In the December 1990 Nevada Climate Summary, the now-retired State Climatologist, John James, summed up that month's weather: "At least 16 locations, with between 30 and 113 years of record, set new temperature marks for any month, with 2 to 3 times that many just missing [their] all time lows but establishing new minima for December."

Nevada: Minus 46 degrees F
James continued: "Also, Nevada's long-standing December low of minus45 degrees, set in 1924 in San Jacinto, was broken, as minus 46 degrees was recorded at Mountain City during the peak of the pre-Christmas cold snap." (That new record low at Mountain City in December 1990 ranks second only to the minus 50 set back in January 1937 as Nevada's all-time coldest temperature.)

The 1990 Arctic intrusion plunged deep into Nevada. Boulder City (south of Las Vegas) dropped to 9 above zero. Carson City registered a minus 19, and Reno recorded 13 below. The coldest air during this event settled over the central and eastern portions of the Silver State, but residents along the eastern Sierra also shivered through the holidays. Only the bravest skiers and boarders ventured out to the slopes where rare frostbite warnings were posted.

Truckee: Minus 28 degrees F
Other Sierra stations also reported brutally cold readings. South Lake Tahoe fell to 17 below, Markleeville to 25 below, and Truckee hit minus 28. At least this time snow was a problem; Echo Summit picked up most in the region, with 49 inches.

December 21, the first day of winter. The real temperature on Slide Mountain had slid to 11 degrees below zero and skiers were dealing with a dangerous wind chill of 52 below. Truckee endured four nights in a row with temperatures exceeding 20 degrees below zero.

Weather Pattern 2005
For the last few years, the Pacific storm track has been under the influence of either warmer-than-normal or colder- than-average sea surface temperatures, phenomena known as El Niño or La Niña respectively. Both events generally create mild temperatures throughout the U.S. This winter will be the first in a long while where sea surface temperatures are near normal, where the ocean is in a neutral phase.

The nasty 1990 cold snap occurred during a neutral phase, so keep your fingers crossed...and always be prepared for severe winter weather.

Mark McLaughlin is a weather historian and writer who lives on the North Shore. You may reach him at mark@thestormking.com