Another storm system followed shortly behind the previous one, bringing isolated high winds to the Mojave Desert.
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.
Another storm system followed shortly behind the previous one, bringing isolated high winds to the Mojave Desert.
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 Dec 24, 3:11 AM PST, 3 hours 44 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 311 AM PST MON DEC 24 2012 .SYNOPSIS...A WEAK STORM SYSTEM WILL PASS THROUGH TODAY...BRINGING CHANCES FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW AND VALLEY RAIN PRIMARILY TO AREAS NORTH AND EAST OF LAS VEGAS...ALONG WITH GUSTY WINDS IN PORTIONS OF THE MOJAVE DESERT. AFTER A DRY CHRISTMAS DAY...ANOTHER STORM WILL BRING MORE PRECIPITATION CHANCES AND WIND WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. && .SHORT TERM...SATELLITE LOOP SHOWED SHORTWAVE TROUGH ROTATING THROUGH THE GREAT BASIN EARLY THIS MORNING. SURFACE OBS SHOWED WINDS RESPONDING ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAIN AREAS...WITH GUSTS AROUND 50 MPH IN THE SPRING MOUNTAINS. THESE WINDS SHOULD DECREASE PRETTY QUICKLY THIS MORNING AS THE WAVE MOVES AWAY. CLOUDS AND PRECIP ARE NOT NEARLY AS WIDESPREAD AS PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED...BUT KEPT POPS GOING AS SHOWERS COULD DEVELOP AT ANY TIME DUE TO THE TROUGH. BY THIS AFTERNOON A MAJORITY OF THE MOISTURE WILL HAVE EXITED TO THE EAST...WITH LINGERING POPS IN LINCOLN AND MOHAVE COUNTIES. WINDS IN THE BARSTOW AREA COULD FLIRT WITH WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA THIS AFTERNOON...BUT FOR NOW HAVE KEPT FORECAST SPEEDS JUST UNDER CRITERIA. CHRISTMAS DAY LOOKS GENERALLY QUIET...WITH LOCALLY GUSTY NORTH WINDS DOWN THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AND TEMPERATURES SEVERAL DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE NEXT SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS STILL EXPECTED WEDNESDAY...BUT MODEL RUN TO RUN TRENDS ARE MOVING TOWARD A WEAKER AND MORE OPEN SOLUTION AS OPPOSED TO THE STRONG CLOSED LOW WHICH WAS DEPICTED A FEW DAYS AGO. TRIMMED POPS BACK A LITTLE...AND FUTURE SHIFTS MAY NEED TO CONTINUE THIS TREND UNLESS THE MODELS FLOP BACK THE OTHER WAY. TEMPERATURES WILL RISE A FEW DEGREES WEDNESDAY BUT REMAIN BELOW NORMAL IN MOST AREAS. .LONG TERM...THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...BY THE TIME THURSDAY ROLLS AROUND...THE MAIN SYSTEM HAS MOVED EAST OF THE AREA INTO THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PLAINS WHILE SECONDARY ENERGY SLIDES INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTH. LIMITED MOISTURE AND RELATIVELY WEAK DYNAMICS SHOULD GENERALLY LIMIT SHOWER ACTIVITY TO MAINLY THE MOUNTAINS. FORECASTED QPF AMOUNTS ARE LIGHT AND WINTER WEATHER IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MINIMAL. FRIDAY GIVES WAY TO SHORTWAVE RIDGING AND DRY CONDITIONS AHEAD OF THE NEXT SYSTEM OVER THE PACIFIC. THE MODEL TREND FOR THIS ONE IS TO KEEP IT OVER THE PACIFIC THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND THE LOW ITSELF IS NOW FORECAST TO BE FAR ENOUGH WEST THAT THERE WOULD BE LITTLE TO NO IMPACT TO THE AREA. WITH THAT SAID HOWEVER...CONFIDENCE IS LOW SINCE MODELS ARE STILL MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO WHERE THE SYSTEM WILL TRACK. TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT THE LONG TERM WILL REMAIN ON THE COOL SIDE AND GENERALLY STAY BELOW NORMAL. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...AS OF 10Z...SOUTHERLY WINDS WERE INCREASING OVER THE FAR SOUTHERN AND WESTERN REGIONS OF THE VALLEY AND SHOULD MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE AIRPORT SHORTLY. THE QUESTION REMAINS JUST HOW STRONG THEY WILL BE AT KLAS. WIND SPEEDS GENERALLY AROUND 10KTS WITH POSSIBLE HIGHER GUSTS AT TIMES. SKY COVER HAS BEEN PROBLEMATIC BUT LOWER LEVEL MOISTURE IS BEGINNING TO STREAM IN FROM THE WEST. SCT CLOUDS 4-6K FEET AND CIGS AOA 8K FEET IS EXPECTED BUT CIGS COULD LOWER TO 5-6K FEET WITH A SMALL CHANCE FOR A STRAY RAIN SHOWER OR TWO BETWEEN THROUGH 16Z. MOST ACTIVITY SHOULD REMAIN CONFINED TO THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS AND TO AREAS NORTH OF THE VALLEY. WINDS ARE FORECAST TO BECOME MORE WEST TO NORTHWEST LATE THIS AFTERNOON BUT REMAIN UNDER 10 KTS. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...AN APPROACHING WEATHER DISTURBANCE WILL CREATE GUSTY WINDS TODAY GENERALLY FAVORING A SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST DIRECTION. CIGS OF 4-6K FEET WILL OBSCURE MOUNTAIN TOPS AT TIMES TODAY WITH RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS POSSIBLE. SHOWERS SHOULD BE GENERALLY LIGHT BUT COULD RESULT IN LOWER VISIBILITY. WIDESPREAD NORTHWEST WINDS UP TO 15 KTS ARE EXPECTED BY THIS AFTERNOON. && .VEF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NV...NONE. AZ...NONE. CA...NONE. && MORGAN/SALMEN HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 231 AM PST MON DEC 24 2012 AZZ001>003-036-CAZ519>527-NVZ014>022-250800- 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- 231 AM PST MON DEC 24 2012 /331 AM MST MON DEC 24 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF MOUNTAIN SNOW AND VALLEY RAIN TODAY...MAINLY IN AREAS NORTH AND EAST OF LAS VEGAS. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT LIKELY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...CHRISTMAS DAY THROUGH SUNDAY AFTER A QUIET CHRISTMAS DAY...A STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING CHANCES FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW AND VALLEY RAIN WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. STRONG WINDS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE IN PORTIONS OF THE MOJAVE DESERT. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT LIKELY FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY. HOWEVER...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MORGAN
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
633 AM PST MON DEC 24 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0331 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 5 ENE BOULDER CITY 36.01N 114.74W
12/24/2012 M42.00 MPH CLARK NV MESONET
0334 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 ESE RED ROCK CANYON 36.13N 115.43W
12/24/2012 M53.00 MPH CLARK NV MESONET
0450 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 SE MT. CHARLESTON 36.27N 115.60W
12/24/2012 M46.00 MPH CLARK NV MESONET
0500 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 NE MT. CHARLESTON 36.32N 115.58W
12/24/2012 E48.00 MPH CLARK NV MESONET
0555 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 ENE FORT IRWIN 35.28N 116.62W
12/24/2012 M49.00 MPH SAN BERNARDINO CA ASOS
&&
MORGANThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
This gust occurred at Bicycle Lake (KBYS).
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2012
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: 418627.