to increase through the remainder of the forecast period underneath an upper-level ridge. && .AVIATION...For Harry Reid...Easterly winds of less than 10kts will turn southwest and become gusty after 00Z. A band of precipitation will move through the valley late tonight, with the best chance of seeing it at the field between 11Z and 14Z. A mix of rain and snow is initially expected, but a change over to all snow is possible before the band exits the area. No accumulations are expected. As the precip band moves through, winds will shift to the northwest and become gusty, with gusts to 30kts possible after 12Z. The higher winds will continue into the afternoon before diminishing and turning southwest by mid-evening. Cloud bases will likely fall below 5kft as the precipitation moves through, but skies should rapidly improve and become mainly clear by early afternoon. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwestern Arizona, and southeastern California...Gusty winds, over 40kts at times, are expected across the western Mojave Desert, including KDAG, today into Thursday. Elsewhere, light winds will turn south to southwest by late afternoon, then shift to the north and become gusty tomorrow morning. A band of precipitation will move north to south across most of the region this evening through Thursday morning. Northern areas, including KBIH, will see mainly snow as it passes, while the Vegas area TAF sites will likely see a mixture of rain and snow initially before potentially changing over to all snow before ending around daybreak. Colorado River sites will see rain. Cloud bases will likely fall below 5kft as the precipitation moves through, but skies should rapidly improve and become mainly clear at most sites by tomorrow afternoon. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && DISCUSSION....Varian 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.
4 high wind, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
These gusts occurred at Barstow-Daggett (KDAG).
These gusts occurred 5 miles NW of Independence.
This gust occurred at Bishop (KBIH).
Several crashes occurred on Interstate 15 southwest of Mountain Pass shortly after 0600 PST in light snow.
These gusts occurred 8 miles NNE of Joshua Tree.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2024
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: 1154174, 1154175, 1154176, 1154183, 1154181.