Flash Flood in California, August 9, 2005

Name: Flash Flood in California, August 9, 2005
Start: 2005-08-09T15:20
End: 2005-08-09T17:30
Location: California

August 9, 2005 · NWS VEF · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 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 Las Vegas, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 9, 7:15 AM PST, 8 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 9, 7:15 AM PST, 8 hours 5 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
815 AM PDT TUE AUG 9 2005

.SYNOPSIS...WEAK FLOW WILL PERSIST THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...
ALLOWING MONSOONAL MOISTURE TO REMAIN IN PLACE AND A CONTINUANCE OF
MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN GREAT
BASIN AND MOHAVE DESERT. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN SLIGHTLY BELOW
NORMAL THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD.
&&

.UPDATE...UPDATED SEVERAL ZONES FOR INCREASED CLOUD COVER AND
INCREASED SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE THIS MORNING AS LARGE
AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO SAG SLOWLY SOUTH FROM
LINCOLN COUNTY INTO CLARK AND MOHAVE COUNTIES.
&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...320 AM PDT TUE AUG 9...SHORT TERM...OUTFLOW
BOUNDARY FROM EARLIER CONVECTION ACROSS SOUTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY
KICKED OFF AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHEAST CLARK THAT
CONTINUED TO SPAWN ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE LAS VEGAS
VALLEY THE PAST FEW HOURS. A FEW LOCATIONS ON THE EAST SIDE OF TOWN
RECEIVED 0.12 INCHES...LIGHTER MORE ISOLATED AMOUNTS WERE FOUND
ACROSS THE WEST. MCCARRAN ONLY RECEIVED A TRACE OF PRECIP.
THUNDERSTORM THAT DEVELOPED NEAR HENDERSON AIRPORT AND PUSHED TO THE
SOUTH OVER SLOAN...PUT 0.28 INCHES IN THE ALERT GAGE AT SLOAN. THE
HIGHEST MEASURED TOTAL WAS AT BUNKERVILLE WHERE 0.62 WAS RECORDED.
DEFORMATION ZONE PERSISTS ACROSS SOUTHERN NEVADA THIS
MORNING...ENABLING A CONTINUANCE OF NOCTURNAL CONVECTION OVER
LINCOLN COUNTY AND NORTHERN CLARK COUNTY. EXPECT MAINLY ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS TO CONTINUE IN CLARK...LINCOLN...AND NORTHERN MOHAVE
THE REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT. THE LATEST NAM PLACES DEFORMATION ZONE
OVER SOUTHERN NEVADA AND NORTHWEST ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON...AND HAVE
BUMPED POPS UP SLIGHTLY...PARTICULARLY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. NO
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES...MOISTURE REMAINS IN PLACE AND FLOW REMAINS
VERY WEAK. MODELS INDICATING MID LEVEL MOISTURE PUSHES TO THE NORTH
TONIGHT AND WILL BE IN PLACE OVER NORTHERN PORTIONS OF CWA FOR
WEDNESDAY. MODELS INDICATING DRIER AIR BEGINNING TO PUSH INTO THE
NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF CWA WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...GRADUALLY
PROVIDING SOME DRYING...HOWEVER PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL AND RECYCLED
MOISTURE WILL REMAIN...PARTICULARLY ACROSS LINCOLN AND MOHAVE
COUNTIES ON THURSDAY. TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO BE BELOW NORMAL
THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD.

.LONG TERM...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS STILL INSIST ON SHIFTING MONSOON
MOISTURE BOUNDARY SLOWLY EASTWARD INTO MOHAVE COUNTY BY DAY 7
(MONDAY). LATEST SUITE OF SOLUTIONS DEFINITELY NOT AS AGGRESSIVE
WITH SCOURING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ENTIRELY OUT OF CWA AS 24 HOURS
AGO. WILL KEEP ISOLATED/SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS GOING FRIDAY-SUNDAY
AND ISOLATED FOR MOHAVE COUNTY MONDAY. OPERATIONAL GFS INDICATING
LONGWAVE TROUGH DIGGING FURTHER SOUTH DOWN WEST COAST LATE NEXT
WEEK. THIS WOULD LEAD TO DRIER SOUTHWEST FLOW. DURING MONSOON SEASON
WONT BELIEVE UNTIL I SEE IT.
&&

.AVIATION...TAF ADEQUATELY COVERS EXPECTED CONDITIONS AT KLAS.
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE WITHIN THE BEATTY
AND MORMON MESA CORRIDORS THROUGH 17 UTC. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS
WILL IMPACT ALL CORRIDORS AFTER 20 UTC THROUGH 06Z THIS EVENING.
THESE STORMS WILL HAVE VERY SLOW MOVEMENT AND ONCE AGAIN WILL NEED
TO WATCH OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES LATE THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING FOR POSSIBLE
IMPACTS ON KLAS.
&&

.VEF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
.NV...NONE.
.AZ...NONE.
.CA...NONE.
&&

HARRISON/CZYZYK/PIERCE

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 9, 8:50 AM PST, 6 hours 30 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
950 AM PDT TUE AUG 9 2005

AZZ001>003-036-CAZ027>029-NVZ016>022-101700-
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK CA-LAKE HAVASU AND FORT MOHAVE AZ-
LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA AZ-
LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA NV-LAS VEGAS VALLEY NV-
NORTHEAST CLARK COUNTY NV-NORTHWEST DESERTS AZ-NORTHWEST PLATEAU AZ-
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY DESERTS CA-SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY-
UPPER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY CA-SHEEP RANGE NV-
SOUTHERN CLARK COUNTY NV-SPRING MOUNTAINS-RED ROCK CANYON NV-
WESTERN CLARK AND SOUTHERN NYE COUNTY NV-
950 AM PDT TUE AUG 9 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
CALIFORNIA...SOUTHERN NEVADA AND NORTHWEST ARIZONA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

THE AIRMASS REMAINS MOIST AND UNSTABLE. SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS
WILL POSE A THREAT FOR FLASH FLOODING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THE AIRMASS WILL REMAIN FAIRLY MOIST AND UNSTABLE WITH A CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

CAZ026-NVZ014-015-091700-
ESMERALDA AND CENTRAL NYE COUNTY NV-LINCOLN COUNTY NV-
OWENS VALLEY AND ADJACENT EASTERN SIERRA SLOPES CA-
950 AM PDT TUE AUG 9 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
CALIFORNIA...SOUTHERN NEVADA AND NORTHWEST ARIZONA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THROUGHOUT THE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE HEAVY
RAIN.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THE AIRMASS WILL REMAIN FAIRLY MOIST AND UNSTABLE WITH A CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 9, 3:01 PM PST, 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
401 PM PDT TUE AUG 09 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1130 AM     FLASH FLOOD      DOLAN SPRINGS           35.60N 114.27W
08/09/2005                   MOHAVE             AZ   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SEVERAL RIVERS ABOUT A FOOT DEEP ACROSS PIERCE FERRY ROAD

1130 AM     FLASH FLOOD      CHLORIDE                35.40N 114.18W
08/09/2005                   MOHAVE             AZ   TRAINED SPOTTER

            WASHES RUNNING FULL. SOME WATER IN FIRST FLOOR OF SOME
            BUILDINGS

1154 AM     FLASH FLOOD      12 NW NEEDLES           34.94N 114.76W
08/09/2005                   SAN BERNARDINO     CA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            ROADWAY FLOODING AT US95N AT WB I40

0110 PM     FLASH FLOOD      NEEDLES                 34.81N 114.61W
08/09/2005                   SAN BERNARDINO     CA   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            LOCALIZED FLOODING IN NEEDLES

&&

JH

Local storm report, Aug 9, 3:13 PM PST, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
413 PM PDT TUE AUG 09 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1130 AM     FLASH FLOOD      DOLAN SPRINGS           35.60N 114.27W
08/09/2005                   MOHAVE             AZ   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SEVERAL RIVERS ABOUT A FOOT DEEP ACROSS PIERCE FERRY ROAD

1130 AM     FLASH FLOOD      CHLORIDE                35.40N 114.18W
08/09/2005                   MOHAVE             AZ   TRAINED SPOTTER

            WASHES RUNNING FULL. SOME WATER IN FIRST FLOOR OF SOME
            BUILDINGS

1154 AM     FLASH FLOOD      12 NW NEEDLES           34.94N 114.76W
08/09/2005                   SAN BERNARDINO     CA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            ROADWAY FLOODING. US95 CLOSED FROM I40 TO NEVADA STATE
            LINE.

0110 PM     FLASH FLOOD      NEEDLES                 34.81N 114.61W
08/09/2005                   SAN BERNARDINO     CA   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            LOCALIZED FLOODING IN NEEDLES

&&

JH

The radar

The Santa Ana Mts radar (KSOX), 114 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:19 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, San Bernardino

When: August 9, 3:20 PM PST to 5:30 PM PST
Where: San Bernardino County, Yucca Vly
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 34.117, -116.450

Several roads impassable, including Highway 62. 13 people rescued from vehicles.

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in California, August 2005

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: 5464776.