Alert archive / Nevada / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 5, NWS Las Vegas, NV

July 12, 1990Clark County, Nevada

NWS Las Vegas, NV issued this flash flood warning at Jul 12, 1990, 5:18 PM PDT for Clark County, Nevada. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 12, 1990, 5:18 PM PDT (00:18 UTC)
Expired
Jul 12, 1990, 8:15 PM PDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Las Vegas, NV
Area
Whole counties

County Clark County, NV

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Mercury/Desert R, NV (KDRA), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 99 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Mercury/Desert R, NV at 00:00Z on 1990-07-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 66 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Mercury/Desert R, NV at 00:00Z on 1990-07-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 8 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
66 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3860 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
2 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
13 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KLAS 130019
FFWLAS
NVC003-130315-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
518 PM PDT THU JUL 12 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAS VEGAS HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  815 PM PDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS......
 
IN SOUTH NEVADA
 
   ...SOUTHERN CLARK COUNTY
 
A WEATHER SPOTTER AND REMOTE RAIN GUAGES REPORT 1.14 INCHES OF RAIN
AT CAL-NEV-ARI IN  20 MINUTES. THIS LOCATION IS ABOUT 10 MILES
SOUTH OF SEARCHLIGHT.
 
THIS WARNING COVERS AN AREA FROM SEARTCHLIGHT TO LAUGHLIN NEVADA.
 
LAS VEGAS RADAR SHOWED HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING SLOWLY ACROSS
THE WARNING AREA.  SMALL HAIL WAS ALSO REPORTED BY A SPOTTER.
 
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FNOOT.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 12, 1:27 PM PDT, 3 hours 51 minutes before
NVZ008-009-122300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
125 PM PDT THU JUL 12 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS ARE DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHERN NEVADA...

RADAR AND LIGHTNING DETECTION EQUIPMENT SHOWS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHERN NEVADA.  MOST OF THE ACTIVITY WAS OVER SOUTHERN
CLARK COUNTY AT THIS TIME.

THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING
HOURS.  SOME OF THE HEAVIER THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...STRONG
GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MILES AN HOUR...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL.

LOCAL FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND NORMALLY DRY WASHES IS POSSIBLE.
REMEMBER...NEVER ATTEMPT TO CROSS FLOODED ROADS ON FOOT OR IN YOUR CAR.

GUSTY WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS WILL CAUSE LOCAL AREAS OF
BLOWING DUST AND SAND REDUCING VISIBILITIES.

IF LIGHTNING IS NEARBY TAKE SHELTER INDOORS OR IN YOUR CAR.  NEVER SEEK
SHELTER FROM LIGHTNING UNDER A TREE.

PERSONS ENGAGED IN OUTDOOR ACTIVITES IN SOUTHERN NEVADA ARE URGED TO USE
CAUTION AND KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY.

LISTEN TO COMMERCIAL RADIO...TELEVISION OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE
LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
DODD/2026Z
Special weather statement, Jul 12, 3:46 PM PDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before
NVZ008-009-130500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
340 PM PDT THU JUL 12 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS ARE NEAR THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY...

RADAR AND LIGHTNING DETECTION EQUIPMENT SHOWS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
MOVING CLOSE TO AND SURROUNDING THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY. NO REPORTS OF RAIN
IN THE VALLEY AT THIS TIME.

THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING
HOURS.  SOME OF THE HEAVIER THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...STRONG
GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MILES AN HOUR...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL.

LOCAL FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND NORMALLY DRY WASHES IS POSSIBLE.
REMEMBER...NEVER ATTEMPT TO CROSS FLOODED ROADS ON FOOT OR IN YOUR CAR.

GUSTY WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS WILL CAUSE LOCAL AREAS OF
BLOWING DUST AND SAND REDUCING VISIBILITIES.

IF LIGHTNING IS NEARBY TAKE SHELTER INDOORS OR IN YOUR CAR.  NEVER SEEK
SHELTER FROM LIGHTNING UNDER A TREE.

PERSONS ENGAGED IN OUTDOOR ACTIVITES IN SOUTHERN NEVADA ARE URGED TO USE
CAUTION AND KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY.

LISTEN TO COMMERCIAL RADIO...TELEVISION OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE
LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
DODD/2244Z

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Nevada, 1990Every flash flood warning in 1990

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.