A couple of weak storms brought periods of light valley rain, Sierra snow, and gusty winds through the 12th. Slick roads slowed travel in the Sierra at times overnight on the 11th through the 12th.
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 REV wrote it up.
A couple of weak storms brought periods of light valley rain, Sierra snow, and gusty winds through the 12th. Slick roads slowed travel in the Sierra at times overnight on the 11th through the 12th.
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 Reno, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 11, 12:45 PM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Reno NV 145 PM PDT Mon Mar 11 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Periods of light valley rain, Sierra snow, and gusty winds will be present through Tuesday. Drier weather prevails from midweek onward, with a strong northeast wind event in the Sierra Wednesday night through Friday. Drier and warmer conditions return for the weekend. && .DISCUSSION... Today we will be saying goodbye to a weak shortwave that brought in some light Sierra snow showers overnight along with gusty breezes. A few remnant showers will reinvigorate over the northern Sierra crest this evening, with gusty south-southwest winds along the ridges as another bit of the jet splits overhead. Snow amounts along the Sierra crest will be limited to locations above 5,500 feet. Tuesday morning's Sierra pass commute will be impacted with a 50% chance of at least 2 inches. Minor travel impacts are anticipated for Sierra passes. The more cohesive portion of the jet will arrive for Tuesday, bringing back westerly gusts to all elevations. Gusts at the ridges will range 80-100 mph as the valleys contend with gusts up to 35 mph. Snow will be ongoing for tomorrow morning, but will begin to taper through the afternoon. By late tomorrow evening the snow will wrap up, all in all leaving behind around 2-6 inches for the Sierra crest. We could see some area roadways become wet, but accumulations should be limited with the higher sun angle of recent days. The position of the incoming trough will be pivotal in the setup for the midweek. The base of the trough is shown in ensemble comparisons to glide southward along the interior Cascade mountains into the Great Basin by Wednesday afternoon. This position will allow for an northeasterly wind direction as the attendant low's center of circulation settles just to our east. The pressure gradient that results will back against the Sierra mountains and will initially shift winds out of the northeast as they begin to amplify. The main feature that will impact our area will be wind, since the low will keep the moisture out over the Great Basin and eastward. Winds will peak Thursday late morning/early afternoon, with Sierra crest gusts reaching 75+ mph and valley gusts reaching 25-30 mph, with some localized gusts to 35 mph. Temperatures will be around average through this wind event, and the snow levels will remain near valley floors. However, the winds will work to sublimate and erode snowpack in the foothills. Winds may also destabilize snowpack in areas where the recent strong westerly winds were able to produce east- leaning cornices by stressing and skewing the upper layers of the snowpack. Once we say goodbye to this stretch of active weather, the weekend is shaping up to bring some tranquil conditions for a change. Temperatures will reach above average by around 5-10 degrees by early next week. HRICH && .AVIATION... VFR conditions through the afternoon with increasing ridgetop gusts to 50 kts through the overnight. This will bring LLWS and turbulence across the Sierra and terminals around the area this evening. Snow shower chances of 50-60% for KTVL and KTRK will present through Tuesday with terrain obscurations possible in the vicinity of active snow showers. KTRK could see up to 0.5 inches while KTVL could see around 1 inch of new snow through Tuesday evening. Clearing skies return late Wednesday, along with northeasterly winds that could provide aviation challenges. LLWS, turbulence and gusty winds will be the primary concern for Wednesday and Thursday as winds shift easterly and migrate south along the Sierra before exiting late Thursday. Tranquil flying conditions are moving in for the weekend, with light winds and clear skies. HRICH && .REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NV...Lake Wind Advisory from 5 AM to 8 PM PDT Tuesday NVZ002. CA...Lake Wind Advisory from 5 AM to 8 PM PDT Tuesday CAZ072. &&
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service RENO NV 1147 AM PDT Mon Mar 11 2024 CAZ071>073-NVZ002-121900- Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties- Greater Lake Tahoe Area-Mono County- Including the cities of Portola, Susanville, Westwood, Sierraville, Loyalton, South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe City, Truckee, Markleeville, Bridgeport, Coleville, Lee Vining, Mammoth Lakes, Stateline, Glenbrook, and Incline Village 1147 AM PDT Mon Mar 11 2024 ...LIGHT SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS MAY IMPACT SIERRA TRAVEL AND RECREATION THROUGH TUESDAY... * Mostly dry conditions prevail through this afternoon ahead of another weak system moving into the region tonight. This system will bring another round of light snow to the Sierra this evening into Tuesday morning, followed by widespread gusty winds through Tuesday afternoon. * Additional snowfall through Tuesday will be light with a trace to two inches below 7000 feet and up to six inches along the Sierra crest. Even light snow accumulations can lead to slick roads, so plan extra time for your travels, especially the Tuesday morning commute. * Wind gusts on Tuesday afternoon will reach 80 to 100 mph along ridges with 30 to 40 mph in Sierra valleys. Lower elevation winds will quickly diminish overnight Tuesday, while Sierra crest winds remain elevated much of this week. Expect bumpy flights and choppy lake waters. * Drier weather is favored from midweek onward with increasing potential for a strong northeast to east wind event on Thursday into Friday. http://weather.gov/reno
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Mesonet station (MTH03-MAMMOTH) located 1.7 mi S of Mammoth Mountain, CA and mesonet station (SE852 Sce-2876) located 2.0 mi S of Conway Summit reported peak wind gusts of 88 mph, and 64 mph respectively.
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, March 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: 1184945.