Monsoon moisture began to return to the Mojave Desert, fueling thunderstorms. Some storms produced flash flooding and severe weather.
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 VEF wrote it up.
Monsoon moisture began to return to the Mojave Desert, fueling thunderstorms. Some storms produced flash flooding and severe weather.
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 Aug 18, 12:35 PM PST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 135 PM PDT SUN AUG 18 2013 .SYNOPSIS...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA THROUGH TUESDAY BEFORE DRYING BEGINS TO TAKE PLACE FROM THE WEST LATE ON TUESDAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN THUNDERSTORMS BEING CONFINED TO MAINLY MOHAVE COUNTY BY THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE NEAR NORMAL. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...MOISTURE CONTINUES TO MOVE AROUND A RIDGE CENTERED NEAR THE FOUR CORNERS AREA AND A CUT-OFF LOW OFF THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COAST. THIS HAS RESULTED IN MORE WIDESPREAD CONVECTION ACROSS THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON. THIS MOISTURE...PW VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO BE BETWEEN 1.00 AND 1.5 INCHES BY MONDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA...ALONG WITH -3 TO -4 LI PER THE GFS...PROMISES TO KEEP ISOLATED TO SCATTERED CONVECTION GOING AGAIN FOR MONDAY. THE MAIN CONCERN WITH THESE STORMS FOR THE REMAINDER OF TODAY AND MONDAY WILL BE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL... HOWEVER GUST WINDS WILL ALSO BE A CONCERN. ALTHOUGH THERE WILL BE A DECREASE OF ACTIVITY OVERNIGHT TONIGHT...HAVE LEFT IN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA AS THE MODELS ARE SHOWING A WEAK WAVE MOVING THROUGH THE AREA TONIGHT...WHICH APPEARS TO BE JUST MOVING INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PER THE CURRENT WATER VAPOR IMAGE. ISOLATED CONVECTION WILL LIKELY BE SEEN MONDAY NIGHT...BUT BY TUESDAY...THE UPPER LOW OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST IS FORECAST TO BEGIN TO LIFT TO THE NORTHEAST WHICH SHOULD RESULT IN DRYING TAKING PLACE LATE TUESDAY FROM THE WEST. HOWEVER THERE WILL STILL BE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION ON TUESDAY BEFORE THIS DRYING TAKES PLACE. ENOUGH MOISTURE REMAINING IN PLACE ON TUESDAY FOR A CONTINUATION OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL ALONG WITH THE GUSTY WINDS. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE NEAR NORMAL BOTH MONDAY AND TUESDAY. .LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...NOT MUCH CHANGE TO THE GRIDS WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AS MUCH OF THE AREA WILL SEE RELATIVELY DRY SOUTHWEST FLOW LEADING TO MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND BREEZY AFTERNOON CONDITIONS. THE EXCEPTION WILL BE ACROSS MOHAVE COUNTY WHERE ENOUGH MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED EACH AFTERNOON TO HAVE AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF AFTERNOON/EVENING THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST. THERE MAY BE ENOUGH REMAINING MOISTURE OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF CLARK AND LINCOLN COUNTIES WEDNESDAY FOR A SLIGHT CHANCE OF STORMS AS WELL. A MORE INTERESTING SCENARIO MAY PRESENT ITSELF FOR LATER IN THE WEEKEND AS MODELS ARE STILL POINTING TO A TROPICAL SYSTEM MOVING NORTH AROUND THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA. THIS COULD LEAD TO A SURGE OF MOISTURE MOVING INTO THE AREA LATE SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. HAVE BUMPED UP POPS CONSIDERABLY FOR SUNDAY DUE TO THIS POTENTIAL. RIGHT NOW HAVE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MOHAVE COUNTY WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE ACROSS CLARK...AND THE EASTERN HALF OF SAN BERNARDINO AND LINCOLN COUNTIES. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR THIS SITUATION CLOSELY AS THE TIME NEARS. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN GENERALLY UNDER 10 KTS THROUGH THE NIGHT AND INTO MONDAY...TRENDING TOWARDS THE SOUTHERLY DIRECTION. HOWEVER ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AROUND/OVER THE VALLEY WILL LIKELY CAUSE ERRATIC AND GUSTY WINDS AT TIMES THROUGH 06Z MONDAY...WITH OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES FROM DISTANT STORMS POSSIBLY AFFECTING THE AIRPORT OVERNIGHT. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ACROSS ALL ROUTES OVERNIGHT WITH AN INCREASING CHANCE ONCE AGAIN OVER THE KLAS VALLEY AFT 18Z MONDAY. CLOUDS WILL BE SCT-BKN AOA 120 FT...BUT LOWER TO BETWEEN 8-10K FEET NEAR STORMS. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY WITH GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS POSSIBLE WITH ANY STORMS. OUTSIDE OF ANY STORMS...WINDS SHOULD GENERALLY BE SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AROUND 10 KTS. SCT-BKN CLOUDS AROUND 10-12K FEET...BUT WILL LOWER TO AROUND 8K FEET NEAR STORMS. && .VEF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NV...NONE. AZ...NONE. CA...NONE. && JENSEN/WOLCOTT FOR MORE FORECAST INFORMATION...SEE US ON OUR WEBPAGE: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS OR FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 529 AM PDT SUN AUG 18 2013 AZZ001>003-036-CAZ519>527-NVZ014>022-190700- 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- 529 AM PDT SUN AUG 18 2013 /529 AM MST SUN AUG 18 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY. LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL BE THREAT WITH ANY STORMS...AND HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH FLOODING WILL ALSO BE A THREAT WITH STORMS SOUTHEAST OF INTERSTATE 15. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY GREATER THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ARE EXPECTED MONDAY AND TUESDAY...AND THE MAIN THREAT IS LIKELY TO BE FLASH FLOODING. DRIER WEATHER IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...WITH THUNDERSTORM CHANCES MAINLY LIMITED TO MOHAVE COUNTY. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES MAY INCREASE AGAIN NEXT WEEKEND...BUT THIS IS VERY UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. .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
307 PM PDT SUN AUG 18 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0230 PM FLASH FLOOD 1 S MT. CHARLESTON 36.26N 115.61W
08/18/2013 CLARK NV LAW ENFORCEMENT
FOREST SERVICE RELAYS LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORT OF WATER
OVERTOPPING SMALL BRIDGE NEAR THE FOREST SERVICE VISITOR
CENTER. THIS IS NEAR THE FLETCHER VIEW TRAILHEAD. BRIDGE
IN IMPASSIBLE.
&&
WOLCOTTThe Edwards AFB radar (KEYX), 60 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:23 UTC.
3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Mud and debris washed over Highway 178 between Randsburg Wash Road and Trona Road.
Large rocks washed onto Highway 190 between Townes Pass and Panamint Valley Road.
Water and debris washed over Highway 190 between mile markers 117 and 124.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 2013
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: 470647, 470650, 470657.