Gusty southwest winds developed across the Mojave Desert ahead of a weak trough of low pressure.
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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 VEF wrote it up.
Gusty southwest winds developed across the Mojave Desert ahead of a weak trough of low pressure.
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 30, 9:25 AM PST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 1025 AM PDT SUN AUG 30 2009 .SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE WILL WEAKEN TODAY AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST...BRINGING BREEZY CONDITIONS TO THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN AND SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES AREAWIDE. SMOKY CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED OVER MUCH OF THE MOJAVE DESERT DUE TO THE STATION WILDFIRE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE COULD RETURN TO THE AREA DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE UPCOMING WEEK. && .UPDATE...SMOKE FROM THE STATION WILDFIRE IN CALIFORNIA HAS SPREAD OUT OVER THE MAJORITY OF THE MOJAVE DESERT THIS MORNING. IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE SMOKE TO REDUCE VISIBILITY IN SOME AREAS...BUT SHOULD BE RELATIVELY DISPERSED BY THIS AFTERNOON BY GUSTY WINDS. 12Z MODEL RUNS STILL SUPPORT THE INCREASE OF WINDS ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHERN NEVADA AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED. RED FLAG WARNING LOOKS TO BE IN GOOD SHAPE AS DOES THE FORECAST. NO UPDATES NEEDED AT THIS TIME. -LABELLE- .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...MAIN ITEM OF INTEREST IS THE SMOKE ADVECTING INTO SOUTHERN NEVADA FROM A LARGE WILDFIRE IN CALIFORNIA NORTH OF LOS ANGELES. SMOKE LAYERS ALOFT AND AT THE SURFACE MAY BRING SURFACE VISIBILITIES DOWN TO AROUND 8SM AND POSSIBLY AS LOW AS 6SM AT TIMES. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO AROUND 12-22KTS AND SHOULD HELP IMPROVE VISIBILITIES IN THE VALLEY. WINDS WILL DECREASE TO UNDER 10KTS AFTER 03Z THIS EVENING. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...SMOKE FROM THE STATION WILDFIRE IN SOUTHERN CA WILL CAUSE VISIBILITIES TO DROP BELOW 10SM AT TIMES THIS MORNING. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO AROUND 12-22KTS AFTER 20Z AND SHOULD ALLOW FOR VISIBILITIES TO IMPROVE. -GORELOW- && .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...300 PM PDT SAT AUG 29...MAIN PROBLEMS TODAY WILL BE SMOKE FROM THE STATION FIRE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND WINDS. SATELLITE LOOP FROM YESTERDAY EVENING THROUGH EARLY THIS MORNING SHOWS SMOKE PLUME MOVING NORTH FROM LOS ANGELES COUNTY INTO SOUTHERN INYO COUNTY AND THEN TURNING EAST ACROSS SOUTHERN NYE COUNTY INTO CLARK COUNTY. SOME OF THE SMOKE HAS FILTERED ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE SURFACE...REDUCING VISIBILITY AT KLAS TO 5-6 MILES OVERNIGHT. NAM12 850-700 MB WINDS SUGGEST A LITTLE VEERING TAKING PLACE TODAY...WHICH WILL DRIVE THE SMOKE PLUME A LITTLE FARTHER SOUTH AND EAST. ADDED AREAS OF SMOKE TO THE WEATHER GRIDS TODAY FROM INTERSTATE 40 NORTH TO SOUTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY AND AS FAR WEST AS THE EXTREME SOUTHERN OWENS VALLEY. REGARDING WINDS...THE 00Z RUN OF THE NAM12 SHOWS SOMEWHAT STRONGER SURFACE WINDS THIS AFTERNOON IN A BELT FROM LINCOLN COUNTY THROUGH SOUTHERN NYE AND WESTERN CLARK COUNTIES INTO SOUTHEAST INYO COUNTY. THESE WINDS ARE STRONGER THAN DEPICTED IN PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS...AND ALSO IMPLY RED FLAG CRITERIA. THUS...HOISTED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR THIS AFTERNOON IN THE NEVADA PORTION OF THE AFOREMENTIONED AREA /CALIFORNIA CRITERIA ARE TOUGHER AND ARE NOT LIKELY TO BE MET/. MONDAY SHOULD BE FAIRLY QUIET...BUT WILL HAVE TO WATCH THE SMOKE PLUME. FOR TUESDAY...THE MODELS CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE THE MOISTURE INCREASE EXPECTED OVER THE SOUTHEAST ZONES AS THE MID LEVEL RIDGE RECENTERS NEAR THE FOUR CORNERS. RAISED POPS AND CLOUD COVER A LITTLE MORE IN THIS AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL BE ON A SLOW DOWNWARD TREND THROUGH THE SHORT TERM...BUT WILL REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL. .LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY TO SATURDAY...STARTS WHERE THE SHORT TERM LEFT OFF WITH THE RIDGE NEAR THE FOUR CORNERS AREA. MOISTURE WILL STILL BE FED INTO AT LEAST THE EASTERN ZONES OF THE CWA AND HAVE CONTINUED THE PREVIOUS FORECAST OF AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS IN MOHAVE AND LINCOLN COUNTIES. STILL IN DOUBT AS TO ANY ADDITIONAL MOISTURE OR SURGE WILL BE CONTRIBUTED BY JIMENA AS IT TRAVELS OFF THE WEST COAST OF BAJA. BEGINNING THURSDAY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES ARISE FROM THE OPERATIONAL GFS AND EC MODELS WITH THE APPROACHING PACNW TROUGH. THE 00Z GFS WAS AN OUTLIER AMONG ITS OWN ENSEMBLE MEMBERS IN BRINGING A MUCH DEEPER SYSTEM THROUGH THE WESTERN STATES. I LEANED THE FORECAST TOWARDS THE ECMWF WHICH IS SHALLOWER AND MORE PROGRESSIVE. TEMPERATURES WILL COME DOWN IN THE LATE EXTENDED BEHIND THE TROUGH. WITH THE SHALLOWER SYSTEM HAVE LESSENED THE WIND SPEEDS AS WELL AND THINK IT LESS LIKELY TO HAVE FIRE WEATHER PROBLEMS THIS FRIDAY OR SATURDAY. && .FIRE WEATHER...HOISTED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR MUCH OF SOUTHERN NEVADA AS NEW MODEL RUNS HAVE TRENDED MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH WIND SPEEDS THIS AFTERNOON. RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL BE A SLAM DUNK AND FORECAST FIRE DANGER IS VERY HIGH TO EXTREME. && .VEF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NV...RED FLAG WARNING FOR FIRE ZONES 460>464 11 AM TO 7 PM PDT TODAY. AZ...NONE. CA...NONE. && MORGAN/JACQUES HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 340 AM PDT SUN AUG 30 2009 AZZ001>003-036-CAZ519>527-NVZ016-020>022-310700- 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- NORTHEAST CLARK COUNTY-LAS VEGAS VALLEY-SOUTHERN CLARK COUNTY- 340 AM PDT SUN AUG 30 2009 /340 AM MST SUN AUG 30 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AREAS OF SMOKE FROM THE STATION WILDFIRE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILL AFFECT MUCH OF THE MOJAVE DESERT TODAY. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT LIKELY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE WILL INCREASE ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF INTERSTATE 15 BEGINNING ON TUESDAY...AND MAY SPREAD FARTHER NORTHWEST LATER IN THE WEEK. THIS WOULD LEAD TO CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...BUT THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. NVZ014-015-017>019-310700- ESMERALDA AND CENTRAL NYE COUNTY-LINCOLN COUNTY- WESTERN CLARK AND SOUTHERN NYE COUNTY-SHEEP RANGE- SPRING MOUNTAINS- 340 AM PDT SUN AUG 30 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE LATE THIS MORNING AND PERSIST UNTIL EVENING. THE WINDS...COMBINED WITH LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER...WILL PRODUCE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TODAY. A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 7 PM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE COULD BE PULLED INTO THE AREA DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK. THIS WOULD LEAD TO CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...BUT THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MORGAN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
This gust occurred 1 mile S of Mercury.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, August 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: 187071.