Footage from a wildlife monitoring camera on Black Mountain captured the rare snowfall, just south of Vegas. Light snow also fell in parts of the Las Vegas Valley, and icy roads shut down a scenic route to Red Rock Canyon.
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Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo ordered all state executive branch offices in the northern part of the state to remain closed in several counties due to the severe weather and dangerous road conditions.
A winter storm is expected to bring as much as 2 feet of snow to the highest elevations in the Sierra Nevada by Thursday.
Forecasters say more bad weather is in store.
Storms in the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountains had already dumped 29 inches at Stevens Pass in Washington and 30 inches outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, according to the National Weather Service.
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Authorities issued warnings for very dangerous avalanche conditions in mountainous areas of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Washington and Oregon. Backcountry travelers were advised to stay away from steep slopes.
In parts of northern Montana, temperatures could drop below minus 30 by Saturday morning. High temperatures were expected to remain below freezing as far south as Oklahoma.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.