Strong wind gusts of 50-60 mph across lower elevations of far western NV, isolated gusts 65-80 mph in wind prone areas and around 100 mph for Sierra ridges. 1-5 of snow was reported above 7000 feet for he northern portion of the Tahoe Basin.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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.
Strong wind gusts of 50-60 mph across lower elevations of far western NV, isolated gusts 65-80 mph in wind prone areas and around 100 mph for Sierra ridges. 1-5 of snow was reported above 7000 feet for he northern portion of the Tahoe Basin. Rainfall was rather shadowed out for much of W NV with spotty amounts of 0.10 or less in far W NV, and dry conditions for west central NV.
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 18, 1:35 PM PST, 11 hours 3 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Reno NV
135 PM PST Thu Dec 18 2025
.KEY MESSAGES...
* Mild weather with gusty winds continue into Friday. Localized fire
weather concerns possible in areas of receptive fuels.
* Wet and windy pattern commences this weekend, lasting into much of
next week. Expect impacts to holiday travel.
* Good potential for heavy rain Sunday with rises on creeks and
rivers, with a non-zero risk of heavy mountain snow Christmas Eve
and Christmas Day.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Very active weather is expected this weekend through the Christmas
holiday as a progression of atmospheric river storms move through
late weekend into early next week. Storms this weekend will be
characterized as wet, high snow level storms producing moderate to
heavy rainfall with the potential for notable rises on small creeks
and streams along with impacts for urban and poor drainage areas.
See Hydrology section below for more details.
An initial wave of moisture will push through Friday morning through
Saturday morning with 70% rain chances along the Sierra roughly
north of US-50. This could yield rainfall amounts of 0.50-1.00"+
along the eastern Sierra while snow levels hover near 8500 feet.
Western Nevada will see limited spillover with accumulations up to a
few hundredths of an inch.
The main issue for W.Nevada will be wind Friday and potentially
again on Sunday. A potent 700mb jet (around 60kts) could yield
afternoon gusts of around 50 mph along the eastern Sierra and Sierra
Front with wind prone locations exceeding 60 mph. Localized fire
weather concerns due to gusty winds and dry conditions are still
present across portions of the southern Sierra Front into Mono
County as these areas have not seen recent wetting rains.
Sunday and Monday feature a wetter AR storm which could yield
another round of strong and gusty winds ahead of the moisture push
on Sunday. Snow levels look quite high during this event, above 8500-
9000 feet, which would limit snow impacts to the highest peaks.
Otherwise expect periods of heavy rainfall. Median rainfall amounts
over a 48 hour period suggest rain amounts of around 2-4 inches from
the Tahoe Basin into NE California with lesser amounts to the south,
1-1.5 inches across Mono County. W.Nevada could also see upwards of
1 inch of rainfall during this time.
After a brief lull on Tuesday, another potent storm system could
impact the Sierra and western Nevada Christmas Eve and Christmas
Day. This storm could strike a balance of ample moisture with lower
snow levels which could produce snow impacts to the Sierra with snow
lines dipping as low as lake level. Still a lot of details to work
on with this storm but keep a close eye on the forecast if you have
any holiday travel planned. Factoring in wind, snow, and rain
potentials - Saturday and Tuesday probably have the best travel
conditions. Fuentes
&&
.AVIATION...
* Wind impacts will continue as ridgetop winds (FL100) increase to
50-60kts this evening and continue through Friday afternoon.
Expect mountain wave turbulence and LLWS for all airfields in the
Sierra and far W Nevada including RNO. Surface gusts at Sierra and
W.Nevada terminals could reach 40-45 knots Friday afternoon.
* A short lived wave of precip is also likely to affect flying
conditions on Friday during the day. Mainly in the mountain areas
from SVE to TRK/TVL with periods of MVFR-IFR in rain.
* A strong, atmospheric river storm could provide another round of
strong and gusty winds on Sunday followed by period of heavy rain
for Sierra and W.Nevada terminals. Snow impacts will be limited to
the highest Sierra peaks as snow levels remain high at around 8500-
9000 feet. Chris/Fuentes
&&
.HYDROLOGY...
* Moderate to heavy rains will lead to significant rises on
rivers and streams Sunday into Monday most notably from the
Tahoe Basin north through Lassen County, but no mainstem river
flooding is currently expected. Minor flooding of urban and poor
drainage areas and rockfall are possible during any prolonged
periods of high intensity rainfall. Watch for additional rises
near Christmas Eve and possible flooding concerns especially in
drainages with large mountain drainages below about 6,000 feet,
like the Susan River for example.
* You can find river forecasts updated twice daily at: www.cnrfc.noaa.gov
&&
.REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
NV...Wind Advisory from 4 AM Friday to 4 AM PST Saturday NVZ002-003-
005.
Lake Wind Advisory until 4 AM PST Friday NVZ002.
Lake Wind Advisory from 4 AM Friday to 4 AM PST Saturday NVZ004.
CA...Wind Advisory from 4 AM Friday to 4 AM PST Saturday CAZ070>072.
Lake Wind Advisory until 4 AM PST Friday CAZ072.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
RAWS LVYN2 Little Valley recorded a gust of 67 mph. Also, the mesonet station SLIDE 0.9 E Mount Rose Summit recorded a gust of 101 mph.
Nevada DOT mesonet station 2.3 NE Washoe City recorded a wind gust of 74 mph. Mesonet station NV052 in South Verdi recorded a wind gust to 69 mph. Finally, ASOS station KRTS Reno Stead recorded a wind gust of 58 mph.
Mesonet station NV058 in Smith Valley recorded a wind gust of 67 mph. Mesonet station NV059 at Pine Grove Mountain recorded a wind gust to 58 mph.
Mesonet station Gerlach recorded a gust of 59 mph. Also, mesonet station Barrel Springs recorded a wind gust to 59 mph at 8:59 PM PST on the 18th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, December 2025
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: 1300452, 1300455, 1300456, 1300454.