5 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 2 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
An off-duty NWS meteorologist reported a 60 mph wind gust with pea-sized hail one inch deep on the ground.
A skywarn spotter reported large broken tree branches from thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 mph.
A skywarn spotter reported dime-sized hail in Henderson.
In addition to strong winds and large hail, redeveloping severe thunderstorms produced heavy downpours which resulted in severe flash flooding in the southeast Las Vegas Valley. In Henderson, raging flood waters turned roads into rivers up to three and four feet deep. Water and mud slides closed many roads, including U.S. Highway 95, for several hours. One man was drowned when a strong current swept him under his vehicle as he tried to move it off his neighborhood street. Rescue workers performed a number of swift water rescues until as late as 8:30 pm PST. Four people were hospitilized. Flooding also resulted in the release of titanium dioxide gas (non-toxic) at the TIMET plant. Extensive damage to roads and buildings prompted the Governor to declare Henderson a disaster area.
A weather spotter reported nickel-sized hail stones along Charleston Blvd. between Rainbow and Decatur.
Damaging thunderstorm winds downed a 40 foot tree and snapped several power poles leaving up to 9,000 people in Henderson without electrical power for several hours.
An off-duty NWS meteorologist reported dime-sized hail.
Boulder City and the nearby Lake Mead National Recreation Area were also hit hard by heavy rain producing thunderstorms. Water and debris swept across Highway 93, between Railroad Pass and Boulder City, taking several vehicles off the road but sparing all occupants from injury. Flood waters also eroded roads, drainage canals and damaged many buildings in Boulder City. One man almost drowned in a drainage culvert but was rescued and hospitalized. The storms and floods ravaged the west side of Lake Mead battering marinas, eroding beaches and washing out roads. The recreation area was closed by 1:25 pm PST as access to Hemenway Launch, Boulder Beach and Lake Mead Marina was cut off by flooding. Over 500 people were held captive within the park until the flood waters subsided. Damage was estimated at over one million dollars for Lake Mead and about 3.4 million dollars for Boulder City. The Governor declared Boulder City a disaster area along with Henderson.
A Skywarn spotter reported winds estimated at 80 mph.
Intense thunderstorm winds pummelled Boulder City uprooting and snapping numerous trees. The golf course alone reported 40 trees down. The Boulder City airport recorded a peak wind gust of 91 mph.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Clark | 1997-08-10 | 58 | Male | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, August 1997
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5619645, 5619646, 5619647, 5619730, 5619735, 5619731, 5619732, 5619734, 5619733, 5619736.