A strong cold front produced high winds across northern and central Nevada. Numerous wind gusts over 60 mph were observed.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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 LKN wrote it up.
A strong cold front produced high winds across northern and central Nevada. Numerous wind gusts over 60 mph were observed. The high winds produced widespread blowing dust across northern Nevada reducing visibility to 1/4 mile or less at times.
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 Elko, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 27, 7:39 AM PST, 2 hours 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV 839 AM PDT TUE APR 27 2010 .SYNOPSIS...SYNOPSIS...A STRONG STORM SYSTEM FROM THE PACIFIC WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION TODAY...RESULTING IN STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SCATTERED SHOWERS...AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH ACROSS THE STATE BY LATER TONIGHT...CAUSING RAIN SHOWERS TO CHANGE TO SNOW SHOWERS BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. WINTRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK. && .UPDATE...GUIDANCE IS SHOWING VERY STRONG WINDS ACROSS HUMBOLDT COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON...WITH MAV AND MET GUIDANCE VERY CLOSE TO HIGH WIND WARNING CRITERIA. THE 90AGL WINDS ARE PROGGED TO BE BETWEEN 45-55 KNOTS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY WARNING AREA THIS AFTERNOON...AND U AND V WIND ANOMALIES ARE SOLIDLY IN THE +3 TO +4 SD RANGE. WE FELT THIS WAS SUFFICIENT TO UPGRADE WIND ADVISORY FOR HUMBOLDT COUNTY TO A HIGH WIND WARNING. THIS IS IN EFFECT FOR 9 AM THIS MORNING UNTIL 10 PM THIS EVENING. STRONG COLD FRONT POISED TO PUSH ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA TODAY...WITH VERY COLD TEMPERATURES BEHIND THE FRONT. UPDATES TO HAZARD AND ASSOCIATED WIND GRIDS HAVE BEEN COMPLETE...WILL BE GETTING THE REST OF THE PRODUCTS OUT SHORTLY. NO OTHER CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE FORECAST. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED AT 353 AM / SYNOPSIS...A STRONG STORM SYSTEM FROM THE PACIFIC WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION TODAY...RESULTING IN STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SCATTERED SHOWERS...AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH ACROSS THE STATE BY LATER TONIGHT...CAUSING RAIN SHOWERS TO CHANGE TO SNOW SHOWERS BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. WINTRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK. SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY. POTENT STORM SYSTEM APPROACHING THE REGION WILL RESULT IN SHOWERS...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...AND VERY STRONG GUSTY WINDS BY THIS AFTERNOON. FRONT WILL CROSS MUCH OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY BY MIDDAY...WHICH SHOULD LIMIT THE HIGH WIND POTENTIAL SOMEWHAT...BUT EVEN THERE IT LOOKS AS THOUGH IT WILL BE CLOSE TO HIGH WIND WARNING CRITERIA AS WINDS APPEAR TO EXCEED 50 KNOTS DOWN BELOW 700 MB BY THIS AFTERNOON. FRONT APPEARS TO REACH ELKO LATE IN THE AFTERNOON AND ELY BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. IN THESE AREAS...STRONG MIXING AHEAD OF AND ALONG THE FRONT SHOULD ALLOW GUSTS OF 50 KNOTS OR GREATER TO REACH THE SURFACE...SO HAVE UPGRADED ALL REMAINING ZONES TO A WARNING AND SYNCHRONIZED THE TIMING FOR SIMPLICITY'S SAKE. IT MAY BE THAT THE EXPECTED ISOLATED CONVECTION WILL BE THE MOST EFFICIENT MEANS OF GETTING THE STRONGEST GUSTS DOWN TO THE SURFACE...BUT ANY WAY YOU SLICE IT...TODAY WILL BE QUITE A WINDY DAY. PRECIPITATION APPEARS LESS ROBUST ACROSS THE REGION IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE TONIGHT AND TOMORROW COMPARED TO EARLIER MODEL RUNS. THUS...WHILE RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW IN MOST AREAS BY WEDNESDAY MORNING...AMOUNTS NOW LOOK LIGHT ENOUGH SUCH THAT NO WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES ARE CURRENTLY ANTICIPATED AS SNOWFALL AMOUNTS SHOULD GENERALLY BE BELOW 3 INCHES IN THE VALLEYS...EVEN ACROSS NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY. AS THE LOW PRESSURE MOVES AWAY FROM THE REGION ON WEDNESDAY...GUSTY NORTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL PERSIST IN ITS WAKE. WHILE MIXING WILL BE MORE LIMITED...THE PRESSURE GRADIENT MAY BE STRONG ENOUGH TO REACH WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA IN THE FAVORED DOWNSLOPE LOCATIONS. DESPITE THE STORM MOVING AWAY...VERY COLD AIR FOR LATE APRIL MOVING INTO THE REGION ALOFT WILL KEEP CONVECTIVE SNOW SHOWERS GOING THROUGH THE DAY. A TRAILING UPPER-LEVEL SYSTEM LOOKS TO MOVE THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/THURSDAY...BUT THIS SECONDARY SYSTEM IS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE PRIMARY STORM. HOWEVER...AN INCREASE IN SNOW SHOWER COVERAGE CAN BE EXPECTED AS THE SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH. RCM LONG TERM...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. MODELS ARE ONLY IN AGREEMENT THROUGH SATURDAY SO DETAILS WILL BE DIFFICULT TO VERIFY AT THIS JUNCTURE. HOWEVER THE KEY POINT IS THAT A LONG PERIOD OF COLD WINTER-LIKE TROUGHINESS IS IN STORE FOR THE GREAT BASIN. THE ECMWF MODEL SEEMS TO BE THE LEAST AGGRESSIVE MODEL AND THE GFS IS FASTER WITH MOVING THE TROUGH EAST INTIALLY. ALL OF THE MODEL SOLUTIONS SHOW A SIMILAR-DEPTH TROUGH SETTLING EAST OF NV AND SAGGING SOUTH TO NEAR THE MEXICO BORDER THROUGH AT LEAST MONDAY. IN A PREDOMINANTLY NORTH-NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN...THIS WILL KEEP UNSETTLED WEATHER ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THE ENTIRE TIME WITH A COOL REGIME BRINGING A MIX OF SHOWER TYPES. LW AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO HOLD THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AS A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. WINDY CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP BY THIS AFTERNOON AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS AHEAD OF THE INCOMING TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE. ALL TAF SITES ARE EXPECTED TO BE AFFECTED BY THE STRONG WINDS GUSTING TO NEAR 50 MPH AT TIMES. RAIN SHOWERS WITH A FEW EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS TODAY WILL EVOLVE INTO A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS OVERNIGHT AS CEILINGS LOWER AND COLDER AIR SEEPS INTO THE GREAT BASIN. A FRONTAL PASSAGE IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR THIS EVENING AND SHOWERS ON WEDNESDAY WILL LIKELY BE ALL SNOW. LW && .LKN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR EXTREME EASTERN ELKO COUNTY...HUMBOLDT COUNTY...NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY... NORTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND NORTHERN EUREKA COUNTY...NORTHERN NYE COUNTY...RUBY MOUNTAINS/EAST HUMBOLDT RANGE...SOUTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND SOUTHERN EUREKA COUNTY...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ELKO COUNTY...WHITE PINE COUNTY. && 86/84
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV 335 AM PDT TUE APR 27 2010 NVZ013-031>037-281045- NORTHERN NYE COUNTY-NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY- SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ELKO COUNTY- EXTREME EASTERN ELKO COUNTY-RUBY MOUNTAINS/EAST HUMBOLDT RANGE- WHITE PINE COUNTY- NORTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND NORTHERN EUREKA COUNTY- SOUTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND SOUTHERN EUREKA COUNTY- 335 AM PDT TUE APR 27 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL NEVADA...NORTH CENTRAL NEVADA...NORTHEAST NEVADA AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL BEGIN MOVING INTO THE REGION TODAY. STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH ARE EXPECTED. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM PDT THIS MORNING THROUGH 10 PM PDT THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. GUSTY NORTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE REGION WEDNESDAY IN THE WAKE OF THE STORM SYSTEM. A WIND ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED FOR PARTS OF THE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO REPORT WEATHER PHENOMENA ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. NVZ030-281045- HUMBOLDT COUNTY- 335 AM PDT TUE APR 27 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL BEGIN MOVING INTO THE REGION TODAY. STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH ARE EXPECTED. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM PDT THIS MORNING THROUGH 10 PM PDT THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. GUSTY NORTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE REGION WEDNESDAY IN THE WAKE OF THE STORM SYSTEM. A WIND ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED FOR PARTS OF THE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO REPORT WEATHER PHENOMENA ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. RCM
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 high wind, 2 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
A 64 mph wind gust was recorded at the Alligator Ridge RAWS. A 59 mph wind gust was recorded at the Baker Mesonet site located about 3 miles north of Baker on Highway 50.
A 68 mph was recorded at the Ruby Valley RAWS.
Widespread wind gusts between 64 and 76 mph across Humboldt county with a peak wind gust of 76 mph at the Texas Springs RAWS. A semi-trailer rolled over on Interstate 80 near Golconda due to the high winds. The driver and his passenger sustained moderate injuries.
A wind gust of 58 mph was recorded at the Emigrant Pass Mesonet site located along Interstate 80.
A wind gust to 60 mph was recorded at the Warm Springs Mesonet site about 20 miles south of Wells along Highway 93. A gust to 60 mph was also recorded at the Spruce Mountain RAWS. Numerous reports of shingles blown off of roofs were received in Elko and Spring Creek. A wind gust to 54 mph was reported at the Elko Airport ASOS.
A wind gust of 62 mph was recorded at the Austin Summit Mesonet site along Highway 50.
Strong winds created widespread dust over southeastern portion of Humboldt county reducing visibility to 1/4 mile or less at times in Winnemucca.
A wind gust of 59 mph was recorded at the Long Hollow RAWS.
Strong southwest winds produced widespread dust across the area reducing visibility to 1/4 mile and less at times in Elko and Spring Creek.
A wind gust of 63 mph was reported by the Spring Gulch RAWS site. A 60 mph wind gust was reported at the Pilot Peak Junction Mesonet site.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, April 2010
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: 217935, 217932, 218045, 217993, 217960, 217938, 218046, 217946, 218047, 217929.