Damaging Winds in Nevada, May 30, 2003

Name: Damaging Winds in Nevada, May 30, 2003
Start: 2003-05-30T03:00
End: 2003-05-30T03:30
Location: Nevada

May 30, 2003 · NWS LKN · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Thunderstorm winds blew down some power lines in McDermitt.

Where it happened

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.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $3,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS LKN wrote it up.

Thunderstorm winds blew down some power lines in McDermitt.

What forecasters said that day

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 Elko, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 30, 2:00 AM PST, 1 hour earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 30, 2:00 AM PST, 1 hour before

NORTHERN GREAT BASIN FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV
300 AM PDT FRI MAY 30 2003

STORMS CONTINUE TO FIRE AT THIS HOUR OVER WESTERN NEVADA AND THE
DISORGAINZED BAND IS MOVING SLOWLY EWD. THIS AHEAD OF OPENING UPPER
LOW IN NRN CA. STRONG VORT SEEN ON WV IMAGERY ON SE SIDE OF LOW
WITH JET SUPPORT APPARENT. ONE STORM RATHER STRONG FOR THE OVERNIGHT
PERIOD NOW MOVING INTO SE ORE. MODELS HAVE INITIALIZED THIS FEATURE
WELL...AND AGREE ON TRACK...BUT BELIEVE THEY ARE A LITTLE TOO QUICK
TO SCOUR THE MOISTURE OUT. THIS IS A TYPICAL BIAS...ESP FOR NORTHEAST
ZONES.

FOR NOW...WILL CONTINUE WITH SCT ACTIVITY IN HUMBOLDT CTY TO COVER
CURRENT ACTIVITY AND SHOULD QUIET DOWN THERE AROUND NOON. BAND
SHOWLD MOVE EWD. ACTIVITY SHOULD GET STRONGER WITH HEATING. ADDED
FORCING MAY RESULT FROM DIFFERENTIAL HEATING EAST OF CURRENT BAND SO
THERE MAY BE AN EWD JUMP TO THE LINE. WILL GO WITH SCT COVERAGE I-
80 NORTH AND JUST ISO DOWN SOUTH AWAY FROM BEST FORCING. SEVERE
POTENTIAL IS THERE IN LATE MORNING TO EARLY AFTERNOON AND WILL HAVE
TO WATCH. EARLIER THINKING WAS THAT THIS WOULD BE TOO FAR NORTH...
BUT STORMS ARE GETTING STRONGER PER 88D IMAGERY ATTM. GOOD SHEAR...
BUT WITH RELATIVELY DRY LLVLS EXPECT MAINLY MICROBURST POTENTIAL ESP
WITH STORM MOTION OF 35-40 KTS.

AFTER TODAY...NOT MUCH TO TALK ABOUT AS FLOW VEERS TO THE WEST AND
SHOULD DRY ALL AREAS OUT BY MIDNIGHT. ONLY TOKEN POPS IN THE
NORTHEAST THIS EVENING AS DRYING SHOULD WORK IN QUICKLY. GENERAL
WEST FLOW UNDER FLAT RIDGE THIS WEEKEND WITH TEMPS ABOUT 10-15 DEGS
COOLER THAN PAST COUPLE DAYS BUT STILL ABOVE NORMAL.

EXTENDED...RIDGE TO AMPLIFY A BIT OVER THE WEEKEND JUST OFF THE
COAST. MAY HAVE SOME MORE NW FLOW FOR COOLER TEMPS...BUT NOT SURE.
RIDGE MAY BREAK DOWN ENOUGH FOR BAJA UPPER LOW TO PUSH MOISTURE
NORTH BUT DONT EXPECT THIS TO HAPPEN UNTIL AT LEAST NEXT WEEKEND.

.EKO...FLOOD WARNING FOR LAMOILLE CREEK NEAR LAMOILLE-NVC007.

WALLMANN

Hazardous weather outlook, May 29, 5:02 AM PST, 21 hours 58 minutes before

NVZ030>037-301400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV
602 AM PDT THU MAY 29 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL
NEVADA

.DAY ONE...

RECENT WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES HAVE TRIGGERED TREMENDOUS
SNOWMELT IN THE MOUNTAINS. AS A RESULT...SOME STREAMS ARE RUNNING
HIGH. LAMOILLE CREEK REACHED FLOOD STAGE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND IS
EXPECTED TO AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON. THEREFORE...A FLOOD WARNING HAS
BEEN ISSUED. SEE WGUS45 KLKN OR RNOFLWLKN FOR DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

A PACIFIC LOW WILL MOVE OVER NORTHWEST NEVADA FRIDAY AND TRIGGER
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA. ALTHOUGH A FEW OF THESE
STORMS MAY PRODUCE HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS...MOISTURE IS TOO LIMITED
FOR A MORE WIDESPREAD EVENT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO
THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

JW

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 29, 9:20 PM PST, 5 hours 40 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO, NV
1020 PM PDT THU MAY 29 2003

TIME(PDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0540 PM    10 N WINNEMUCCA           NV   50 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT                       10 FT VSBY IN BLDU

0615 PM    WINNEMUCCA                NV   LARGE TREE BLOWN OVER
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT                       POWER LINES

0635 PM    5 SE WINNEMUCCA           NV   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT

0650 PM    50 N WINNEMUCCA           NV   50 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT

0700 PM    3SW WINNEMUCCA            NV   55-60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT                       NEAR WINNEMUCCA AIRPORT

JH/JW

Local storm report, May 29, 9:20 PM PST, 5 hours 40 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO, NV
1020 PM PDT THU MAY 29 2003

TIME(PDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0540 PM    10 N WINNEMUCCA           NV   50 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT                       10 FT VSBY IN BLDU

0615 PM    WINNEMUCCA                NV   WIND DAMAGE
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT                       LARGE TREE BLOWN OVER
                                          POWER LINES

0635 PM    5 SE WINNEMUCCA           NV   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT

0650 PM    50 N WINNEMUCCA           NV   50 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT

0700 PM    3SW WINNEMUCCA            NV   55-60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT                       NEAR WINNEMUCCA AIRPORT

JH/JW

Local storm report, May 29, 10:20 PM PST, 4 hours 40 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO, NV
1020 PM PDT THU MAY 29 2003

TIME(PDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0540 PM    10 N WINNEMUCCA           NV   50 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT                       10 FT VSBY IN BLDU

0615 PM    WINNEMUCCA                NV   LARGE TREE BLOWN OVER
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT                       POWER LINES

0635 PM    5 SE WINNEMUCCA           NV   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT

0650 PM    50 N WINNEMUCCA           NV   50 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT

0700 PM    3SW WINNEMUCCA            NV   55-60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT                       NEAR WINNEMUCCA AIRPORT

JH/JW

Local storm report, May 29, 10:21 PM PST, 4 hours 39 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO, NV
1020 PM PDT THU MAY 29 2003

TIME(PDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0540 PM    10 N WINNEMUCCA           NV   50 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT                       10 FT VSBY IN BLDU

0615 PM    WINNEMUCCA                NV   WIND DAMAGE
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT                       LARGE TREE BLOWN OVER
                                          POWER LINES

0635 PM    5 SE WINNEMUCCA           NV   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT

0650 PM    50 N WINNEMUCCA           NV   50 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT

0700 PM    3SW WINNEMUCCA            NV   55-60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/29/03   HUMBOLDT                       NEAR WINNEMUCCA AIRPORT

JH/JW

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Humboldt

When: May 30, 3:00 AM PST
Where: Humboldt County, Paradise Vly
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.407, -118.112 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Humboldt

When: May 30, 3:30 AM PST
Where: Humboldt County, Mc Dermitt
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.407, -118.112 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Nevada in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Nevada, May 2003

Sources

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: 5379752, 5379753.