A dissipating shower produced high winds due to very dry low level air in place.
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.
A dissipating shower produced high winds due to very dry low level air in place.
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, 4:00 PM PST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 500 PM PDT MON APR 23 2012 .SYNOPSIS...RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST THROUGH TUESDAY AS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHES THE COAST. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO LOWER A FEW DEGREES ON TUESDAY WITH ADDITIONAL COOLING THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. AS THE LOW MOVES INLAND WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...MOISTURE WILL INCREASE AND BRING A GOOD CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION TO MUCH OF THE AREA. && .UPDATE...SATELLITE AND AREA RADARS SHOW TWO BANDS OF SHOWERS /AND A THUNDERSTORM OR TWO/ FORMING...ONE OVER INYO AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES AND ANOTHER OVER SOUTHERN NYE AND EXTREME NORTHWEST CLARK COUNTIES. UPDATED EVENING GRIDS TO REFLECT THESE TRENDS. && .PREV DISCUSSION... 300 PM PDT MON APR 23 2012 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...WEAK WAVE PUSHING NORTH THROUGH THE AREA HAS HELPED GENERATE A DECENT AMOUNT OF CLOUDS ACROSS AREAS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 15. SO FAR THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY LIGHTNING STRIKES IN THE CWA...BUT THERE REMAINS ENOUGH INSTABILITY TO KEEP THE CHANCE AT LEAST INTO EARLY THIS EVENING...ESPECIALLY OVER THE SIERRA. TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION HAVE TOPPED OFF JUST SHY OF YESTERDAYS HIGHS...BUT THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST A COUPLE OF RECORDS TIED FOR TODAY INCLUDING LAS VEGAS AND BISHOP. THE RIDGE WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT EAST TUESDAY AS A DEVELOPING LOW APPROACHES THE COAST. WE ARE LOOKING FOR SOME ADDITIONAL COOLING TUESDAY AND IT LOOKS LIKE TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW RECORD TERRITORY. THERE WILL STILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SIERRA AS ENOUGH MOISTURE AND WEAK INSTABILITY REMAIN IN PLACE. THE AFOREMENTIONED LOW WILL APPROACH THE COAST WEDNESDAY WITH MOISTURE STARTING TO SPREAD INLAND DURING THE DAY. MOST OF THE MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN WEST OF THE CWA...BUT SOME HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF INYO AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES MAY SEE A FEW SHOWERS IN THE LATER AFTERNOON. WINDS AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE TOO STRONG WITH MAINLY BREEZY TO LOCALLY WINDY CONDITIONS AREA WIDE. BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT ADDITIONAL MOISTURE WILL SPREAD EAST WITH MUCH OF THE CWA EXPECTED TO SEE PRECIPITATION WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. MODELS ARE IN BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THE TIMING ISSUES AND EVEN THE MUCH FASTER NAM HAS TRENDED CLOSER TO THE GFS/ECMWF WITH THE 18Z RUN. THIS SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL OF PRODUCING AROUND A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF RAIN IN THE VALLEYS WITH AROUND HALF AN INCH IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. SNOW LEVELS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO DROP SIGNIFICANTLY AHEAD OF THE LOW...BUT AS THE LOW MOVES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA SNOW LEVELS MAY DROP TO AROUND 6500-7000 FEET. AM NOT ANTICIPATING THE NEED TO WINTER PRODUCTS AT THIS TIME...BUT A FEW INCHES OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE AHEAD AND WITH THE COLD LOW CENTER AND MAINLY OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA...ESPECIALLY EASTERN SAN BERNARDINO...CLARK AND MOHAVE COUNTIES. SYSTEM WILL START TO PUSH EAST LATE THURSDAY MORNING WITH DRYING EXPECTED FROM WEST TO EAST. MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE ENDING DURING THE AFTERNOON WITH OVER THE FAR EASTERN AREAS OF THE CWA SEEING SHOWERS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE RATHER COOL AND ARE EXPECTED TO BE AROUND 25 DEGREES COOLER THAN WHAT WAS EXPERIENCED OVER THIS PAST WEEKEND. THE AREA IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN DRY THURSDAY NIGHT WITH A DRY NORTHWEST FLOW SETTING UP OVER THE AREA. .LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...MEDIUM RANGE PROGS IN SIMILAR AGREEMENT FOR THE PERIOD. MODELS DEPICT A BROAD TROUGH ENCOMPASSING MUCH OF THE LOWER 48 WITH RIDGE OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC...CENTERED AROUND 140W. THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN AND MOJAVE DESERT WILL LIE UNDER A DRY NORTHWEST FLOW FOR THE ENTIRE PERIOD. TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR NORMAL FRIDAY...WARMING TO ABOUT 5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL SATURDAY-MONDAY. MAY SEE SOME STRONGER NORTH WINDS DOWN THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY SATURDAY BUT DOES NOT LOOK THAT IMPRESSIVE AT THIS TIME. .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...WIND GUSTS WILL DIMINISH THIS EVENING WITH SOUTH WINDS HOLDING AROUND 10KTS TONIGHT. SHALLOW CUMULUS OVER THE MOUNTAINS WILL DISSIPATE THIS EVENING WITH SUNSET AND AS MINOR DISTURBANCE LIFTS NORTH INTO EAST CENTRAL NEVADA. HIGH CLOUDS WEST OF THE BAJA PENINSULA WILL ADVECT NORTHEAST ACROSS OUR SKIES TUESDAY AFTERNOON WITH SOUTHERLY WIND GUSTS UP TO 20KTS POSSIBLE. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...VERY ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA CREST AND HIGHER TERRAIN OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEVADA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. SOUTHERLY WIND GUSTS...ESPECIALLY IN THE OWENS VALLEY WILL DIMINISH THIS EVENING WITH SOUTH-SOUTHWEST WINDS HOLDING AROUND 10KTS TONIGHT. HIGH CLOUDS WEST OF THE BAJA PENINSULA WILL ADVECT NORTHEAST ACROSS OUR SKIES TUESDAY AFTERNOON WITH SOUTHERLY WIND GUSTS UP TO 20KTS POSSIBLE...LOCALLY UP TO 30KTS IN THE OWENS VALLEY. && .VEF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NV...NONE. AZ...NONE. CA...NONE. && MORGAN/GORELOW/PIERCE HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 542 AM PDT MON APR 23 2012 AZZ001>003-036-CAZ519>527-NVZ014>022-240000- 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- 542 AM PDT MON APR 23 2012 /542 AM MST MON APR 23 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER RECORD TO NEAR RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED ONCE AGAIN ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A PACIFIC STORM WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY AND THEN SHIFT EAST THROUGH THURSDAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES...WIDESPREAD RAIN AND SNOW WITH POSSIBLE ACCUMULATIONS OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...AND LOCAL GUSTY WINDS. DRYING WILL BE SEEN ON FRIDAY WITH DRY CONDITIONS THEN CONTINUING INTO THE WEEKEND. .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.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
322 PM PDT MON APR 23 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0319 PM NON-TSTM WND GST DAGGETT 34.86N 116.88W
04/23/2012 M58 MPH SAN BERNARDINO CA ASOS
THE BARSTOW DAGGETT ASOS RECORDED A WIND GUST OF 58 MPH
AT 245 PM PDT. THIS WAS CAUSED BY A DUST DEVIL THAT
PASSED DIRECTLY OVER THE ASOS SITE.
&&
ASGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
440 PM PDT MON APR 23 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0245 PM NON-TSTM WND GST DAGGETT 34.86N 116.88W
04/23/2012 M58.00 MPH SAN BERNARDINO CA ASOS
THE BARSTOW DAGGETT ASOS RECORDED A WIND GUST OF 58 MPH
AT 245 PM PDT. THIS WAS CAUSED BY A DUST DEVIL THAT
PASSED DIRECTLY OVER THE ASOS SITE.
&&
MORGANThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
This gust came from a shower that moved overhead. No lightning was detected.
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: 370629.