A storm system moving into the Pacific Northwest brought locally high winds to southeast California.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 storm system moving into the Pacific Northwest brought locally high winds to southeast California.
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 2, 2:25 PM PST, 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 325 PM PDT SAT MAY 2 2009 .SYNOPSIS...WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL HOLD OVER THE REGION AS FAST MOVING DISTURBANCES BRUSH THE NORTHERN GREAT BASIN DURING THE COMING WEEK. THIS DRY WEATHER PATTERN WILL PROVIDE OCCASIONAL BREEZES AND ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO CLIMB WELL ABOVE NORMAL. && .SHORT TERM...SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWED A PACIFIC MOISTURE PLUME BETWEEN 30N AND 40N EXTENDING FROM THE WEST COAST BACK TO THE DATE LINE. A ZONAL FLOW WILL BRING THIS MOISTURE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA...MAINLY IN THE FORM OF MID AND HIGH CLOUDS...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. WEAK UPPER LOWS ROLLING ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL BRUSH THE NORTHERN GREAT BASIN WILL HELP ENHANCE AFTERNOON WEST TO SOUTHWEST BREEZES. ENOUGH MOISTURE COULD MAKE IT NORTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY SUNDAY NIGHT FOR A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIP...BUT IT APPEARS MARGINAL AT BEST. WEST WINDS GUSTING OVER 40 MPH WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY DESERTS THIS EVENING AND THE WIND ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB SEVERAL DEGREES BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON THEN SHOULD FLUCTUATE ONLY A DEGREE OR TWO MONDAY AND TUESDAY. && .LONG TERM...MODELS REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH THE IDEA OF OUR WARMEST WEATHER OF THE YEAR TAKING SHAPE THE LATTER HALF OF NEXT WEEK. AN UPPER RIDGE OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC CENTERED ALONG 27N WILL EXPAND EASTWARD INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. BOTH THE 12Z ECMWF AND GFS HAVE TRENDED ABOUT 1C TO 2C WARMER WITH TEMPS AT 700MB ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...THUS HAVE BUMPED UP HIGHS A LITTLE MORE THEN. BOTH THE 12Z GEM AND ECMWF ARE DROPPING A SYSTEM ACROSS THE PAC NW ON THURSDAY WHICH MAY FLATTEN OUT OUR HEIGHTS SOME BUT STILL WITH STRONG RIDGING CENTERED TO OUR SOUTH AND PLENTY OF DRY AIR IN PLACE THE ONLY MAJOR EFFECT THIS SYSTEM COULD HAVE IS SOME ENHANCEMENT OF WINDS THURSDAY AFTERNOON. OVERALL IT IS A TOUGH CALL AS TO WHICH DAY MAY TURN OUT TO BE THE WARMEST BUT RIGHT NOW THE CURRENT GRIDS SHOW THIS TO BE ON FRIDAY. HIGHS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH 10 TO 15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS THE AREA WITH THE WARMEST SPOTS REACHING 100-110. FOR NOW...HAVE KEPT LAS VEGAS IN THE UPPER 90S...I GUESS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE PROGGED H5 HEIGHTS REACH AT LEAST 588 DM BEFORE FORECASTING A TRIPLE DIGIT HIGH HERE IN VEGAS. AFTERWARDS HAVE LEANED TOWARDS THE 12Z ECMWF WHICH KEEPS A RIDGE ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES ALONG WITH 700 MB TEMPS THAT ARE ABOUT 2C TO 3C WARMER THAN THE 12Z GFS. BY NEXT WEEKEND HEIGHTS WILL STILL LIKELY LOWER AS ANOTHER SYSTEM DROPS SOUTHWARD OFF THE COAST OF BRITISH COLUMBIA...WASHINGTON AND OREGON...BUT TEMPS ARE STILL EXPECTED TO REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL. RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURES MAY ALSO BE REACHED IN LAS VEGAS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY MORNING. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS THIS EVENING AND EARLY TONIGHT UNDER 10 KTS. AROUND 14Z SUNDAY...EXPECT WINDS WILL GO VARIABLE AROUND 5 KTS...WITH SOME PERIODS OF EASTERLY WINDS LATE SUNDAY MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON...BEFORE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 5-10 KTS TAKE SHAPE LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. MAINLY A BKN CLOUD DECK AOA 25K FEET THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...WINDS WILL LET UP LATER THIS EVENING IN MOST SPOTS AND GO DIURNAL OVERNIGHT EXCEPT AT KDAG WHERE WEST WINDS OF 10-15 KTS WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KTS ARE EXPECTED. SUNDAY WINDS WILL PICK UP AROUND 20Z...WITH GUSTS AROUND 20 KTS EXPECTED AT KDRA AND 25-30 KTS AT KDAG. MAINLY A BROKEN CLOUD DECK AOA 25K FEET THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON THOUGH SCT CLOUDS AS LOW AS 12K-14K FEET ARE POSSIBLE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT KBIH ALONG WITH A SHOWER OVER THE SIERRA AND WHITE MOUNTAINS. && .VEF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NV...NONE. AZ...NONE. CA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR CAZ523>525. && ADAIR/STACHELSKI HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 542 AM PDT SAT MAY 2 2009 CAZ523>525-030345- WESTERN MOJAVE DESERT-EASTERN MOJAVE DESERT-MORONGO BASIN- 542 AM PDT SAT MAY 2 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WIND ADVISORY CONTINUES UNTIL 9 PM THIS EVENING. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WEATHER MESSAGE FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .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. AZZ001>003-036-CAZ519>522-526-527-NVZ014>022-030345- 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-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- 542 AM PDT SAT MAY 2 2009 /542 AM MST SAT MAY 2 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .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.
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
This gust occurred 4 miles SW of Independence.
This gust occurred 5 miles WSW of Independence.
This gust occurred 3 miles SSW of Independence.
This gust occurred 29 miles SSW of Searles Valley.
This gust occurred 5 miles WSW of Independence.
This gust occurred 29 miles SSW of Searles Valley.
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: 159689, 159690, 159691, 159692, 159693, 159694.