High Wind and Winter Weather in Nevada, December 26 to 27, 2024

Name: High Wind and Winter Weather in Nevada, December 26 to 27, 2024
Start: 2024-12-26T01:20
End: 2024-12-27T08:00
Location: Nevada

December 26 to 27, 2024 · NWS REV · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS REV wrote it up.

A pair of quick-moving shortwave troughs will across the Pacific NW the 26th and 27th that brought two waves in short succession of gusty winds and precipitation. The first round pushed across the region overnight Christmas through the morning of the 26th. After a brief break on the afternoon of the 26th, the second storm system passed through the area later in the night on the 26th into the 27th. The first wave brought light Sierra snow and valley rain with winds bringing the main impacts as a belt of amplified southwesterly wind aloft overspread the region. Ridgetop gusts exceeded 90 mph with lower valleys reaching 35-45 mph by the afternoon that induced impacts to recreation and travel.

The bulk of the Sierra snow fell during the AM hour’s on the 26th with snow showers wrapping up that afternoon. Meanwhile, antecedent cold air from this latest storm yield snow levels around 5000-5500 feet as showers arrive to the region. This increased the possibility of a mix of rain and snow for lower valley areas early on the 26th with snow levels rising to 6500-7000 feet that switched p-type to all rain. After a short window of dry weather Thursday afternoon, the second unstable wave brought impacts to the region overnight on the 26th into the 27th. Similar wind impacts occurred with this round of stormy weather favoring warmer and wetter conditions with higher snow levels (8000 feet) and heavier snowfall along the Sierra crest.

What forecasters said that day

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 Dec 25, 12:43 PM PST, 12 hours 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 25, 12:43 PM PST, 12 hours 37 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Reno NV
1243 PM PST Wed Dec 25 2024

.SYNOPSIS...

* Dry weather prevails through the remainder of today with cool
  temperatures.

* Periods of gusty winds, valley rain, and mountain snow to impact
  recreation and travel Thursday and Friday.

* Another storm possible on Sunday with dry, mild weather favored
  to ring in the new year.

&&

.DISCUSSION...

Locations across the Sierra today awoke to a white Christmas
thanks to yesterday's storm system. Maybe next year we'll be
walking in a winter wonderland across the area! However, today we
will have a relatively blue Christmas with partly cloudy skies.
Temperatures today will be in the 40s all the way from Western NV
valleys to Sierra communities. Ironically, this is cooler than
what we experienced in Reno last Christmas but our temperatures
are still above normal!

Any hopes of a silent night tonight are out the window as conditions
quickly change overnight. A low pressure system off the Pacific
NW drops in, bringing showers to NE CA late tonight before dropping
down towards Mono county by sunrise. Snow levels will be low
enough overnight for Sierra communities to see some light snow
showers. Western NV valleys will be shadowed while Sierra
communities can see on and off showers through the day Thursday.

The odds of a winter wonderland in the Sierra increase Thursday
night as a second low pressure starts to impact our area. This
system will be wider in areal coverage but snow levels will be
above 6000 feet at the storm's onset. Levels will fluctuate a
little bit, meaning locations along the foothills may see a
snowflake or two, before they rise above 7500 feet by early
morning Friday.

With snow levels fluctuating like they are, primarily with the
second system early Friday, it's increased the challenge in
forecasting snow totals. However, what we can expect are impacts
to travel in the morning over Sierra passes; it definitely won't
be a fun sleigh ride. For road conditions, check out QuickMap
(CA) and NVRoads (NV).

Another impact with these two systems are the gusty winds
preceding both systems. Ridge wind gusts early Thursday morning
will exceed 80 mph and then over 100 mph Friday morning. Wind
prone areas will likely see over 60 mph gusts from these two
systems. As of now, there is a 75% chance of wind gusts exceeding
50 mph in Reno on Friday.

Another system Sunday brings Sierra snow and valley rain. Snow
levels will be above 7000 feet for majority of this system,
bringing snow to the highest peaks. What are you doing New Year's
Eve, you ask? We're forecasting a dry start to 2025. -Giralte

&&

.AVIATION...

VFR conditions across the area today before another winter storm
waltzes into the area. LLWS impacts all terminals by 26/06Z (by
26/09Z for KMMH) and will prevail through the entire day Thursday.
Additionally, wind gusts over 45 mph are likely for Sierra front
terminals and at KTVL with strongest winds 12-20Z. KTRK and KTVL
can expect light snow showers around 26/12Z, dropping to MVFR/IFR
conditions. -Giralte

&&

.REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
NV...Wind Advisory from 4 AM to noon PST Thursday NVZ003-005.

     Winter Weather Advisory from 10 PM this evening to noon PST
     Friday NVZ002.

     Lake Wind Advisory from 4 AM to 5 PM PST Thursday NVZ004.

CA...Wind Advisory from 4 AM to noon PST Thursday CAZ070.

     Winter Weather Advisory from 10 PM this evening to noon PST
     Friday CAZ071>073.

&&

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 high wind, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Greater Reno/Carson City/Minden Area

When: December 26, 1:20 AM PST to 3:48 AM PST
Where: Greater Reno/Carson City/Minden Area forecast zone
Measured: 106 kt (122 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 39.511, -119.499 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A mesonet station (NV052-South Verdi), located 2.0 miles SSE of Verdi, NV, a mesonet station (UP983 Mill City) located 1.0 mile W of Mill City, NV, and a mesonet station (SLIDE) located 1.0 mile ESE of Mount Rose Summit, reported peak wind gusts of 88 mph, 99 mph, and 122 mph.

Winter Weather, Greater Lake Tahoe Area

When: December 26, 8:00 AM PST to December 27, 8:00 AM PST
Where: Greater Lake Tahoe Area forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 39.789, -119.640 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A trained spotter located 1.0 mile NNW of Incline Village, NV, and the public located at the Diamond Peak Ski Base, NV, both reported 24 hour storm total snowfall of 5.0 inches, and the public located at the Mount Rose Ski Base reported 24 hour storm total snowfall amounts of 6.0 inches.

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Nevada in 2024 Every state in 2024 This day in weather history Warnings in Nevada, December 2024

Sources

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: 1230080, 1230081.