A cold storm system moved into the region on the 16th and 17th. Winds increased on the 16th with stronger gusts on the 17th.
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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 cold storm system moved into the region on the 16th and 17th. Winds increased on the 16th with stronger gusts on the 17th. Light rain and snow showers along with much colder conditions followed with highs only in the 50s accompanied the winds on the 17th, including a trace of snow around Reno including the airport.
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 May 17, 12:11 AM PST, 9 hours 49 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Reno NV
111 AM PDT Sun May 17 2026
.KEY MESSAGES...
* A secondary, stronger cold front arrives today bringing gusty
northerly winds, even colder temperatures and valley rain and
foothill/mountain snow showers mid to late afternoon.
* Freezing to near freezing temperatures Monday morning give way
to warmer and drier conditions for much of next week.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Get ready for sweaters, pants, jackets and windbreakers today as the
second of two weekend fronts swings in today. Additional cooling of
around 10-15 degrees will be widespread today, which will lead to a
rather chilly late Sunday into Monday morning. Lows may fall below
freezing for many western Nevada valleys, and certainly below
freezing for Sierra valleys. Precautions for protecting sensitive
plants should be taken this afternoon or evening at the latest.
While the Reno-Carson-Minden area will be flirting with freezing,
there is around a 30% chance to reach those temperatures.
Winds will increase out of the northeast today, picking up gusts
that could reach up to 55 mph, especially near Mono and Mineral
counties. Hazardous travel including bumpy flights and blowing dust
as well as crosswinds, and recreation impacts such as choppy lake
waters have prompted various Lake Wind Advisories and Wind
Advisories across the region.
As this front sags south across western Nevada, rain and snow
showers above 5000 feet will start to increase in coverage late
morning. Amounts should remain light as this is a progressive, fast-
moving system. Wetting rains are most possible over the Basin and
Range, from east of Lovelock toward Winnemucca (40-90% chances). To
the west, from Fernley to Lovelock, chances drop to a range of 20-
40%. There is a bit of frontal interaction that develops showers
early afternoon for the east side of the Tahoe Basin to the Pine Nut
Mountains, but here again snow amounts will be light to nuisance
in nature. Even so, the chance to see snowflakes in the air is
best south of US-50 and west of US-95 (30-40%) above 5000 feet.
Then, as the front drags into Mineral and Mono counties, the
shower chances progress south along the Sierra. By 10-11 PM the
bulk of the shower activity has moved toward eastern Nevada and
western Utah and out of our region.
A chilly start to Monday as mentioned will help to keep temperatures
below average through the evening. Temperatures will rebound in
earnest by mid week, bringing some 80s back onto our maps.
Previous discussions have mentioned the potential for showers to
develop next weekend, by we have yet to nail down details for
timing, amounts and locations. If we continue to see this pattern in
future shifts, confidence will increase and we will begin to draw
out some detail for your weekend planning. HRICH
&&
.AVIATION...
* Northeasterly surface winds will increase today, with gusts to 50
kts possible near KHTH. Expect turbulence and LLWS to develop
after 00z Monday. Blowing dust may be possible for KLOL, KNFL,
KHTH today.
* Rain shower chances will be highest (25-50%) east of KLOL-KNFL
and also at KMMH with snow chances above 5000 feet possible this
morning and afternoon. Edan/HRICH
&&
.REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
NV...Lake Wind Advisory from 5 PM this afternoon to 5 AM PDT Monday
NVZ002.
Wind Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 11 PM PDT this evening
NVZ001.
Lake Wind Advisory until 11 AM PDT this morning NVZ001.
Lake Wind Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 11 PM PDT this
evening NVZ003.
Lake Wind Advisory until 5 PM PDT this afternoon NVZ004.
CA...Lake Wind Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening CAZ071.
Lake Wind Advisory from 5 PM this afternoon to 5 AM PDT Monday
CAZ072.
Wind Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 11 PM PDT this evening
CAZ073.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Mesonet station LUNNV 10.2 W Luning measured a wind gust of 61 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, May 2026
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: 1329589.