S. brought wave after wave of short wave troughs that brought winter weather and high winds over northern 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 LKN wrote it up.
Back-to-back low pressure systems from the northwestern U.S. brought wave after wave of short wave troughs that brought winter weather and high winds over northern 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 Elko, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 26, 3:04 AM PST, 4 hours 37 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Elko NV 304 AM PST Thu Dec 26 2024 .SYNOPSIS...Period of active weather continues thru this weekend with accumulating precipitation expected. Greatest totals will be focused across northern Nevada with more modest totals throughout central Nevada. High pressure and fair weather expected next week. && .SHORT TERM...Today through Friday night. Active weather in the short term as back to back shortwaves impact the forecast area today and Friday. Precipitation moves in from the west-northwest and with progs indicating around 0.50” of PWAT embedded within each wave, accumulating rain and snow are expected. Greatest accumulations will be across northern Nevada with amounts more modest across central Nevada. The broad band of light snow currently moving from west to east across Nevada early this morning exits into Utah by 0800 AM PST. The first shortwave moves into northern Nevada this afternoon with rain and snow spreading into the area from the northwest. Brief reprieve Thursday night with a few lingering showers over northern Nevada under mostly cloudy skies. Next shortwave moves in early Friday morning with more consistent precipitation spreading from west to east. Rain and snow will again be present with the quick moving wave and precip exiting east Friday afternoon. That said, showers linger Friday night across northern Nevada as weather remains unsettled. Snow levels reside around 5500 feet for northern Nevada, and 6500 feet for central Nevada. Given the persistent west-northwesterly flow pattern and reasonable moisture profile, upslope enhancement is likely and locales situated along northwest mountain slopes should expect higher end precip totals. This pattern looks to bring the greatest snowfall to Elko County. New snowfall totals thru Friday night will be between 2 and 5 inches for northern Elko County and between 1 and 4 inches for southwest and south central Elko County. This has prompted the issuance of a winter weather advisory for these locations as well as the Ruby Mountains/East Humboldt range where up to 12+ inches are expected. Valley locations elsewhere can anticipate between a trace and three inches with several inches across the high terrain. Winds will also be elevated with westerly gusts 30 to 35 mph across northern Nevada and 25 to 30 mph across central Nevada. Daytime high temperatures reside in the upper 30s to upper 40s today with overnight lows in the low 20s to low 30s. Slightly warmer Friday as daytime highs mostly reside in the 40s. Overnight lows look to again be in the low 20s to low 30s. && .LONG TERM..Saturday through next Thursday Saturday through Monday: A series of shortwaves will continue to affect mainly northern Nevada with the spillover of residual atmospheric river moisture. The bad news is that central NV may miss out on much-needed precipitation as little moisture will reach the area. Another issue will be temperatures aloft; as the track shifts north, warmer air will be drawn northward as well. Morning lows will be in the lower 30s, and afternoon highs will be in the lower 40s for northern Nevada. However, highs will be in the lower 50s in central Nevada, and could reach as high as 60 degrees in some spots. The warmer temperatures in the central part of the state will result in higher snow levels that will shift diurnally, which will limit any snow accumulations to areas above 6500 feet in elevation. While some cooler air may work in during the overnight hours, any snow that does fall for the lower elevations will be lost the following day as temperatures warm. With these issues in mind, total accumulations for central Nevada will be low; a trace to 0.10” of rain in the valleys and 1-2 inches in the mountains is forecast. Amounts for the northern 1/3 of NV look a lot better overall, for the valleys current trend indicate 0.10” to 0.50” of liquid which will include up to 0.5” of snow, with snow probabilities falling to less than 20% after Saturday morning. The Passes and roadway summits will see several changeovers to precipitation type from rain to snow and back to rain, totals look to run between 0.35” to 0.75” of liquid, which will include about 1” to 4” of snowfall. The mountains (above 7000 feet) look to see mostly snow, as current trends indicate about 0.50” to 1.50” of liquid equivalent precipitation, which would indicate a total snowfall by Monday of 6” to 18”+. Tuesday through Thursday: Showers will be ending Tuesday afternoon across the far north of Elko county with fair weather returning Wednesday and Thursday with cooler temperatures and light winds. Temperatures will run in the mid 30s to upper 40s for daytime highs Friday through Monday, with lows in the mid 20s to mid 30s. Beginning Tuesday temperatures cool a bit into the low 30s to low 40s for highs through Thursday with overnight lows in the mid teens to mid 20s. Winds will be breezy out of the west to SW at 10 MPH and 20 MPH with gusts up to 30 MPH possible. Winds will shift to the WNW Tuesday through Thursday at 5 MPH to 15MPH with gusts up to 25 MPH possible. && .AVIATION...VFR conditions forecast to be the primary flight conditions for the next 24 hours. Ceilings will remain low this morning as the next system arrives in the afternoon. Showers will start as a mix of rain and snow for KWMC and KBAM, with snow expected for KEKO. As showers begin, flight conditions after 18-19Z could drop to MVFR level for period of time. Winds this evening and Thursday will be out of the WSW at 5KT to 15KT with gusts to 25KT. && .LKN Watches/Warnings/Advisories... Winter Weather Advisory until 4 PM PST Friday Northern Elko... Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range in Elko...South Central Elko...Southwest Elko. && 92/89/96
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Station (POCN2) Pole Creek, Elevation 8502 ft.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, December 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: 1222480.