A cold front passed through the region on May 20th. Strong winds were experienced in wind prone areas ahead of the front.
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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 REV wrote it up.
A cold front passed through the region on May 20th. Strong winds were experienced in wind prone areas ahead of the front.
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 Reno, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 19, 5:28 PM PST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
628 PM PDT MON MAY 19 2008
.UPDATE...
STRONG CONVERGENCE IN THE LEE OF LASSEN PEAK IS TRIGGERING SHOWERS
AND POSSIBLY THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHERN LASSEN COUNTY. NO CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING HAS BEEN DETECTED...BUT RADAR IS SHOWING
RETURNS NEAR 35 KFT SO IT IS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE THERE IS SOME
CLOUD TO CLOUD LTG. NAM HINTED AT THIS WITH SOME NEGATIVE LIS AND
CONVERGENCE. EXPECT IT TO CONTINUE THROUGH ABOUT 8 PM THEN
DIMINISH. WITH THE PREVAILING WSW FLOW HAVE ADDED THE ISOLATED
THUNDER MENTION AS THE STORMS COULD MOVE INTO NORTHERN WASHOE
NORTH OF GERLACH...AND LIKELY SOUTH OF EAGLEVILLE AS WELL. NO
OTHER UPDATES PLANNED AT THIS TIME. WALLMANN
&&
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 313 PM PDT MON MAY 19 2008/
SHORT TERM...
BIG CHANGES IN STORE THE NEXT 24-48 HOURS AS THE PATTERN AMPLIFIES
AGAINST OUR FAVOR AND THE CLASSIC BREAK DOWN OF THE UPPER RIDGE
OCCURS. DEEP TROUGH WILL DEVELOP OUT OF ENERGY IN THE GULF OF
ALASKA AND STALL OVER THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST AS BLOCKING RIDGES
DEVELOP ALONG 90W AND 135W. HIGHS WILL GO FROM 15 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL TODAY TO 15 BELOW NORMAL FOR WEDNESDAY.
WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN IMPACT TOMORROW AND THE TROUGH DIGS INTO
THE AREA...CREATING STRONG SURFACE THERMAL AND PRESSURE GRADIENTS.
EXPECTING WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH AS THE FRONT NEARS WITH WINDS
PEAKING OUT AN HOUR OR TWO BEFORE THE FRONT ARRIVES. TIMING OF THE
FRONT IS FOR IT TO ENTER NORTHERN WASHOE BY LATE MORNING...REACH
I-80 NEAR AROUND THE EVENING RUSH HOUR AND PASS SOUTH OF MONO AND
MINERAL COUNTIES LATE TUESDAY EVENING.
DOWNSLOPE SIGNATURES ARE MINIMAL IN THE MODEL DATA AS THIS IS A
GRADIENT DRIVEN WIND EVENT...SO DO NOT EXPECT THE WIND PRONE AREAS
TO GUST MUCH HIGHER THAN 55-60 MPH. WILL ISSUE WIND ADVISORY FOR
AREAS SOUTH OF I-80...EXCLUDING THE TAHOE BASIN WHERE A LAKE WIND
ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT. ANOTHER AREA OF CONCERN IS ALONG HIGHWAY 395
FROM SUSANVILLE TO THE NEVADA STATE LINE. WINDS HERE MAY EXCEED 45
MPH...BUT DID NOT INCLUDE THEM IN THE WIND ADVISORY.
MODELS ARE CARRYING SOME GOOD AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE ALONG THE
FRONT...SO DID INCREASE POPS FOR TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. STILL
NOT A LOT OF INSTABILITY...SO LEFT THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE AT SLIGHT
CHANCE. WINDS WILL ALSO WORK TO SHEAR APART ANY CONVECTIVE COLUMNS.
TEMPERATURES BEHIND THE FRONT WILL FALL OFF ON WEDNESDAY AND DID
STAY WELL BELOW GUIDANCE NUMBERS. HARD TO GET UPPER 60S FOR RENO
AS THE GUIDANCE SUGGESTS WITH MOUNTAIN TOP TEMPERATURES NEAR TO
BELOW FREEZING. GUIDANCE CATCHES UP WITH THE COLD AIR FOR
THURSDAY...DID TREND DOWN A BIT AND MAY STILL BE A COUPLE DEGREES
ON THE HIGH SIDE.
MODELS IN DECENT AGREEMENT DROPPING THE UPPER LOW INTO SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA ON THURSDAY WITH SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING OVER
THE GREAT BASIN. MAINTAINED LOW POPS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AND
EASTERN ZONES AS THE BEST MOISTURE DROPS SOUTH WITH THE UPPER
LOW...AND POTENTIAL ISSUES WITH MODEL PLACEMENT OF FEATURES
ROTATING AROUND THE LOW. MAIN CONCERN WILL BE WIND AS THE PRESS
GRADIENT BETWEEN THE DEPARTING LOW AND DEVELOPING SURFACE HIGH
STRENGTHENS ACROSS THE AREA. WINDS WILL PICK UP ACROSS THE TAHOE
BASIN AND SIERRA RIDGES THURSDAY AFTERNOON. NORTHEASTERLY FLOW
WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER 60S ACROSS WESTERN NEVADA
WHILE THE SIERRA SITES WILL TOP OUT IN THE 50S. WINDS WILL
DECREASE ON THURSDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE AREA AS THE NEXT IN A SERIES
OF UPPER LOWS MOVES INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. BRONG/MOZLEY
LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...
UNSETTLED WEATHER IN THE EXTENDED AS AN UPPER LOW BECOMES STATIONARY
OVER THE GREAT BASIN. ON FRIDAY THE GFS...ECMWF AND CANADIAN MODELS
SHOW A DEEP UPPER TROUGH OVER THE WRN CONUS WITH A CUT OFF LOW IN
THE BASE OF THE TROUGH. BEING SEPARATED FROM THE UPPER LEVEL
SYNOPTIC FLOW THIS UPPER LOW IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN OVER THE GREAT
BASIN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.
THE OPERATIONAL GFS PROGS THIS LOW TO START TO FILL ON SUNDAY.
HOWEVER THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY IN THIS SOLUTION AS NEARLY HALF OF
THE GFS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS KEEP A WEAK CUT OFF CIRCULATION OVER THE
INTERMOUNTAIN WEST ON SUNDAY. AS A RESULT HAVE DECIDED TO KEEP A
SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHRA OVER THE KREV CWFA ON SUNDAY. THE GFS
ENSEMBLES...ALONG WITH THE EURO...WEAKEN THE UPPER TROUGH AND BEGIN
TO TAKE IT EAST ON MONDAY. WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN WILL KEEP
MONDAY DRY OVER MOST OF THE CWFA FOR NOW.
WITH THE UPPER LOW OVERHEAD SATURDAY SHOULD BE THE COOLEST DAY WITH
AFTN TEMPERATURES SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL. HOWEVER...BY MONDAY AFTN
TEMPS SHOULD BE SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. OHARA
AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH TUESDAY. WIND SPEEDS WILL INCREASE TUESDAY
AFTN AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE REGION. STRONGEST WINDS SHOULD
BE FROM 18Z TUESDAY UNTIL 09Z WEDNESDAY. WIND GUSTS TO 40 KTS ARE
POSSIBLE MAINLY FROM 18Z TUES THROUGH 03Z WED. WINDS SHOULD BRING
BLOWING DUST TO THE AREA...WITH POTENTIAL FOR VISIBILITIES BELOW
3SM AT LOVELOCK. OHARA
FIRE WEATHER...
CRITICAL BREAK DOWN OF THE UPPER RIDGE DURING THE NEXT 24-36 HOURS
IS STILL ON TRACK. HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS CURRENTLY IN PLACE OVER
THE REGION ALONG WITH INCREASING WINDS ALOFT WILL CREATE POOR
HUMIDITY RECOVERY TONIGHT. MANY MID SLOPE AREAS WILL STAY AT OR BELOW
25%.
TUESDAY IS STILL THE CRITICAL DAY AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES
ACROSS CA/NV CREATING GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS. THE DRY START TO THE
DAY WILL MAKE FOR A LONGER ACTIVE BURNING PERIOD ADDING TO THE FIRE
CONCERN. WINDS WILL INCREASE BY LATE MORNING WITH THE STRONGEST
WINDS EXPECTED IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING ALONG THE COLD FRONT.
NRN ZONES NEAR THE OREGON BORDER WILL SEE GUSTS MAXING OUT AROUND 40
MPH WITH FRONTAL PASSAGE AROUND 1200 AND INCREASING HUMIDITY DURING
THE AFTERNOON. AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80 WILL SEE THE
STRONGEST WINDS WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 50 MPH DEVELOPING BY 1400 AND
LASTING UNTIL THE FRONT PASSES AROUND 1700. HUMIDITY IN THIS AREA
WILL BE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS UNTIL THE FRONT PASSES WHEN THEY RISE
RAPIDLY THROUGHOUT THE EVENING. THESE CONDITIONS WOULD WARRANT RED
FLAG STATEMENTS IF THE SEASONAL FUELS WERE CURED AND LIVE FUEL
MOISTURE WAS NOT SO HIGH...SO WILL NOT BE ISSUING STATEMENTS HOWEVER
IT IS STILL A CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER PATTERN. COOLER AND WETTER
CONDITIONS WILL BE IN PLACE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK AS THE LOW
LINGERS OVER THE AREA. JORDAN
&&
.REV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NV...WIND ADVISORY FROM 1 PM TO 11 PM PDT TUESDAY FOR NVZ001-003-004.
LAKE WIND ADVISORY FROM 11 AM TO 11 PM PDT TUESDAY FOR NVZ002.
CA...WIND ADVISORY FROM 1 PM TO 11 PM PDT TUESDAY FOR CAZ073.
LAKE WIND ADVISORY FROM 11 AM TO 11 PM PDT TUESDAY FOR CAZ072.
&&
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RENOThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Horse Lake RAWS sensor recorded a wind gust of 53 knots (61 mph).
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, May 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: 92614.