Nevada
March blizzard strands vehicles, and saves Nevada winter • Nevada Current
Powerful storm activity throughout the Sierra Nevada in early March changed the water supply outlook for Nevada in a matter of days, according to federal resource managers.
Following a four-day blizzard that started on Leap Day, snowpack percentages in the eastern Sierra — a major water source for the Truckee River — jumped by a record 30%, increasing snow water content throughout its range by about 6.9 inches on average between February 29 and March 4.
By the end of the intense blizzard, all basins across Nevada had above normal snowpacks for the first time this winter, according to a winter outlook report by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Federal data sites in Nevada recorded between 4-10 inches of additional snow water content to the snowpack in the Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Carson and Walker basins over the four days.
Dramatic high winds and dense snow also left vehicles stranded, and forced the closure of interstate highways between Nevada and California. Based on federal data, the intensity of the four-day blizzard was also among the strongest on record.
Since 1981, only 16 other storms have added more than 6 inches of snow water content to the region’s snowpack over a four-day stretch. Only three storms recorded since 1981 had a higher four-day gain than this year’s blizzard.
Before the four-day blizzard reached the Sierra Nevada, Nevada’s basins were at 44% median snowpack. However, two atmospheric rivers in February and the blizzard helped the Carson and Walker basins snowpacks surpass their normal springtime peak snow water amounts. The Lake Tahoe and Truckee basins still need 2-3 inches of additional snow water to reach their peaks.
Southern Nevada also benefited from an increase in snow and precipitation over the Great Basin last month. Snowpack in the Upper Colorado Basin — a major water source for the Colorado River and Lake Mead — is at 105% of its normal snowpack percentage. Precipitation for the Upper Colorado Basin is at 102% of normal.
The Spring Mountains in southern Nevada, a major source of water for the Amargosa River in Nye County, have also surpassed their median peak snowpack amounts for this time of year.
Spring is getting closer, but there’s still about a month left until the typical snow peak for Colorado and Nevada snowpacks, meaning there’s still time for things to change. Despite a slow start, this winter has produced a steady increase in snowpack percentages each month so far, leaving climatologists and state resource managers optimistic for a good water year in Nevada.
‘Whiplash years’
“We have two big assets right now. One is that we still have some carryover benefit from last winter in terms of reservoirs,” said Thomas Albright, the interim Nevada State Climatologist. “And now we’re going to have more in this snowpack than we thought we were going to have a couple of weeks ago.”
Last year’s record snowpack has continued to buffer reservoir water storage in Nevada, reducing supply concerns and surface water drought issues into 2024.
Dan McEvoy, a researcher for the Western Regional Climate Center, warned that the Sierra Nevada hasn’t experienced “an extended wet period that lasts for more than two years in a row” in the last century.
“Since 2000, we’ve had more whiplash years, with some of the wettest and driest on record in the last ten years alone, but not forming consecutive trends,” said McEvoy. “We do, however, see a continuous trend in our higher-than-average winter temperatures due to our changing climate.”
Nevada’s winter this year has been consistently warmer than average, a trend that’s likely to continue, said Albright, the interim state climatologist. In December, Reno experienced its third warmest December on record. In January, Nevada saw record high daily temperatures across the state, including in Reno and Las Vegas. And based on climate station data, February temperatures in Nevada were, on average, 1.44 F above normal.
That may not bode well for Nevada’s snowpack as warmer spring and summer months arrive. Heat waves can easily shrink snowpack, a natural water storage system, melting snow before it can be used in the drier summer.
“Nevada has been solidly warm this whole winter,” Albright said. “That may influence the rate of snowmelt and deplete our snowpack a little bit faster than normal,
The four-day blizzard brought Nevada cooler temperatures in early March, but throughout the central and eastern U.S. temperatures were near or above normal, according to a March National Water and Climate Center report. In the Midwest and Great Lakes, temperatures were 10 to 15 degrees warmer than normal. A few spots in the Great Lakes area were even warmer, with readings at 15-20 degrees above normal.
“This year in particular globally has been a really, really warm year. And the ocean temperatures are kind of off the charts,” Albright said. “That’s something to be concerned about. All I see in the outlooks is a continued expectation of warmer weather, above normal weather.”
The Las Vegas Raiders have orchestrated many groundbreaking moves this offseason, but none as important as the impact they made at a fundraising event.
Over the weekend, the Raiders hosted the Silver & Black Gala, raising $2.5 million for mental health in Nevada. Sunday marked the third time the organization had hosted the event, which has produced a tremendous turnout.
Several individuals spoke during the event, including Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis and president Sandra Douglass Morgan, who each highlighted the importance of acknowledging mental health.
Davis’ Thoughts
- “We’re here to raise money for mental health, which is one of the most important things we can all deal with,” Davis said. “Every one of us is impacted by mental health and our families, friends, or anywhere else, we are all directly affected. That’s why it’s so critical to raise money for our community. We’re grateful for you all, and appreciate you being here.”
Morgan’s Thoughts
“Mental health remains one of the most urgent issues across Nevada,” Morgan said. “Through the Silver & Black Gala, the Raiders Foundation is helping expand access to trusted, community-based resources that meet people where they are. This year’s recipients reflect the depth and complexity of that work, supporting our community in schools, clubhouses, homes, shelters, and family systems statewide.”
The Raiders also honored former player Carl Nassib and NFL broadcaster Jay Glazer on Sunday night as the winners of the Commitment to Excellence award. Here is what each of them had to say.
Glazer’s Thoughts
- “First, this is incredible what the Raiders are doing,” Glazer said. “God blessed me with the ability to communicate, so I’m going to use that to try and help other people. When we’re willing to share our scars, we turn them into strength—into something that connects us as teammates with nothing to hide. That’s what builds a true team, a championship team. I’m proud to stand with you and be part of this team tonight.”
Nassib’s Thoughts
- “It is truly a privilege to be up here,” Nassib said. “We’re creating space for people to be vulnerable—and that work is truly lifesaving. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about showing up and reminding people they’re not alone.”
Overall Thoughts
This has been a tremendous event over the last few years, and the Raiders’ organization has done a great job of raising awareness for mental health. This will be an event that the team will continue to host in the future.
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Nevada
Nevada workers fear homelessness as housing, jobs vanish before July deadline | Fox News Video
The final casino resort in Primm, Nevada, will close this summer after years of declining tourism, ending gaming operations in the once-busy border town and putting hundreds of employees out of work.
Primm Valley Casino Resorts is shutting down its remaining hotel and casino operations in July as experts point to increased competition, changing travel habits and post-pandemic losses behind the decline.
RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo (R) is in a strong position heading into the thick of his 2026 reelection bid — a huge war chest, almost universal name recognition and strong favorability numbers among the electorate.
Though Lombardo is likely focusing on the general election already, he faces 6 longshot candidates in the GOP primary seeking to upset him in June.
Nevada Governor GOP primary: 6 longshot candidates taking on incumbent Joe Lombardo
The challengers face a ‘Herculean’ task, said Mike Noble, CEO and founder of Noble Predictive Insights, an Arizona-based nonpartisan pollster focusing on the Southwest region.
“I see it as a Herculean task for anyone. If someone was coming in with like, I don’t know $10 million or something to spend, sure I can see that might be competitive, but I don’t see any of them coming anywhere near close to that. And so again, I just think I think it’s a non-factor at this point,” Noble said.
RELATED | Ballot Battleground: Nevada podcast: Early Noble poll shows dead heat in governor’s race
Despite the long odds, News 4-Fox 11 reached out to all candidates requesting an interview as part of our commitment to 2026 election coverage and our Know Your Candidates series. Three of the 7 running interviewed with us — Irina Hansen, Kameron Hawkins, Lombardo and Jose Zelaya did not respond to multiple emails requesting an interview.
We asked them similar questions about Gov. Lombardo’s leadership as governor, how they would pass a balanced budget and whether they support taxpayer subsidies for sports teams or major projects.
Click the candidate’s name to watch their full interview. Quotes below have been edited for space and clarity.
Donald J. Beaudry Jr. is an entrepreneur who founded BlkEdgeAi, a financial technology firm specializing in AI-driven trading systems and market strategy, according to his campaign website.
He told News 4-Fox 11 that Nevada has been drifting the last four years with ‘no captain, no vision.’ He believes his Wall Street-like trading market called NGEX (Nevada Global Exchange) would generate enough revenue to eliminate sales taxes, property taxes, business taxes and vehicle registration fees.
“I completely blueprinted it out and calculated that this model could generate enough revenue in this state that we could eliminate all the state taxes and fees that are currently in place and use that as the revenue source for the state and make everybody, every man, woman and child throughout Nevada, a shareholder in the dividends of that exchange … it would be a kind of Wall Street type of stock market, but far broader, more advanced, and exponentially more profitable.”
Matthew Rian Winterhawk is the founder of SmartSlaps foundation, a nonprofit that works to help schools and students with civic engagement and community responsibility.
If elected, he described going through a DOGE-like review of the state budget to determine which areas can be cut or kept depending on their ‘dollar to impact’ ratio.
“What I would like to do is go through every department, I’m talking top to bottom, from here from the primary to the beginning. We will cut every piece of administrative bloat across the system … I need more money for my teachers. Teachers never see it, students never see it, the impact never reaches the classroom. It’s 100% administrative bloat.”
The son of immigrants, Barak Zilberberg is now an entrepreneur and real estate investor based in Las Vegas. He ran for governor in 2022, earning 0.2% of the vote in the GOP primary. He told News 4-Fox 11 he’s also running for President in 2028.
He said he’s running for governor to improve the educational system, bring jobs to Nevada and open up federal land to build more affordable housing.
“We’ve got get high-speed railing systems in here where we can transit very easily, efficiently, and basically moving around between economies of both cities. Not only that, I’d like to bring Disneyland here and the Olympics, sponsor the Olympics here. I just want to make this a well-known place of entertainment, a hub.”
To help voters make informed decisions this election year, News 4-Fox 11 is publishing and broadcasting dozens of interviews with candidates who will appear on the June primary ballot.
In fairness to all candidates, they were asked a series of similar questions. We are posting the full interviews online so voters can watch their responses in their entirety.
Visit our Know Your Candidates 2026 page to view other race previews and meet other candidates.
Email reporter Ben Margiott at bjmargiott@sbgtv.com. Follow @BenMargiott on X and Ben Margiott KRNV on Facebook.
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