High temperatures in the Las Vegas area contributed to the deaths of two people. One death occurred on the 6th, when the high temperature was 104 degrees, and temperatures had been 100 degrees or higher for 17 out of 20 days.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
High temperatures in the Las Vegas area contributed to the deaths of two people. One death occurred on the 6th, when the high temperature was 104 degrees, and temperatures had been 100 degrees or higher for 17 out of 20 days. The other death occurred on the 8th, when the high temperature was 104 degrees, and temperatures had been 100 degrees or higher for 19 out of 22 days.
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 6, 9:25 AM PST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 1025 AM PDT WED AUG 6 2008 .SYNOPSIS...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR WILL REMAIN OVER SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA AND NEARBY SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA THROUGH FRIDAY FOR ISOLATED TO SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH SOME STORMS. A DRIER SOUTHWEST FLOW IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP FOR THE WEEKEND WITH THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY CONFINED TO NORTHWEST ARIZONA. && .UPDATE...CURRENT FORECAST ON TRACK WITH ISOLATED CONVECTION STARTING TO DEVELOP OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CWA. NOT SEEING ANY SIGNIFICANT TRIGGER FOR ORGANIZED STORMS AND WILL MAINLY BE LOOKING FOR ISOLATED STORMS. STILL...THE POTENTIAL OF LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE AS WINDS ALOFT ARE LIGHT AND STILL PLENTY OF MOISTURE AVAILABLE. && .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...425 AM PDT WED AUG 6...SHORT TERM...RECENT SATELLITE LOOPS SHOWED THINNING HIGH CLOUDS ACROSS SOUTHERN NEVADA AND MOHAVE COUNTY WHILE THE REST OF THE AREA WAS GENERALLY CLEAR. THE LATEST TRENDS INDICATE HIGH CLOUDS SHOULD CONTINUE TO THIN AS ANTICYCLONIC CIRCULATION OVER SOUTHWEST ARIZONA IS FORECAST TO LIFT NORTHWARD THIS MORNING AND TRACK ACROSS SOUTHERN NEVADA TODAY. THE LATEST NAM...GFS AND ECMWF ALL SHOW THIS FEATURE. THIS SHOULD ALLOW PLENTY OF SURFACE HEATING WHICH WILL WORK IN FAVOR OF CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT BEGINNING OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHERN NEVADA AND NORTHWEST ARIZONA THIS MORNING. ONE THING WORKING AGAINST SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION TODAY IS DRIER AIR OVER SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA BEING PULLED INTO SOUTHERN NEVADA AROUND THE MID LEVEL CIRCULATION. WE SAW ALMOST NO CONVECTION IN THIS UPSTREAM AIR MASS TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THE GFS DROPS PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES OVER SOUTHERN NEVADA TO AROUND 1 INCH THIS AFTERNOON WHILE THE NAM LOWERS THEM TO AROUND 1.25 INCHES...WHICH IS ABOUT 0.25-0.50 INCHES LOWER THAN TUESDAY AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...I THINK MOISTURE BELOW 700 MB WILL NOT BE SCOURED OUT MUCH AND THIS SHOULD PROVIDE THE FUEL FOR OROGRAPHICALLY ENHANCED THUNDERSTORMS. ASIDE FROM THAT...THERE IS NO CLEAR UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT TO ACT AS AN ADDITIONAL TRIGGER ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION TODAY. THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA MAY SEE SOME ENHANCEMENT FROM BROAD ASCENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE EASTERN PACIFIC TROUGH. AVAILABLE MOISTURE CONTINUES TO DECREASE SLIGHTLY THURSDAY IN THE WESTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA WHILE A WEAK WAVE IS INDICATED OVER NORTHWEST ARIZONA THURSDAY AFTERNOON BY THE GFS AND NAM. INCREASINGLY DRY SOUTHWEST FLOW WITH THE EASTERN PACIFIC TROUGH PUSHING INLAND SHOULD CONTINUE TO PUSH THE DEEPER MOISTURE TOWARD THE ARIZONA AND UTAH BORDERS FRIDAY RESULTING IN LITTLE OR NO CONVECTION WEST OF CLARK COUNTY. && .LONG TERM...AS A CLOSED UPPER LOW MOVES INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA ON SATURDAY IT WILL ALLOW FOR ENOUGH OF A DRY SOUTHWEST FLOW TO PREVAIL ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA. LINGERING MOISTURE ACROSS MOHAVE COUNTY AND TO A LESSER EXTENT CLARK AND LINCOLN COUNTIES WILL BE TOUGH TO SCOUR OUT COMPLETELY SO SLIGHT CHANCE POPS HAVE BEEN KEPT IN FOR THESE AREAS WITH A FEW AREAS OF SCT POPS ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF MOHAVE COUNTY. AS THE CLOSED UPPER LOW MOVES INLAND ACROSS BRITISH COLUMBIA ON SUNDAY IT WILL FLATTEN OUT THE FLOW ALOFT ACROSS THE CWFA TO MORE OF A WESTERLY DIRECTION AND THIS WILL HELP DRY THINGS OUT FURTHER. THE ONE INCH PWAT LINE IS SHOWN ON THE GFS TO GET PUSHED TOWARDS THE EASTERN AND SOUTHERN BORDER OF MOHAVE COUNTY. UPPER LEVEL RIDGING IS SHOWN TO REBUILD ACROSS THE WESTERN CONUS BY THE GFS ENSEMBLES AS WELL AS THE OPERATIONAL GFS AND ECMWF IN THE TUESDAY TO WEDNESDAY PERIOD AS RATHER DEEP TROUGHING TAKES HOLD IN THE EASTERN CONUS. MODELS ARE TRYING TO DRIVE COLD FRONTS INTO FLORIDA IN AUGUST...PRETTY UNUSUAL...AND THIS SHOULD RESULT IN THE WESTERN RIDGE AMPLIFYING FURTHER. TEMPS SHOULD WARM SOME AS THE RIDGE TAKES HOLD AND ANY SIGNIFICANT INFLUXES OF MOISTURE ARE KEPT AWAY. HOWEVER...PWATS OF AN INCH OR GREATER STILL HANG ON IN MOHAVE COUNTY AND SO THE POTENTIAL FOR AT LEAST ISOLATED TSTMS WILL REMAIN HERE. OTHERWISE IT SHOULD REMAIN DRY WITH A GENEROUS AMOUNT OF SUNSHINE. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...THUNDERSTORMS COVERAGE IS EXPECTED TO BE ON THE ISOLATED SIDE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS WITH SCATTERED TSTORMS IN ALL APPROACH CORRIDORS INTO MCCARRAN. CELLS THAT FORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG...ERRATIC WINDS. TSTM CHANCES SHOULD DIMINISH THIS EVENING WITH ONLY LINGERING SCT TO BKN DEBRIS CLOUDS FROM 15-20K FT. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE CONTINUES OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS WITH BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND STRONG...ERRATIC WINDS THE PRIMARY IMPACTS. OTHERWISE...EXPECT FEW-SCT CLOUDS AOA 10K FEET WITH TYPICAL GUSTY SOUTHERLY AFTERNOON WINDS AROUND 20 KTS. TSTMS SHOULD DIMINISH THIS EVENING WITH LEFTOVER DEBRIS CLOUDS RANGING FROM 15-20K FT. && .VEF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NV...NONE. AZ...NONE. CA...NONE. && GORELOW/SLAMEN/ADAIR/STACHELSKI HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 625 AM PDT WED AUG 6 2008 AZZ001>003-036-CAZ519>527-NVZ014>022-070700- 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- 625 AM PDT WED AUG 6 2008 /625 AM MST WED AUG 6 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE REGION WILL LEAD TO ANOTHER ROUND OF ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED OVER GENERALLY THE SAME AREA AS TUESDAY...MAINLY SOUTHEAST NEVADA AND NORTHWEST ARIZONA. THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA AND ESMERALDA COUNTY NEVADA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE SAME AREA THURSDAY THEN BEGIN TO DECREASE IN COVERAGE FROM WEST TO EAST FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS DRIER SOUTHWEST FLOW DEVELOPS. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CONFINED TO NORTHWEST ARIZONA SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Two people in the Las Vegas area died of heat-related causes.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat, Las Vegas Valley | 2008-08-08 | 56 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Heat, Las Vegas Valley | 2008-08-06 | 82 | Male | Permanent Home | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, August 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: 134714.