Two more fast-moving Pacific storm systems brought high downslope winds to the eastern Sierra slopes and the Owens Valley, as well as high westerly winds to parts of San Bernardino County.
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.
Two more fast-moving Pacific storm systems brought high downslope winds to the eastern Sierra slopes and the Owens Valley, as well as high westerly winds to parts of San Bernardino County.
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 Apr 23, 1:53 PM PST, 5 hours 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 253 PM PDT SAT APR 23 2011 .SYNOPSIS...WEAK LOW PRESSURE OVER THE GREAT BASIN WILL KEEP A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN AND STRONG WINDS OVER THE WESTERN MOJAVE DESERT THROUGH SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL GET A LITTLE WARMER SUNDAY AND MONDAY BEFORE A COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH ON TUESDAY...BRINGING COOLER AIR AND BREEZY NORTH WINDS. VERY WARM WEATHER WILL RETURN BY THURSDAY. && .SHORT TERM...CONVECTIVE CLOUDS WERE INCREASING OVER THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN AND THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF CLARK AND NORTHERN MOHAVE COUNTIES...WITH A FEW LIGHTNING STRIKES OBSERVED JUST EAST OF COLORADO CITY SHORTLY AFTER 230 PM. WINDS WERE ALSO INCREASING OVER WESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY AS EXPECTED. MODEL MASS FIELDS AND MOS GUIDANCE SHOW ONLY A BRIEF LULL IN THE WINDS OVERNIGHT BEFORE THEY CRANK UP AGAIN SUNDAY...SO EXTENDED THE ADVISORY THROUGH MIDNIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT. ALSO LOOKED HARD AT THE EASTERN SIERRA SLOPES AND OWENS VALLEY. LOCAL HIGH RES MODEL SHOWS A WEAK DOWNSLOPE SIGNATURE TOMORROW AFTERNOON...BUT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE ANYTHING WORTHY OF A WATCH AT THIS POINT. MET GUIDANCE FOR KBIH SHOWS HIGH NORTH WINDS MONDAY AFTERNOON...BUT THIS SEEMS HIGHLY UNLIKELY GIVEN THAT THE MODEL MASS FIELDS SUGGEST THE COLD FRONT ISNT EVEN THROUGH KBIH BY THAT TIME. NOT MUCH CHANGE TO POP FORECASTS. TEMPERATURES WILL RISE THROUGH MONDAY UNTIL THE AFOREMENTIONED COLD FRONT KNOCKS THEM DOWN TUESDAY. BREEZY NORTH WINDS COULD BE AN ISSUE TUESDAY...ESPECIALLY IN THE FAVORED AREAS SUCH AS THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY. .LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY AND INTO NEXT WEEKEND. WEST/NORTHWEST FLOW WILL BE IN PLACE THROUGHOUT THE EXTENDED...WHICH WILL RESULT IN CONTINUED DRY AND MILD CONDITIONS. RIDGING WILL BUILD ACROSS THE REGION WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...WITH THE 850/700MB MEAN TEMPERATURE BY THURSDAY MORNING CORRELATING WITH DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURES AROUND 8-10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL ON THURSDAY. A SHORTWAVE WILL BRUSH NORTH OF THE REGION WHICH WILL INCREASE WINDS THURSDAY AND KNOCK DOWN TEMPERATURES ABOUT 5 DEGREES FOR FRIDAY...BUT NO PRECIP IS EXPECTED. HEIGHTS WILL THEN BUILD UP AGAIN OVER THE WEEKEND AND RESULT IN ANOTHER WARMING TREND IN TEMPS. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL REMAIN IN PLACE AT THE TERMINAL OVER THE 24 HOURS AS A WEAK SYSTEM QUICKLY PASSES OVER THE REGION. WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE MAINLY SCATTERED MIDLEVEL AND BROKEN UPPER LEVEL CLOUDS TODAY AND TONIGHT BEFORE DIMINISHING ON SUNDAY. WIND GUSTS AROUND 20KTS CAN BE EXPECTED THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON TODAY...AND AGAIN ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THERE MAY BE A FEW VERY ISOLATED TSTMS ALONG THE MORMON MESA CORRIDOR THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON OVER SOUTHWEST UTAH. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...SCT-BKN CLOUDS AOA 13K FEET THROUGH THE EVENING...WITH ISOLATED SHRA AND A POSSIBLE STRAY TSTM ACROSS THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN. BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS EXPECTED ACROSS THE MOJAVE DESERT WITH GUSTS OF 20-30 KTS AND HIGHER VALUES IN NW SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY WHERE LOCAL AREAS OF BLDU WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG WITH REDUCED VSBY. GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY ACROSS THE MOJAVE DESERT. && .VEF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NV...NONE. AZ...NONE. CA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT PDT SUNDAY NIGHT FOR CAZ523. && MORGAN/KENNEDY HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 451 AM PDT SAT APR 23 2011 RETRANSMITTED CAZ523-240700- WESTERN MOJAVE DESERT- 451 AM PDT SAT APR 23 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING THROUGH MIDNIGHT. WEST WINDS OF 30 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 45 TO 55 MPH THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. BLOWING DUST COULD BRIEFLY REDUCE THE VISIBILITY TO A HALF MILE OR LESS. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE SUNDAY AND MONDAY AS A SERIES OF WEATHER DISTURBANCES MOVE THROUGH THE GREAT BASIN. STAY TUNED AS ADDITIONAL WIND PRODUCTS FOR THE WESTERN MOJAVE DESERT ARE LIKELY. DRY AND WARMER WEATHER WILL OCCUR TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. .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-CAZ519>522-NVZ014-015-018-019-240700- NORTHWEST PLATEAU-EASTERN SIERRA SLOPES-OWENS VALLEY- WHITE MOUNTAINS OF INYO COUNTY-DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK- ESMERALDA AND CENTRAL NYE COUNTY-LINCOLN COUNTY-SHEEP RANGE- SPRING MOUNTAINS- 451 AM PDT SAT APR 23 2011 /451 AM MST SAT APR 23 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR FROM THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA OF INYO COUNTY EAST INTO LINCOLN COUNTY AND NORTHERN MOHAVE COUNTY TODAY AND TONIGHT. WINDS WILL BE GUSTY AT TIMES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY UNSETTLED CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY AS A SERIES OF WEATHER DISTURBANCES MOVE THROUGH THE GREAT BASIN. DRY AND WARMER WEATHER WILL OCCUR TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. .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. AZZ002-003-036-CAZ524>527-NVZ016-017-020>022-240700- LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY-NORTHWEST DESERTS- LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA-EASTERN MOJAVE DESERT- MORONGO BASIN-CADIZ BASIN-SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY- UPPER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY-NORTHEAST CLARK COUNTY- WESTERN CLARK AND SOUTHERN NYE COUNTY-LAS VEGAS VALLEY- SOUTHERN CLARK COUNTY- 451 AM PDT SAT APR 23 2011 /451 AM MST SAT APR 23 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO WEATHER HAZARDS ARE EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT OTHER THAN SOME GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS UP TO 30 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY UNSETTLED CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY AS A SERIES OF WEATHER DISTURBANCES MOVE THROUGH THE GREAT BASIN. DRY AND WARMER WEATHER WILL OCCUR TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. .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.
7 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
This gust occurred at Bicycle Lake (KBYS) on Fort Irwin.
This gust occurred 4 miles SW of Independence.
The peak gust for this event occurred 4 miles NW of Independence at 1642 PST.
The peak gust for this event occurred at the Barstow-Daggett (KDAG) ASOS at 1812 PST.
This gust occurred 4 miles NW of Independence.
This gust was measured at Wonder Valley South (12 mi. E of Twentynine Palms).
The peak gust for this event occurred at Bicycle Lake (KBYS) on Fort Irwin at 1932 PST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2011
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: 286325, 286326, 286328, 286329, 286330, 286332, 286334.