A stronger and colder more classic winter storm followed Wednesday through|early Thursday, bringing additional wind and snow impacts to the Sierra and western NV. This storm system’s trajectory allowed it to drop southward into eastern California and western Nevada Wednesday-Wednesday night.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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 stronger and colder more classic winter storm followed Wednesday through|early Thursday, bringing additional wind and snow impacts to the Sierra and western NV. This storm system’s trajectory allowed it to drop southward into eastern California and western Nevada Wednesday-Wednesday night. This storm started with a short round of strong winds followed by bursts of heavier snow. Although this storm appeared to have a more overland trajectory with liquid precipitation totals a little lower, the forcing from this low and attendant cold front remained sufficiently intact to produce additional snow with at least an even chance of 6 or more inches in the Tahoe basin southward to western Mono County, and an additional foot or more along the Sierra crest. Plenty of winter travel hazards at all elevations continued into the Thursday AM commute.
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 Jan 9, 3:39 AM PST, 4 hours 1 minute earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Reno NV
339 AM PST Tue Jan 9 2024
.SYNOPSIS...
A brief warm-up, gusty winds, and a few light snow showers today
will be followed by another cold storm Wednesday through Wednesday
night, producing widespread wind, snow, and travel impacts at all
elevations. Plan on extensive disruptions to the Wednesday afternoon
and evening commutes due to a burst of moderate to heavy snow,
followed by the potential for icy conditions Wednesday night into
Thursday morning.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
OVERNIGHT UPDATES:
* Wind Advisories today for Greater Reno-Carson City-Minden Area
and Lassen-E. Plumas-E. Sierra counties
* Winter Weather Advisories issued for all of western NV and the
Surprise Valley (replacing any Winter Storm Watches) for
Wednesday with commute impacts due to bursts of moderate-heavy
snow.
STORM TODAY:
* GUSTY WINDS: Strong winds remain the primary impact with this
first storm with peak gusts of 50 mph possible across northeast CA
and far northwest NV through this evening. Along US-395/I-580,
wind-prone areas may see gusts 40-60 mph. There appears to be a
bit of a lull in the strongest winds from around 7 pm tonight
through early Wednesday morning before a round of more impactful
winds arrives with the next storm.
* LIGHT SIERRA SNOW: Nuisance snow showers will develop today in the
mountains of northeast CA (7 AM to 2 PM) and the Sierra crest (9
AM to 6 PM). Little to no precipitation is forecast for most areas
east of the Sierra crest, with the west side of the Lake Tahoe
Basin at lake level only seeing a 30-40% chance of seeing >1" of
snowfall. Simulations show about 3-6" along the Sierra crest, with
2-4" over Donner and Echo Summits, and <1" east of CA-89 into the
Lake Tahoe Basin.
SECOND STRONGER STORM WEDNESDAY-WEDNESDAY NIGHT:
* WIDESPREAD STRONG WINDS: Strong winds precede the next winter
storm for Wednesday into Wednesday night. Southwest winds will
increase in northeast CA and far northwest NV during the early-mid
morning, then sweep south along the Sierra and western NV by mid-
morning to afternoon. The strong winds finally arrive into Mono,
Lyon, and Mineral counties in the afternoon-evening. Wind gusts of
40-50+ mph are possible for lower elevations, 65+ mph in wind-
prone areas, and 80-100+ mph for Sierra ridges.
* SNOW TO ALL ELEVATIONS: Remember Saturday's snowy travel mess? This
storm queued up to arrive on Wednesday will bring similar
travel impacts with snow levels down to all valley areas. Hi-res
simulations are keying in on the potential for snow bands, dare
we say snow squall conditions (low visibility and heavy snow),
for Wednesday afternoon and evening. For details on the snow
amounts, check out the Winter Weather Advisory. The primary
concern will be the combination of high snow rates (1-2"/hr
western NV + 2-3"/hr Sierra) and strong winds to create
localized whiteout conditions across the region.
Timing of the peak snow rates on Wednesday:
- Lassen/Plumas 10 AM-3 PM
- Lake Tahoe 10 AM-6 PM
- Reno-Quad Cities 2-6 PM
- Pershing-Churchill 2-6 PM
- Eastern Sierra 3-10 PM
Snow bands will swiftly advance from north to south during the day,
with the greatest travel impacts expected during the Wednesday
afternoon-evening commute. The Thursday morning commute may also
experience ongoing travel woes with the potential for a flash freeze
after the snow. For specific snow totals, see the latest Winter
Weather Advisories and Warnings at weather.gov/reno.
REST OF THE WEEK AND THE WEEKEND:
* Clearer and drier conditions return by Thursday and Friday.
Temperatures will be quite cold again Thursday and Friday morning's
with the clear skies and fresh snowfall. Low temperatures drop
back down into the teens to single digits for the lower valleys of
western NV and northeast CA, with single-digits to below zero
temperatures in the colder valleys of the Sierra Thursday morning.
High temperatures will 'warm' into the 30s in western NV valleys
and 20s for Sierra locations, on Thursday. Temperatures moderate a
bit by Friday afternoon, but will still remain below average.
* Another storm is setting up for the weekend, but there is still
quite a bit of spread in the solutions. Latest ensemble clusters
show a brushby shortwave with the main portion of the trough
affecting areas east of the Sierra and western Nevada.
-Edan
&&
.AVIATION...
TODAY:
* WIND/TURBULENCE/LLWS: Strong winds, turbulence, and LLWS expected
today, especially along and east of the Sierra crest. Strong
westerly FL100 winds ~50-60 kts arrive into northeast CA, far
northwest NV, and the Sierra late this morning with surface wind
gusts 30-40 kts late morning and afternoon. Peak surface wind
gusts for terminals over NE CA and western NV southward to KRNO
could reach as high as 40-50 kts. Expect a lull in terminal winds
from 03Z-12Z Wednesday, before the next burst of stronger winds
arrives with the Wednesday storm.
* SNOW/CIGs/VIS: Terminals east of the Sierra will receive little to
no precipitation today. However, brief MVFR conditions and lowered
CIGs/VIS with -SN at KTRK and KTVL are possible today from 16Z-
00Z.
WEDNESDAY:
* WIND/TURBULENCE/LLWS: Strong SW-W winds, turbulence, and LLWS for
much of the day Wednesday, starting ~12Z. Terminals across
northeast CA and the Lake Tahoe Basin could see gusts 30-40 kts,
with western NV and Eastern Sierra terminals gusting 35-50 kts.
40% of forecast ensemble members are showing wind gusts 50+ kts
for KMMH Wednesday afternoon ahead of the snowfall.
* SNOW/CIGS/VIS: Snow will start in the Sierra Wednesday around 12-
15Z, progressing south from near the OR border (12 to 21Z) then
across western NV (21Z Wed to 06Z Thu). Expect periods of heavy
snow in the Sierra and even into western NV. These periods of
heavier snow will lower CIGs and VIS, generating IFR/LIFR
conditions. Possible snow totals: 10-14" KTRK-KTVL, 2-4" KRNO-KCXP-
KMEV, and 5-10" KMMH.
-Johnston/Edan
&&
.AVALANCHE...
No significant changes to snow totals or timing.
TODAY:
* TIMING/SNOWFALL RATES: Snow showers will be possible across the
Sierra crest from 9 AM to 6 PM today, with most areas east of the
Sierra crest shadowed out. Snowfall rates will generally be <1"/hr
today.
* SNOW-TO-LIQUID RATIOS/SNOW AMOUNTS: Max SLRs during this event
will be between 10-15:1. Expect 3-6" along the Sierra crest, with
2-4" over Donner and Echo Summits.
* WINDS: Strong westerly ridgetop winds of 40-60 mph with gusts up
to 100 mph. A lull in the winds is forecast for most areas from
approximately 7 PM today to 4 AM Wednesday before the next round
of stronger winds arrives with the second storm.
WEDNESDAY-WEDNESDAY NIGHT:
* TIMING/SNOWFALL RATES: Snow will begin flying in the Sierra early
Wednesday morning, with peak snowfall rates of 2-3"/hr possible in
the Lake Tahoe Basin from 10 AM-6 PM. Snow begins in the Eastern
Sierra late Wednesday morning, continuing into late Wednesday
night. Peak snowfall rates of 1-2"/hr are expected in the Eastern
Sierra between 3-10 PM Wednesday.
* SNOW-TO-LIQUID RATIOS/SNOW AMOUNTS: Given the cold and dry
character of the snow, SLRs of 14-18:1 are expected. Projected
snowfall amounts above 7000 feet around Tahoe are 14-24", with
8-16" for the remainder of the eastern Sierra.
* WINDS: Strong winds arrive Wednesday morning-early afternoon ahead
of the snow. Southwest winds will increase along the Sierra by mid-
morning to afternoon, finally pushing into the Eastern Sierra in
the evening. Wind gusts 80-100+ mph for Sierra ridges.
-Johnston/MJD
&&
.REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
NV...Wind Advisory until 4 AM PST Wednesday NVZ003-005.
Winter Weather Advisory from 4 AM to 10 PM PST Wednesday
NVZ001-003>005.
Lake Wind Advisory from 7 AM this morning to 4 AM PST Wednesday
NVZ002.
Winter Storm Warning from 4 AM Wednesday to 1 AM PST Thursday
NVZ002.
Lake Wind Advisory from 7 AM this morning to 9 PM PST this
evening NVZ004.
CA...Wind Advisory until 4 AM PST Wednesday CAZ070-071.
Winter Weather Advisory from 4 AM to 10 PM PST Wednesday
CAZ070-071.
Lake Wind Advisory from 7 AM this morning to 4 AM PST Wednesday
CAZ072.
Winter Storm Warning from 4 AM Wednesday to 1 AM PST Thursday
CAZ072.
Winter Weather Advisory from 10 AM Wednesday to 4 AM PST
Thursday CAZ073.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 heavy snow, 3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Mesonet station (SLIDE-DRI) located 0.9 mi E of Mount Rose Summit reported a peak wind gust of 98 mph.
The public located 1.0 mi SE of Silver Springs, NV, 5.0 mi ESE of Fernley, NV, and in Stagecoach, NV, reported 24 hour storm snowfall totals of 18.0 inches, 17.5 inches, and 9.0 inches respectively.
Mesonet station (NV052-South Verdi) located 2.0 mi SSE of Verdi, NV, and mesonet station (NV003-Caughlin) located 5.0 mi SSW of Reno, NV, reported peak wind gusts of 65mph and 63 mph respectively.
The public located 3.0 mi WSW of the Mount Rose Summit, and a trained spotter located 1.0 mi NNW of Incline Village reported 24 hour storm total snowfall of 16.0 inches and 12.8 inches respectively.
A NWS Employee located in 2.4 mi W of Fallon, NV, reported a 12 hour storm total snowfall of 11.0 inches.
Trained spotters located 5.0 mi NW of Wellington, NV, and 4.0 NW of Smith Valley, NV, reported 24 hour storm total snowfall of 10.0 inches and 11.0 inches respectfully.
Mesonet stations (EW0588 Yerington) located 5.0 mi ENE of Yerington, NV, and mesonet station (NV059 Pine Grove Mountain.) located 11.0 mi SE of Smith Valley, NV, both reported peak wind gusts of 62 mph.
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, 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: 1165943, 1165949, 1165946, 1165950, 1165942, 1165954, 1165948.