Alert archive / Nevada / High Wind Warnings in 2026

High Wind Warning 4, NWS Elko, NV

May 17, 2026Nye County, Nevada

NWS Elko, NV issued this high wind warning at May 17, 2026, 12:01 AM PDT for Nye County, Nevada. It took effect at May 17, 2026, 11:00 AM PDT. It was in force for 11 hr. 9 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 17, 2026, 12:01 AM PDT (07:01 UTC)
In effect from
May 17, 2026, 11:00 AM PDT
Expired
May 17, 2026, 9:44 PM PDT
In force
11 hr
Issued by
NWS Elko, NV

County Nye County, NV

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 17, 1:56 PM PDTNON-TSTM WND GST 587 E Tonopah, NVASOS Tonopah Airport (KTPH), elevation 5426 feet.
May 17, 4:25 PM PDTNON-TSTM WND GST 641 Nw Scottys Junction, NVMesonet station SJTNV Us-95 At Scottys Junction. Wind speeds above 40 mph or greater began at 1435 and continued through 1816. Peak gust 64mph at 1625.
May 17, 4:45 PM PDTNON-TSTM WND GST 6113 N Mercury, NVMesonet station A05AB 13.2 N Mercury (ARL SORD). Wind gusts of 58 mph or greater began at 1700 and continued through 1730. Peak gust 61 mph at 1715.
May 17, 5:00 PM PDTNON-TSTM WND GST 6136 Ssw Rachel, NVMesonet station A10AA 36.5 N Mercury (ARL SORD). Wind gusts of 58 mph or greater began at 1645 and continued through 1700. Peak gust 61 mph at 1700.
May 17, 5:00 PM PDTNON-TSTM WND GST 6226 Ne Beatty, NVMesonet station A18AA 26.2 NE Beatty (ARL SORD). Wind speeds of 40 mph or greater from 1615 through 1945. Peak gust 62 mph at 1700.
May 17, 5:00 PM PDTNON-TSTM WND GST 6431 N Mercury, NVMesonet station A04AA 30.6 N Mercury (ARL SORD). Wind gusts of 58 mph or greater began at 1630 and continued through 1715. Peak gust 64 mph at 1700.
May 17, 5:00 PM PDTNON-TSTM WND GST 7138 Nnw Mercury, NVMesonet station A12AF 38.1 N Mercury (ARL SORD). Wind gusts of 58 mph or greater began at 1630 and continued through 2000. Peak gust 71mph at 1700.
May 17, 6:00 PM PDTNON-TSTM WND GST 582 N Amargosa Valley, NVMesonet station A25AI 2.0 N Amargosa Valley (ARL SORD). Single gust to 58 mph.
May 17, 7:30 PM PDTNON-TSTM WND GST 7215 Nnw Amargosa Valley, NVMesonet station OYMAB 14.9 N Amargosa Valley (ARL SORD). Sustained winds over 40 mph began at 1615 and ended at 1945. Peak gust 72 mph at 1845.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Reno, NV (KREV), launched 00:00Z, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 226 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, Reno, NV at 00:00Z on 2026-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Reno, NV at 00:00Z on 2026-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -10 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3036 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
110 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

474 
WWUS75 KLKN 170701
NPWLKN

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Elko NV
1201 AM PDT Sun May 17 2026

NVZ040-180115-
/O.UPG.KLKN.WI.Y.0014.260517T1800Z-260518T0600Z/
/O.NEW.KLKN.HW.W.0004.260517T1800Z-260518T0600Z/
Northwestern Nye-
Including the cities of Tonopah, Manhattan, and Round Mountain
1201 AM PDT Sun May 17 2026

...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 11 PM PDT SUNDAY...

* WHAT...Northwest winds 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph 
  expected.

* WHERE...Northwestern Nye County.

* WHEN...From 11 AM to 11 PM PDT Sunday.

* IMPACTS...Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. 
  Areas of blowing dust will reduce visibility to one mile or less 
  in spots. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile 
  vehicles.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and 
avoid windows. Watch for falling debris and tree limbs. Use caution 
if you must drive.

&&

$$

NVZ030-031-035-037-041-180115-
/O.CON.KLKN.WI.Y.0014.260517T1800Z-260518T0600Z/
Humboldt-Northern Elko-White Pine-Southern Lander and Southern
Eureka-Northeastern Nye-
Including the cities of McGill, Mountain City, Diamond Valley,
Valmy, Ruth, Ely, Dufferena, Owyhee, Jarbidge, Hickison Summit,
Eureka Airport, Winnemucca, Gibbs Ranch, Tuscarora, Lund, Blue
Eagle Ranch, Midas, Garden Pass, Duckwater, Cherry Creek, Pinto
Summit, Ely Airport, Golconda, Grass Valley, Charleston, Eureka,
and Preston
1201 AM PDT Sun May 17 2026

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 11 PM PDT SUNDAY...

* WHAT...North winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph expected.

* WHERE...White Pine, Southern Lander and Southern Eureka, Northern 
  Elko, Humboldt, and Northeastern Nye Counties.

* WHEN...From 11 AM to 11 PM PDT Sunday.

* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Areas of 
  blowing dust will reduce visibility to one mile or less in spots.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high 
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

Secure outdoor objects.

&&

$$

86
2 follow-up statements
928 
WWUS75 KLKN 172059
NPWLKN

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Elko NV
159 PM PDT Sun May 17 2026

NVZ040-180600-
/O.CON.KLKN.HW.W.0004.000000T0000Z-260518T0600Z/
Northwestern Nye-
Including the cities of Round Mountain, Manhattan, and Tonopah
159 PM PDT Sun May 17 2026

...HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS 
EVENING...

* WHAT...North winds 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 70 mph.

* WHERE...Northwestern Nye County.

* WHEN...Until 11 PM PDT this evening.

* IMPACTS...Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. 
  Areas of blowing dust will reduce visibility to one mile or less 
  in spots. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile 
  vehicles.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and 
avoid windows. Watch for falling debris and tree limbs. Use caution 
if you must drive.

&&

$$

NVZ030-031-035-037-041-180600-
/O.CON.KLKN.WI.Y.0014.000000T0000Z-260518T0600Z/
Humboldt-Northern Elko-White Pine-Southern Lander and Southern
Eureka-Northeastern Nye-
Including the cities of Blue Eagle Ranch, Cherry Creek, Hickison
Summit, Garden Pass, Midas, McGill, Pinto Summit, Ruth, Golconda,
Dufferena, Charleston, Eureka, Eureka Airport, Lund, Mountain
City, Preston, Winnemucca, Duckwater, Diamond Valley, Valmy,
Jarbidge, Owyhee, Ely, Gibbs Ranch, Tuscarora, Grass Valley, and
Ely Airport
159 PM PDT Sun May 17 2026

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...North winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph.

* WHERE...White Pine, Southern Lander and Southern Eureka, Northern 
  Elko, Humboldt, and Northeastern Nye Counties.

* WHEN...Until 11 PM PDT this evening.

* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Areas of 
  blowing dust will reduce visibility to one mile or less in spots.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high 
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

Secure outdoor objects.

&&

$$

98
679 
WWUS75 KLKN 180444
NPWLKN

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Elko NV
944 PM PDT Sun May 17 2026

NVZ040-180545-
/O.CAN.KLKN.HW.W.0004.000000T0000Z-260518T0600Z/
Northwestern Nye-
Including the cities of Manhattan, Tonopah, and Round Mountain
944 PM PDT Sun May 17 2026

...HIGH WIND WARNING IS CANCELLED...

Wind speeds and wind gusts have fallen below Warning criteria 
thresholds. While wind gusts of 30-35 mph will continue through the 
night the warning is no longer warranted. Caution while driving 
especially around high profile vehicles should be continued.

$$

NVZ030-031-035-037-041-180600-
/O.CON.KLKN.WI.Y.0014.000000T0000Z-260518T0600Z/
Humboldt-Northern Elko-White Pine-Southern Lander and Southern
Eureka-Northeastern Nye-
Including the cities of Golconda, Grass Valley, Winnemucca,
Diamond Valley, Owyhee, Blue Eagle Ranch, Hickison Summit,
Eureka, Charleston, Duckwater, Jarbidge, Ely, Valmy, Dufferena,
Preston, Ruth, Eureka Airport, Cherry Creek, Ely Airport, Gibbs
Ranch, Mountain City, Tuscarora, Garden Pass, McGill, Lund,
Midas, and Pinto Summit
944 PM PDT Sun May 17 2026

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...North winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph.

* WHERE...White Pine, Southern Lander and Southern Eureka, Northern 
  Elko, Humboldt, and Northeastern Nye Counties.

* WHEN...Until 11 PM PDT this evening.

* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree 
  limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high 
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

Secure outdoor objects.

&&

$$

99

What forecasters said that day

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

NWS Elko, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before this high wind warning went out at May 16, 12:21 PM PDT, 11 hours 40 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • * Breezy and cooler weather conditions today * Cooling temperature trends continue this weekend with high temperatures several degrees below normal * Storm system moves through NE Nevada Sunday into Monday, bringing gusty winds, and chances for valley rain showers and mountain snow showers. * Overnight lows are expected to drop to below freezing Sunday morning and continuing into early next week
Area forecast discussion, May 16, 12:21 PM PDT, 11 hours 40 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Elko NV
1221 PM PDT Sat May 16 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

* Breezy and cooler weather conditions today

* Cooling temperature trends continue this weekend with high
  temperatures several degrees below normal

* Storm system moves through NE Nevada Sunday into Monday,
  bringing gusty winds, and chances for valley rain showers and
  mountain snow showers.

* Overnight lows are expected to drop to below freezing Sunday
  morning and continuing into early next week

&&

.DISCUSSION...
(This afternoon through next Saturday)

WEATHER PATTERN OVERVIEW: Upper trough of low pressure is pushing
into the southwest today with the central part of the low pressure
expected over northern Nevada by Sunday. This trough of low
pressure will push much cooler air into Nevada with highs today
expected to be just a few degrees below normal in the 60s, with
high temperatures tomorrow expected to be 10-20 degrees below
normal. Overnight temperatures will be below freezing and expected
to reach below freezing until mid-week. The trough will tighten
the weather gradients that will aid in increasing wind speeds over
the weekend. Northerly winds this afternoon up to 10-15 mph with
gusts up to 20-35 mph. By tomorrow, winds are expected to be
stronger with speeds up to 20-35 mph, gusts as high as 40-55 mph.
Recent model runs showing an increasing trend for precipitation
chances for rain/snow, however confidence remains low as models
are still split on how much precipitable moisture will be in the
atmosphere as some models show only 0.3 inches. The track of the
storm now has chances for precipitation spread across the entire
region with higher values expected over White Pine County, with
probabilities of up to 75-95% of seeing more than 0.05-0.1 inches
of rain (more than 0.2 inches possible for White Pine County).
Thunderstorm chances have also trended upwards with a 20% chance
along the US-50 corridor in the afternoon. For northern Nevada,
precipitation may start out as snow reaching the valleys as snow
levels drop below 5000 feet tonight, yet see slight warming Sunday
with snow levels increasing back up around 5500 feet, then
dropping again Sunday night around 4000 feet. Central Nevada will
have snow levels higher, starting around 8000 feet, dropping to
around 6000 feet overnight then back to around 7000 feet Sunday
afternoon. Sunday night, snow levels drop below 5000 feet as
freezing temperatures move across the region. Snow accumulations
are not expected to be less than an inch for the valleys (up to an
inch in northern Elko County along SR-225 and US-93), with passes
and summits up to 1-2 inches. Mountains will see up to 4-8 inches
of snow with Ruby Mountains and Snake Range seeing up to a foot
of snow.

Monday, quiet weather conditions return as the trough moves
eastward out of Nevada. Temperatures expected to remain below
normal through Tuesday in the 60s as northwesterly flow stays
over the state but is expected to see a warming trend. By
Wednesday, temperatures warm back to near normal in the 70s with
Thursday and Friday reaching slightly above normal in the 70s to
80s. Next weekend, models are showing another Pacific low pressure
pattern that will enter into the western CONUS, however
discrepancies in the models on how strong the system will be
which may change the timing and position of the low as next
weekend approaches.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE & DEVIATIONS: High confidence of cooling
temperatures trends dropping below normal with overnight freezing
this weekend. Low confidence of precipitation Sunday as PWAT
values remain low. High confidence of strong gusty winds Sunday
afternoon. Moderate confidence of below normal temperatures
through next week, followed by warming temperatures above normal
late-week. Adjusted winds in NBM grids to better anticipate
tightning pressure gradients.

&&

.AVIATION...

Breezy northerly winds across all terminals this afternoon with
speeds up to 10-15 kts, gusts 20-30kts with the strongest of winds
more towards the northern terminals. Cloud levels expected to
increase in coverage with the lowest CIG levels maintaining around
FL080-FL100. Overnight into the early mornings, CIG levels drop
down to FL030-FL050 as trough of low pressure brings in
precipitation chances. VCSH conditions starting over the northern
terminals in the morning, and reaching the central terminals by
the afternoon. VFR conditions dominant, however MVFR or lower is
possible with the chance of -SHSN over northern terminals as
temperatures drop below freezing overnight. Sunday afternoon will
warm with -SHRA conditions over all terminals until -SHSN
conditions return overnight due to freezing temperatures.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...

Low fire weather concerns over the next few days as an upper
level trough bring cooler temperatures. Winds will be strong to
gusty Sunday across central and northern Nevada with a wind
advisory in effect. Winds will be out of the west initially, but a
strong fast moving cold front will shift winds to the north at 20
to 35 MPH with gust up to 55 MPH possible. Humidity will be on
the increase with temperatures on the decline as high Sunday hover
in the upper 40s to upper 50s. Along with the cooler temperatures
there will be a 50% to 70% chance for light scattered valley rain
and mountain snow showers, mainly for eastern Nevada, with some
light accumulations possible through Monday morning. From Monday
afternoon through next weekend NW flow pattern will keep quiet
weather conditions, with light to breezy afternoon winds, and
slowly warming temperatures. Highs will look to reach back into
the mid 70s to mid 80s by next Sunday.

.LKN Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
Wind Advisory from 11 AM to 11 PM PDT Sunday
NVZ030-031-035-037-040-041.

&&

DISCUSSION...97
AVIATION...97

Nearby

High Wind Warnings in Nevada, 2026Every high wind warning in 2026

Sources

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