1 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Las Vegas, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 2, 2:39 AM PST, 3 hours 21 minutes earlier.
MOJAVE DESERT/SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
339 AM PDT WED MAY 2 2001
SYNOPSIS...A VIGOROUS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOPING OVER THE
INTERMOUNTAIN WEST WILL BRING WINDY AND MUCH COOLER WEATHER TO THE
REGION. TEMPERATURES WILL BE SOME 15 TO 20 DEGREES COOLER TODAY AND
THURSDAY OVER TUESDAYS READINGS. THIS STRONG COLD FRONT WILL BE
ACCOMPANIED BY NORTH WINDS TO 50 MPH TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH WINDY
CONDITIONS PERSISTING INTO THURSDAY.
DISCUSSION...MAIN CONCERN TODAY IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRONG
NORTHERLY WINDS. AVN HAS BEEN THE BEST MODEL THROUGH THIS WHOLE
EVENT BUT OTHER MODELS ARE STARTING TO COME IN LINE. CURRENTLY
(10Z)...THE SURFACE GRADIENT BETWEEN RENO AND LAS VEGAS IS 17.5
MILLIBARS! THIS INDICATES WINDS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH IN SPOTS. WE'RE
STILL LACKING THE REAL STRONG WINDS ALOFT AND SUBSIDENCE (WHICH
ARRIVES AFTER 00Z) BUT THAT STRONG OF GRADIENT (AND THERMAL SUPPORT
ALOFT) CANNOT BE IGNORED. I WILL HOIST A STRONGLY WORDED WIND
ADVISORY FOR THE ENTIRE AREA TODAY AND INTO TONIGHT. SOME SENSORS UP
NORTH ARE ALREADY GUSTING BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH (NORTHERN
NYE...ESMERALDA AND INYO COUNTIES). THE TIGHTEST GRADIENT IS JUST
NOW ENTERING SOUTHERN LINCOLN AND SOUTHERN NYE COUNTIES AND SHOULD
BLAST THROUGH THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY BETWEEN 14 AND 16Z. THE COLORADO
RIVER AREA WILL BE A LITTLE TRICKY INITIALLY AS IT WILL TAKE SOME
TIME TO GET THE STRONGER NORTH WINDS DOWN TO NEEDLES AND
HAVASU...BUT THEY WILL GET THERE. I WILL FINE TUNE THE ADVISORY TO
INDICATE AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FOR THIS AREA BUT JUST TODAY WORDING
ELSEWHERE (EXCEPT SOUTHERN MOHAVE WHERE AFTERNOON WORDING WILL ALSO
BE USED). WE WILL ALSO HAVE TO WATCH SOUTHERN INYO COUNTY FOR
POTENTIAL OF HIGH WINDS. THE NARROWS SOUTH OF OLANCHA ARE INFAMOUS
FOR STRONG WINDS AS USUALLY INDICATED BY THE FIVE MILE FIRE WEATHER
SENSOR (ITS ALREADY GUSTING AROUND 40 MPH). I WILL INDICATE SPEEDS
UP NEAR HIGH WIND THERE TODAY AND TONIGHT AND MONITOR CLOSELY. QUICK
GLANCE AT 06Z AVN SHOWS 40-45 KNOT 850 WINDS OVER US THIS EVENING
ALONG WITH STRONG SUBSIDENCE (EVEN A LITTLE MORE OMINOUS THAN THE
00Z RUN). DAY CREW WILL HAVE TO MONITOR FOR POTENTIAL HIGH WINDS IN
SPOTS.
OTHERWISE...REST OF FORECAST WILL REMAIN PRETTY MUCH INTACT. UPPER
LOW IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO STILL WARRANT SOME MENTION OF SHOWERS OR
THUNDERSTORMS NEAR THE UTAH BORDER THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. SOME CONCERN
THAT OTHER AREAS WILL SEE A CHANCE IF LOW CLOSES OFF MUCH FARTHER
WEST BUT 06Z AVN MAINTAINS IDEA OF LOW STAYING OVER SRN UTAH. THE
REST OF THE EXTENDED LOOKS OK WITH GENERALLY BUILDING HEIGHTS EXCEPT n
FOR POSSIBLY SHORT WAVE PASSING JUST TO NORTH AND EAST WITH TIME.
SKRBAC
.LAS...A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN POSTED FOR THE ENTIRE AREA INTO
TONIGHT. PLEASE SEE LATEST RNONPWLAS FOR DETAILS.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong winds across the Las Vegas valley caused a large tree to fall onto two parked cars. A small power outage was also caused by the strong winds.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, May 2001
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: 5244271.