High temperatures over 110 degrees in Death Valley National Park contributed to the death of one man.
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 over 110 degrees in Death Valley National Park contributed to the death of one man.
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 May 19, 8:00 AM PST, 4 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
900 AM PDT TUE MAY 19 2009
.SYNOPSIS...A WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE SLOWLY ACROSS THE
AREA THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK. THIS WILL BRING COOLER TEMPERATURES
ALONG WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS.
&&
.UPDATE...MORNING MODEL RUNS CONTINUE TO SHOW MAIN INSTABILITY BEING
ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN PORTION OF THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON.
TWO WEAK CIRCULATIONS ONE OVER COCONINO COUNTY ARIZONA AND THE OTHER
MOVING EAST ACROSS NORTHERN NYE COUNTY MAY HELP TO INITIATE
CONVECTION LATE MORNING/EARLY AFTERNOON AND WILL NEED TO BE
MONITORED. OVERALL CURRENT SHORT TERM FORECAST ON TRACK AND DO NOT
PLAN ON ANY UPDATES THIS MORNING.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION...350 AM PDT SHORT TERM...SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST FLOW
HAS BROUGHT AN INCREASE IN MOISTURE TO THE FORECAST AREA FOR THE
PAST 24 HOURS AND THERE WAS SOME THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY YESTERDAY
THROUGH THE EVENING. THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE SHOULD INCREASE A BIT
TODAY AS AN UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES THE AREA. THE BEST CHANCE FOR
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ACROSS THE NORTHERN ZONES WHERE THE TYPICAL
CONVERGENCE ZONE SETS UP AND ALSO ACROSS MUCH OF MOHAVE COUNTY.
MODELS INDICATE A SOMEWHAT DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIR MASS ACROSS THE
SOUTHWEST PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA AND CONTINUED TO FORECAST
ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THERE. INVERTED V SOUNDINGS
ARE ALSO STILL INDICATED BY THE MODELS SO GUSTY WINDS WILL BE A
THREAT WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS. THE TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE VERY
SLOWLY EAST ON WEDNESDAY WITH ADDITIONAL DRYING TAKING PLACE ACROSS
THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. MODELS STILL INDICATE A
FAIR AMOUNT OF MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY OVER THE NORTH AND EAST AND
KEPT CHANCE POPS IN THOSE AREAS. THE TROUGH IS THEN PROGGED TO
BECOME MORE OF A WEAK CLOSED LOW JUST TO OUR SOUTH BY THURSDAY WHICH
WOULD PULL MORE MOISTURE BACK INTO THE AREA...ESPECIALLY THE EASTERN
HALF...SO WENT WITH CHANCE POPS OVER MUCH OF THE EAST WITH SLIGHT
CHANCE POPS ELSEWHERE. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL TODAY
AND WEDNESDAY BUT WITH THE UPPER LOW MOVING MORE
OVERHEAD...TEMPERATURES ON THURSDAY WILL LIKELY BE A LITTLE BELOW
NORMAL.
.LONG TERM...FOR THE PERIOD BEGINNING FRIDAY MORNING...CHANGES TO
THE EXTENDED WERE MAINLY INCREASING AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING POPS
AREAWIDE IN ORDER TO HAVE AT LEAST SLIGHT CHANCES FORECAST ACROSS
MOST AREAS THROUGH THE ENTIRE PERIOD. 00Z MODELS ARE IN GOOD
AGREEMENT...WITH NO INDICATION OF ANY MECHANISM TO SCOUR OUT MID
LEVEL MOISTURE CURRENTLY OVER THE AREA. WITH THAT IN MIND...EXPECT
DIURNAL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY...ESPECIALLY OVER MOUNTAIN AREAS
THROUGH THE ENTIRE PERIOD.
&&
.AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...DRY HIGH-BASED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED
TO DEVELOP AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING ACROSS SOUTHERN
NEVADA...WITH OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS RESULTING
IN GUSTY CONDITIONS. DIRECTION WILL BE DEPENDANT ON LOCATION OF THE
PARENT STORM. WINDS WILL GO TO THE USUAL SOUTHWEST DIRECTION AGAIN
TONIGHT.
FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST
CALIFORNIA...AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AGAIN AND LAST
INTO THE EARLY EVENING. THESE WILL MOSTLY HAVE VIRGA WITH THE
PRIMARY CONCERN BEING STRONG WINDS FROM THE OUTFLOWS.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...THUNDERSTORMS WHICH FORM TODAY WILL CONTINUE TO
PRODUCE LITTLE OR NO RAINFALL BUT WILL LIKELY TO PRODUCE GUSTY
WINDS. THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE SO THE THREAT
OF DRY LIGHTNING WILL BE HIGHER TODAY. DRY THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE
WILL LIKELY MEET RED FLAG CRITERIA ACROSS ESMERALDA...CENTRAL NYE
AND NORTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY SO ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR DRY
LIGHTNING.
&&
.VEF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NV...RED FLAG WARNING FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 11 PM PDT THIS
EVENING FOR NVZ460>462.
AZ...NONE.
CA...NONE.
&&
JENSEN/HARRISON/KENNEDY
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGASHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 843 AM PDT TUE MAY 19 2009 CORRECTION TO WORDING AZZ001>003-036-CAZ519>527-NVZ014>022-200500- 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- 516 AM PDT TUE MAY 19 2009 /516 AM MST TUE MAY 19 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHING THE AREA WILL COMBINE WITH MID LEVEL MOISTURE ALREADY IN PLACE TO PRODUCE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE BEST CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ACROSS MOHAVE...NORTHERN INYO...ESMERALDA...CENTRAL NYE AND NORTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS WITH LITTLE OR NO RAINFALL. A RED FLAG WARNING FOR DRY LIGHTNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ESMERALDA...CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN NYE AND LINCOLN COUNTIES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL REMAIN IN THE AREA THROUGH MONDAY WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM CHANCES CONTINUING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER, SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY 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.
A man went missing in Death Valley National Park on May 19th, and was found dead the next day. The cause of death was heat related disorder, compounded by other health issues.
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, Death Valley National Park | 2009-05-19 | 69 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in California, May 2009
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: 164727.