Well above average to record high temperatures, as well as an upper low on the 23rd, brought strong thunderstorms to portions of western Nevada.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 REV wrote it up.
Well above average to record high temperatures, as well as an upper low on the 23rd, brought strong thunderstorms to portions of western Nevada.
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 Reno, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 22, 1:49 PM PST, 3 hours 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV 249 PM PDT SUN APR 22 2012 .SHORT TERM... WEAK ZEPHYR DEVELOPS LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING AND MAY PROVIDE A LOW LVL FOCUS FOR ISOLATED TSTMS ALONG THE PINE NUTS AND VIRGINIA RANGE THEN EAST INTO THE WESTERN NV BASIN AND RANGE. ALTHOUGH CU DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN LIMITED THUS FAR TODAY WILL LEAVE MENTION OF SLIGHT CHANCE IN THE FORECAST EARLY THIS EVENING. THERE IS NO MID LVL FOCUS TODAY...SO WILL END THE ACTIVITY SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET. MODEL PERSIST IN LIFTING A SHORT WAVE ACROSS THE REGION MONDAY. UPPER RIDGE BEGINS TO DRIFT EAST AND MID LVL FLOW BEGINS TO BACK. THIS SHOULD ALLOW FOR INCREASED MSTR TRANSPORT THROUGH THE DAY. MONDAY WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPS BUT THESE WILL BE LOWER THAN TODAY AS ATMOSPHERE BEGINS TO COOL. STILL THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY ALONG WITH MID/UPPER LVL FORCING TO SUPPORT MORE WIDESPREAD CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT MONDAY THAN ANY DAY RECENTLY. HAVE OPTED TO RAISE POPS ACROSS THE FAR NORTH BUT WILL KEEP COVERAGE SCATTERED. INCREASED PWATS AND RELATIVELY SLOW STORM MOTIONS SHOULD ALLOW FOR SOME RAIN TO REACH THE GROUND. AT LAST CHECK FUELS OVER THE AREA WERE NOT QUITE READY IN TERMS OF EXTENSIVE FIRE STARTS FROM LIGHTNING...BUT THE PRESENCE OF LIGHTNING CAN CREATE LOCALIZED CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS...ESPECIALLY IF LIGHTNING STRIKES OCCUR OUTSIDE OF RAIN CORES IN THE LATE AFTERNOON. THE ACTIVITY WILL EXTEND INTO THE EVENING BEFORE THE DEEP CONVECTION DIMINISHES OVERNIGHT. MODELS INDICATE ANOTHER WEAK SHORT WAVE OVER THE REGION TUESDAY BUT AM CONCERNED THIS COULD BE DUE TO CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK IN THE MODELS. OVERALL THE INSTABILITY IS NOT AS GREAT TUESDAY AND INCREASED SW FLOW ALOFT OVER THE NRN CWA COULD LIMIT ACTIVITY THERE. WILL INDICATE INCREASED COVERAGE IN DEFERENCE TO THE MODELS DEVELOPING THE SHORT WAVE...BUT WILL NOT GO ABOVE SLIGHT CHANCE YET. THIS ACTIVITY IS LIKELY TO PUSH EAST IN THE EVENING AS LOW LVL FLOW BECOMES MORE WEST LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. TEMPS AGAIN REACH ABOVE AVERAGE BUT COOLER THAN MONDAY. BY WEDNESDAY PATTERN BEGINS TO SHIFT. MODELS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO LIFT A CUT OFF LOW NE OVER THE REGION LATE WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY FOR THE LAST FEW DAYS. EARLIER THE ECMWF WAS A BIT SLOWER WITH THIS FEATURE AS IT CAME INTO PHASE WITH THE MAIN LONG WAVE TROUGH. NOW IT LOOKS MORE LIKE THE GFS IN THAT IT LIFTS THE LOW OVER SRN NV WELL AHEAD OF THE MAIN TROUGH. WHILE UPPER LVL TEMPS COOL...THE LOW LVLS COOL AS WELL FOR WEDNESDAY SO MID TO UPPER LVL LAPSE RATES ARE NOT OVERLY STRONG. BEST INSTABILITY AND JET SUPPORT IS LIKELY TO REMAIN OVER THE FAR EASTERN CWA WEDNESDAY AFTN/EVNG...BUT THE HIGHEST POPS ARE LIKELY OVER THE SIERRA. SPLIT FLOW IS NOT NORMALLY CONDUCIVE TO EXTENSIVE DEVELOPMENT EAST OF THE SIERRA...BUT THE INCREASED LOW LVL INSTABILITY DUE TO WARM TEMPS AND RESIDUAL MOISTURE FROM THE PREVIOUS DAYS WILL NEGATE THE TYPICAL DRY PATTERN EAST OF THE SIERRA. WILL KEEP THE HIGHEST POPS ALONG THE SIERRA AND WILL MENTION SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS EAST OF THE SIERRA WEDNESDAY AFTN/EVNG. MLF .LONG TERM...THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY... ONLY MINOR CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE ONGOING LONG TERM FORECAST. SOUTHERN TROUGH IS ABSORBED INTO THE NORTHERN UPSTREAM TROUGH AS THEY BOTH SHIFT INLAND ON THURSDAY. THIS WILL KEEP SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST ON THURSDAY AND HAVE INCREASED POPS IN THE SIERRA. BEST FORCING AND LIFT WILL REMAIN EAST OF THE CWA ON THURSDAY, SO HAVE LEFT THUNDERSTORMS OUT OF THE FORECAST AT THIS TIME. THE UPSTREAM TROUGH WILL BRING COLDER AIR INTO THE REGION WITH SNOW LEVELS DROPPING FROM 6-7K FEET THURSDAY TO 5-6K FEET LATE THURSDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL OF COURSE TRANSLATE TO FALLING TEMPERATURES WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES ABOUT 5 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. TROUGH WILL BEGIN TO EJECT EASTWARD FRIDAY, THOUGH SOME SHOWERS MAY LINGER THROUGH THE DAY. DRIER NORTHWESTERLY FLOW SETS UP OVER THE REGION BY SATURDAY MORNING AS A RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC. A COUPLE OF SHORTWAVES RIDING OVER THE RIDGE WILL REINFORCE THE TROUGH CENTERED JUST WEST OF THE ROCKIES, BUT THE MAIN IMPACT FOR THE CWA WILL JUST BE AN INCREASE IN BOTH WIND AND CLOUDS. FORECAST TO REMAIN DRY NEXT WEEKEND WITH TEMPERATURES RETURNING TO NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. DF && .AVIATION... VFR WITH AFTERNOON WIND GUSTS REACHING 20-25 KTS. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE FORMED IN EASTERN NEVADA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON AND THERE IS STILL A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT THEY WILL FORM LATE THIS AFTERNOON/EARLY THIS EVENING MAINLY EAST OF HIGHWAY 395/SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80. THERE IS A 60% CHANCE FOR FOG TO DEVELOP ONCE AGAIN TONIGHT AT KTRK. BETTER CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS EXIST MONDAY AS A DISTURBANCE MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. THIS INCLUDES A 20-30% CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AT ALL TERMINALS MONDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. DF && .HYDROLOGY... ONE MORE DAY OF ABOVE AVERAGE HIGHS IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE EASTERN SIERRA MONDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TO COOL DOWN BACK TO NEAR AVERAGE. ELEVATED STREAM FLOWS ARE LIKELY AGAIN MONDAY. THE HIGHEST FLOWS WILL OCCUR IN THE EVENING. DUE TO A WELL BELOW AVERAGE SNOWPACK NO FLOODING IS EXPECTED...AND MOST SMALL STREAMS WILL REMAIN WELL BELOW BANK FULL. THE MAIN CONCERN IS SWIFT FLOWS THAT CAN KNOCK YOU OFF YOUR FEET AND THE POTENTIAL FOR HYPOTHERMIA WITH WATER TEMPERATURES LIKELY IN THE 40S. MLF && .REV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NV...NONE. CA...NONE. && HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RENO
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV 443 PM PDT SUN APR 22 2012 NVZ001-230030- MINERAL AND SOUTHERN LYON COUNTIES- 443 PM PDT SUN APR 22 2012 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING TOWARD SCHURZ... AT 434 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES SOUTH OF SCHURZ...OR 7 MILES NORTH OF BALD MOUNTAIN...AND MOVING NORTH AT 10 MPH. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THE STORM WILL BE GUSTY WINDS UP TO 50 OR 55 MPH. OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING...MODERATE RAIN WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO ONE HALF INCH REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN THREE MILES...AND SMALL PEA OR MARBLE SIZE HAIL WILL ALSO OCCUR WITH THIS STORM. * LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...SCHURZ. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM...SEEK SHELTER INDOORS AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA ALL HAZARDS RADIO... WEATHER.GOV/RENO ON THE INTERNET...OR LOCAL MEDIA FOR LATER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. && LAT...LON 3907 11893 3907 11860 3877 11877 3882 11899 TIME...MOT...LOC 2341Z 194DEG 3KT 3888 11885 JHW
The Reno radar (KRGX), 76 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:52 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Naval Air Station in Fallon reported this wind gust. Sustained winds were 41 mph at 1452PST.
This gust was measured at the Bluewing Mt RAWS.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, April 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: 376260, 376259.