A strong low pressure system and two associated cold fronts brought strong winds to much of the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin. The strongest winds occurred in Inyo County, California, and Mohave County, Arizona.
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.
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.
A strong low pressure system and two associated cold fronts brought strong winds to much of the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin. The strongest winds occurred in Inyo County, California, and Mohave County, Arizona.
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 Oct 9, 9:00 AM PST, 4 hours 50 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 419 AM PDT THU OCT 9 2008 AZZ001>003-036-CAZ519>527-NVZ014>022-100700- NORTHWEST PLATEAU-LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY-NORTHWEST DESERTS- LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA-EASTERN SIERRA SLOPES- OWENS VALLEY-WHITE MOUNTAINS OF INYO COUNTY- DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK-WESTERN MOJAVE DESERT- EASTERN MOJAVE DESERT-MORONGO BASIN-CADIZ BASIN- SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY-UPPER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY- ESMERALDA AND CENTRAL NYE COUNTY-LINCOLN COUNTY- NORTHEAST CLARK COUNTY-WESTERN CLARK AND SOUTHERN NYE COUNTY- SHEEP RANGE-SPRING MOUNTAINS-LAS VEGAS VALLEY- SOUTHERN CLARK COUNTY- 419 AM PDT THU OCT 9 2008 /419 AM MST THU OCT 9 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN APPROACHING STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING INCREASING WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS OVER THE MOJAVE DESERT TODAY. WIND ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF MOHAVE AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES. IN ADDITION...A DOWNSLOPE WIND EVENT IS POSSIBLE IN THE LEE OF THE SIERRA...AND WIND ADVISORIES HAVE ALSO BEEN ISSUED FOR THE EASTERN SLOPES AND THE OWENS VALLEY. THE STRONG WINDS IN THESE AREAS WILL COMBINE WITH LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY TO CREATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS...AND RED FLAG WARNINGS HAVE ALSO BEEN ISSUED FOR THESE AREAS. AS THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT...A PERIOD OF STRONG NORTH WINDS IS POSSIBLE BEHIND IT. A HIGH WIND WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ESMERALDA AND CENTRAL NYE COUNTIES FOR LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT MUCH OF THE AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND. GUSTY WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE MOJAVE DESERT AGAIN ON FRIDAY...AND STRONG NORTH WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE WEEKEND BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. GUSTY NORTH WINDS COULD EVEN PERSIST DOWN THE COLORADO RIVER INTO MONDAY. MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE WEEKEND...WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES FALLING 20-30 DEGREES FROM THURSDAY TO SATURDAY. PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL BE ON THE INCREASE IN THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...WITH SNOW LEVELS FALLING TO MOST VALLEY FLOORS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. A DRYING AND WARMING TREND WILL BEGIN MONDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... FORMAL SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT LIKELY TODAY...HOWEVER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MORGAN
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
12 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
This gust occurred 4 miles SW of Independence.
This gust occurred 28 miles S of Olancha.
This gust occurred 3 miles SW of Independence.
This gust occurred 4 miles SW of Independence.
This gust occurred 2 miles SSE of Independence.
This gust occurred 2 miles ESE of Independence.
This gust occurred 4 miles E of Independence.
This gust occurred 4 miles ESE of Independence.
This gust occurred 3 miles SE of Independence.
This gust occurred 5 miles ESE of Independence.
This gust occurred 6 miles SE of Independence.
This gust occurred 7 miles SE of Independence.
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, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 132508, 132510, 132511, 132512, 132513, 132514, 132515, 132516, 132517, 132518, 132519, 132520.