Yet another low pressure system moving through the Pacific Northwest brought high winds to portions of the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 episode as NWS VEF wrote it up.
Yet another low pressure system moving through the Pacific Northwest brought high winds to portions of the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin.
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 Apr 29, 9:00 AM PST, 3 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
1000 AM PDT TUE APR 29 2008
.SYNOPSIS...A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO THE WESTERN
STATES TODAY AND WEDNESDAY RESULTING IN INCREASING WINDS ACROSS THE
AREA THIS AFTERNOON FOLLOWED BY BREEZY AND COOLER CONDITIONS ON
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. A RETURN TO NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES IS
EXPECTED ON FRIDAY AND OVER THE WEEKEND.
&&
.UPDATE...MAIN ISSUE TO DEAL WITH TODAY WILL BE POSSIBLE DOWNSLOPE
WIND EVENT LEE OF THE SPRING MOUNTAINS AND POSSIBLY THE SIERRA. THIS
MORNINGS SOUNDINGS SHOWED AROUND 50 KTS AT RIDGETOP BELOW A STRONG
STABLE LAYER...COUPLED WITH NEGATIVE WIND SHEAR. WILL BE ISSUING AN
ADVISORY IN THE COMING HOURS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA...AND EXTENDING
THE WIND ADVISORY FOR THE SPRING MOUNTAINS AND RED ROCK TO PERSIST
THROUGH THE NIGHT. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR AT LEAST ADVISORY
LEVEL WINDS LEE OF THE SPRINGS TO DESCEND AS FAR AS THE WESTERN EDGE
OF THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY...BUT STILL NEED TO SIFT THROUGH MORE DATA.
&&
.AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...GUSTY SOUTH WINDS WILL BECOME MORE
SOUTHWESTERLY THIS AFTERNOON AND INCREASE IN SPEED IN RESPONSE TO AN
APPROACHING SYSTEM. GUSTS OF 25-35 KTS ARE EXPECTED. FEW-SCT HIGH
AND MID LEVEL CLOUDS EARLY ON IN THE TAF PERIOD GIVING WAY TO A
CLEAR SKY. TURBULENCE AND AREAS OF BLOWING DUST ARE LIKELY IN THE
APPROACH CORRIDORS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS.
FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST
CALIFORNIA...AN APPROACHING PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING
INCREASING SOUTHWEST WINDS THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE STRONGEST WINDS
WILL BE IN WESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY WHERE GUSTS TO 45 KNOTS
COULD OCCUR. THE LEE OF THE SIERRA WILL SEE MOUNTAIN WAVE ACTION
TODAY AND ALL AREA MOUNTAINS AND ROUGH TERRAIN AREAS WILL BE
TURBULENT TODAY AND THIS EVENING. AREAS OF REDUCED VISIBILITY DUE TO
BLOWING DUST ARE LIKELY TODAY.
&&
.SHORT TERM...RIDGING WILL QUICKLY GIVE WAY TO TROUGHING TODAY AS A
STORM SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE WEST COAST. THE MAIN ENERGY OF THE
SYSTEM IS STILL FORECAST WELL NORTH OF THE AREA AND THUS MOISTURE
AND SHOWERS ARE NOT EXPECTED WITHIN THE CWA. THE BASE OF THE TROUGH
IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO SOUTHERN OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA THIS
MORNING AND THEN ACROSS NORTHERN NEVADA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE AS THE DAY GOES ON BECOMING HIGH END
BREEZY TO WINDY THROUGH THE DAY. A BELT OF STRONGEST WINDS WITH
BETTER UPPER LEVEL SUPPORTS STILL APPEARS TO BE OVER THE DESERTS OF
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY CALIFORNIA AND ALSO OVER MOHAVE COUNTY IN
ARIZONA. WILL CONTINUE THE CURRENT WIND ADVISORY FOR CAZ423 AND 424
AND WILL ISSUE A WIND ADVISORY FOR MOHAVE COUNTY ZONES AZZ001 AND
AZZ003 VALID FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH 7 PM THIS EVENING.
ALSO...THE 4KM NMM INDICATES STRONG WIND POTENTIAL IN THE SPRING
MTN/SHEEP RANGE SO INCLUDED THESE AREAS IN THE WIND ADVISORY. WILL
HAVE TO MONITOR OTHER AREAS BUT FOR NOW WILL JUST MENTION GUSTS UP
TO 40 MPH...OR JUST UNDER ADVISORY CRITERIA. EXPECT THAT ISOLATED
FAVORED AREAS OF SOUTHERN INYO AND SOUTHERN NYE COUNTIES WILL EXCEED
ADVISORY CRITERIA BUT NOT EXPECTING IT TO BE WIDESPREAD ENOUGH FOR
AN ADVISORY. DOWNSLOPE POTENTIAL IS STILL MINIMAL FOR THE EAST
SLOPES OF THE SIERRA BUT GUSTS TO 55 MPH NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION
ABOVE 5000 FEET. TIGHT 700MB TEMP...SURFACE PRESSURE AND THICKNESS
GRADIENTS PROGGED BY THE MODELS INDICATING DECENT COLD AIR ADVECTION
BEHIND A COLD FRONT FORECAST TO MOVE SOUTH THROUGH THE AREA. STILL
LOOKING FOR TEMPERATURES 15 OR MORE DEGREES COOLER ON WEDNESDAY THAN
WE WILL SEE TODAY ACROSS THE REGION. THE NORTHERLY WINDS ARE NOT
FORECAST TO BE STRONG ENOUGH TO BE OF CONCERN WITH THE EXCEPTION OF
THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY WHERE POTENTIALLY A LAKE WIND ADVISORY MAY
BE NEEDED FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY THURSDAY. THE SYSTEM IS
FORECAST TO BE EAST OF THE AREA THURSDAY AND INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS
BY FRIDAY MORNING ALLOWING WEAK RIDGING TO BUILD BACK OVER THE CWA.
.LONG TERM...NOT MUCH CHANGE IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST...FRIDAY TO
MONDAY...THOUGH THERE ARE SOME SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE MODEL
PROJECTIONS FOR SUNDAY ONWARDS. FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY KEPT THE
TEMPERATURES BELOW GUIDANCE FOR PRETTY MUCH THE SAME REASONS AS THE
DAY SHIFT. THE MEX GUIDANCE IS RAISING TEMPERATURES MUCH TOO QUICKLY
FOR THE MODEST STRENGTH OF THE TRANSIT RIDGE THAT WILL MOVE THROUGH
FRIDAY. SUNDAY IS WHERE SOME UNCERTAINTY COMES IN. THE ECMWF HAS
BEEN THE MODEL TO MAKE THE SUNDAY SYSTEM THE STRONGEST AND THE 00Z
RUN REALLY INTENSIFIES IT. IT DEPICTS THE SYSTEM DROPPING DOWN FROM
THE NORTH AND CLOSES OFF A LOW OVER SOUTHERN NEVADA/CALIFORNIA AND
QUICKLY EJECTS IT MONDAY THROUGH ARIZONA. THE GEM IS SIMILAR IN ITS
DEPICTION. THE GFS HAS HAD THE WEAKEST DEPICTION OF THIS SYSTEM BUT
IS TRENDING TO STRENGTHEN IT AND DROP IT CLOSER TO NEVADA. GFS
ENSEMBLES STILL HAVE SEVERAL MEMBERS THAT LOOK CLOSER TO THE ECMWF.
HAVE LEANED MORE TOWARDS ECMWF SOLUTION FOR THIS PACKAGE WHICH WOULD
JUSTIFY KEEPING THE TEMPERATURES BELOW GUIDANCE DUE TO THE LOWER
HEIGHTS AND THICKNESS THAT WILL RESULT SUNDAY AND MONDAY. HAVE ALSO
KEPT IN THE VERY LOW CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION BUT EXPANDED THEM TO
COVER MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE TRACK OF THIS LOW IS NOT
FAVORABLE TO BRINGING IN MUCH MOISTURE...BUT CAN NOT RULE OUT A
SHOWER DUE THE DYNAMICS BEING STRONG UNDER THE ASSOCIATED COLD
POCKET / UPPER LOW.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...WINDS IN EXCESS OF 20 MPH EXPECTED OVER A RELATIVELY
WIDESPREAD AREA THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING. UPGRADED THE
FIRE WEATHER WATCH TO A RED FLAG WARNING FOR THE SAME FIRE ZONES
INCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL WATCH. ALSO...EXPANDED THE AREA TO INCLUDE
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY AND THE OWENS VALLEY WHERE RH VALUES ARE
ALREADY STRUGGLING TO REACH 15 PERCENT AND WILL LOWER QUICKLY DURING
THE MORNING HOURS AS WINDS BEGIN TO INCREASE. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE
INTO THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL REGIONS OF THE AREA TONIGHT AND
EVENTUALLY PUSH THROUGH THE SOUTHERN AREAS WEDNESDAY NIGHT. MODELS
INDICATE THAT THERE WILL BE SOME RH RECOVERY OVERNIGHT TONIGHT BUT
DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUE WEDNESDAY WITH WIDESPREAD RH VALUES LESS
THAN 10 PERCENT IN THE AFTERNOON. NOT ANTICIPATING ANY FIRE WEATHER
PRODUCTS FOR WEDNESDAY AS THE NORTH WINDS ARE NOT FORECAST TO BE
STRONG ENOUGH TO MEET CRITERIA.
&&
.VEF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NV...RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR
NVZ461>465.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 PM PDT THIS EVENING
FOR NVZ018-019.
AZ...RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR
AZZ102.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 PM MST THIS EVENING
FOR AZZ001-003.
CA...RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR
CAZ226-228.
WIND ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 10 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR
CAZ523-524.
&&
KENNEDY/STACHELSKI/SALMEN/JACQUES
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGASThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
This gust occurred 4 miles SW of Independence during a downslope wind event in the lee of the Sierra.
This gust occurred 9 miles W of Bishop during a downslope wind event in the lee of the Sierra.
This gust occurred 5 miles WSW of Independence.
This gust occurred 3 miles WSW of Independence.
Strong winds between Barstow, Fort Irwin, and Newberry Springs caused blowing and drifting dust and sand, which closed several roads during the morning hours. A school bus got stuck in three feet of sand covering a road in Newberry Springs. One power line was blown down near Fort Irwin. The peak gust measured during the event was 57 mph 29 miles SSW of Searles Valley at 0351 PST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2008
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: 87328, 87329, 87330, 87331, 87333.