Nevada, 2012Damaging Wind in Nevada, May 15, 2012
May 15, 2012 · NWS LKN · 1 event in 1 county or zone
A thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 74 mph about 10 miles southeast of Ely.
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
A thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 74 mph about 10 miles southeast of Ely.
What forecasters said that day
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 May 15, 2:00 AM PST, 11 hours 20 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 15, 2:00 AM PST, 11 hours 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV
300 AM PDT TUE MAY 15 2012
.SYNOPSIS...ANOTHER HOT AND BREEZY DAY EXPECTED TODAY AS A WEAK
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE TRACKS ACROSS THE STATE. THERE IS A CHANCE
FOR A STRAY THUNDERSTORM TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON...BUT LITTLE TO
NO PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. THE CHANCE FOR
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AND RAIN SHOWERS WILL INCREASE LATER IN THE
WEEK AS A STRONGER SYSTEM APPROACHES THE GREAT BASIN.
&&
.SHORT TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER HOT DAY IN
STORE...BUT NO RECORDS ARE WILL BE BROKEN AS A WEAK UPPER LEVEL
LOW WILL LOWER HEIGHTS TODAY...ESPECIALLY OVER CENTRAL
NEVADA...AND INCREASED MID-LEVEL MOISTURE WILL ALLOW FOR AFTERNOON
CLOUDS TO DEVELOP. THE UPPER LEVEL SURFACE LOW CONTINUES TO TREND
A LITTLE FURTHER SOUTH THEN WHAT WAS EXPECTED YESTERDAY...THUS
HAVE PUSHED THE LOW ISOLATED POPS FURTHER SOUTH...WITH A
POSSIBILITY OF A FEW DRY THUNDERSTORMS UNDER THE 500MB CLOSED LOW.
THE SECOND SENSIBLE WEATHER TODAY WILL BE THE GUSTY WINDS ACROSS
EASTERN NEVADA. A RIBBON OF 30KT 700MB WINDS WILL DEVELOP OVER
WHITE PINE COUNTY TODAY...AS THE INVERSION BREAKS EXPECT THESE
WIND TO MIX TO THE SURFACE WITH GUSTS UP TO 45MPH POSSIBLE.
WINDS WILL DIMINISH TONIGHT UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES WITH LOW
TEMPS DROPPING DOWN INTO THE LOW 40S TO UPPER 30S AT MOST VALLEY
LOCATIONS. LOW CONFIDENCE FORECAST ON WEDNESDAY IN REGARDS TO HOW
MUCH MOISTURE WILL ADVECT INTO THE GREAT BASIN. THE NAM/SREF/GFS
ARE ALL SHOWING PWAT VALUES INCREASING TO ABOVE .5" AS WESTERLY
ZONAL FLOW INCREASES MID-LEVEL MOISTURE. HAVE INTRODUCED SOME LOW
ISOLATED POPS ACROSS MOST OF THE FORECAST REGION WITH ENOUGH
INSTABILITY TO DEVELOP A FEW AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS.
FEELING THE LOW LEVEL DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 20S/LOW 30S DURING
MAX HEATING IS A LITTLE HIGH...AND AREAL COVERAGE OF STORMS IS
OVERDONE BY THE NAM/GFS.
.LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. A VIGOROUS SHORT WAVE
WILL PUSH INTO THE GREAT BASIN THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. MOISTURE
IS RATHER LIMITED SO POPS MAINLY IN THE 15-30 PCT RANGE FAVORING THE
NORTH. DAYTIME HEATING ALONG WITH LIFT FROM THE SHORT WAVE WILL
PROVIDE INSTABILITY FOR AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS. WINDS
WILL BE AN ISSUE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AS STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES
THROUGH WITH SUSTAINED SPEEDS IN THE 15 TO 30 MPH RANGE WITH GUSTS
OVER 40 MPH. SHORT WAVE MOVES OUT OF THE AREA FRIDAY WITH A FEW
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN NEVADA. ON SATURDAY THE
MODELS DIFFER WITH THE GFS BUILDING A RIDGE OVER THE AREA WHILE THE
ECMWF BRINGS A WEAK SHORT WAVE ACROSS THE NORTH FOR THE POSSIBILITY
OF A FEW SHOWERS. FOR NOW KEPT THE CURRENT DRY FORECAST IN PLACE DUE
TO MODEL UNCERTAINTY. MODELS IN AGREEMENT THAT A RIDGE WILL BE IN
PLACE OVER THE AREA SUNDAY THEN SHIFTING TO THE EAST ON MONDAY AS
NEXT UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST.
&&
.AVIATION...A WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL KICK OFF ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS MOST OF NORTHERN AND
CENTRAL NEVADA. THERE WILL BE A 10-15 PCT CHANCE OF A THUNDERSTORM
AT THE KWMC/KEKO/KELY TERMINALS FROM 20Z-02Z TODAY WITH LESS THAN A
5 PCT CHANCE AT THE KTPH TERMINAL. GUSTY SOUTH WINDS WILL ALSO
DEVELOP AT THE KELY TERMINAL BY THIS AFTERNOON WITH GUSTS UP TO 35KTS.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...DECIDED NOT TO UPGRADE THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR
DRY LIGHTNING WITH ONLY 11 STRIKES ACROSS THE RENO FIRE FORECAST
AREA YESTERDAY...WITH WEAKER INSTABILITY AND LOWER MOISTURE
EXPECTED OVER THE CENTRAL GREAT BASIN TODAY. FEEL AREAL COVERAGE
FOR ANY GIVEN FWZ WILL REMAIN BELOW 5%. WITH THAT SAID THERE WILL
STILL BE A FEW ISOLATED STRIKES ACROSS THE REGION...WITH THE
HIGHEST PROBABILITY ACROSS ZONES 454/468. DID DECIDE TO GO WITH A
RFW IN ZONE 455 FOR LOW R.H./GUSY WINDS. THE SAME CONDITIONS THAT
LEAD TO THE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH IN SOUTHERN LANDER COUNTY WILL
BE OVER 455 TODAY...THUS FELT IT WAS NECESSARY TO HIGHLIGHT THIS
THREAT.
WINDS WILL DIMINISH TONIGHT AND THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL PUSH OUT
OF THE REGION. FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS LOW ON WEDNESDAY WITH THE
POSSIBILITY OF LATE AFTERNOON DRY CONVECTION AGAIN...BUT FEEL
MODELS MIGHT BE OVERDOING THE MOISTURE A LITTLE. WITH THAT SAID
THERE WILL BE SOME STRIKES...BUT LOCATION AND AREAL EXTENT IS
STILL UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. COLD FRONT WILL BRING
WINDS...THUNDERSTORMS...AND COOLER WEATHER THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY
MORNING.
&&
.LKN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
RED FLAG WARNING FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM PDT THIS
EVENING FOR WHITE PINE COUNTY.
&&
95/91/91/95
Thunderstorm Wind, Elko
- When
- May 15, 1:20 PM PST to 1:21 PM PST
- Where
- Elko County, 74.65 mi S of Goshute to 73.2 mi S of Goshute
- Measured
- 64 kt (74 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- Mesonet
- Coordinates
- 39.100, -114.760
A thunderstorm wind gust to 74 mph was recorded at the Schell Creek Elk View NDOT mesonet site.
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, May 15, 2012$36,000 · 1.75 in hail · 17 events
- Hail and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 15, 2012$46,000 · 1 in hail · 6 events
- Hail in Texas, May 15, 2012$15,000 · 1.75 in hail · 5 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, May 15, 2012$1,000 · 1.75 in hail · 13 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 15, 2012$4,000 · 1.25 in hail · 12 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Utah, May 15 to 18, 201265 kt wind · 11 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Florida, May 15, 20121.75 in hail · 8 events
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Virginia, May 15, 2012$8,000 · 1 in hail · 7 events
- Drought in Texas, May 15 to 31, 20126 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 15, 2012$100 · 56 kt wind · 6 events
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Pennsylvania, May 15 to 16, 20126 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Florida, May 15, 2012$600 · 55 kt wind · 5 events
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: 371677.