A weak low pressure system moving onshore helped produce a few thunderstorms and a brief period of high winds in the Owens Valley.
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The episode as NWS VEF wrote it up.
A weak low pressure system moving onshore helped produce a few thunderstorms and a brief period of high winds in the Owens Valley.
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 May 14, 2:10 PM PST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 310 PM PDT TUE MAY 14 2013 .SYNOPSIS...ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA THROUGH THIS EVENING AS A WEAK UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVED OVERHEAD. THIS SYSTEM WILL ALSO MARK THE BEGINNING OF A COOLING TREND ACROSS THE AREA THAT WILL LAST THROUGH FRIDAY. BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS WILL BE SEEN EACH AFTERNOON THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TO REBOUND THIS WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...LATEST SATELLITE LOOPS SHOWED A N-S BAND OF HIGH CLOUDS CENTERED OVER LAS VEGAS AT 22Z THIS AFTERNOON WITH SOME DEVELOPING CUMULUS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE FORECAST AREA. MOST OF THESE CLOUD WILL NOT AMOUNT TO ANYTHING. HOWEVER...THE CLOUDS OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA AND WHITE MOUNTAINS STILL RETAIN THE POTENTIAL TO DEVELOP INTO SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A WEAK UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVES TOWARD THE AREA. THIS SYSTEM HAS ALSO KICKED UP WINDS A BIT MORE THAN INITIALLY EXPECTED TODAY...BUT WINDS FOR THE MOST PART HAVE REMAINED UNDER ADVISORY CRITERIA. THIS SYSTEM WILL USHER IN SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES ALOFT AND WILL MARK THE BEGINNING OF A COOLING TREND THAT WILL LAST THROUGH FRIDAY. BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED EACH AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY. MODEL WIND FORECASTS ARE QUITE DIFFERENT BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON WITH THE NAM-BASED HIGH-RES MODELS BRINGING IN SOME DECENT DOWNSLOPE WINDS ACROSS THE SIERRA...WHILE THE HIGH-RES GFS IS MUCH WEAKER. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR FOR THE POTENTIAL OF WIND/FIRE PRODUCTS AREA-WIDE THURSDAY. BY FRIDAY...MOISTURE WILL BEGIN TO ADVECT INTO THE AREA AS THE NEXT TROUGH MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. THIS SHOULD LIMIT FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS...BUT WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS TO THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. .LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...THE MAIN THEME IN THE EXTENDED WILL BE A WARMING TREND THROUGH THE PERIOD. NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN PLACE ACROSS THE AREA ON SATURDAY BETWEEN A DEPARTING MID AND UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AXIS OVER THE ROCKIES AND A MID AND UPPER LEVEL RIDGE LOCATED JUST OFFSHORE OF SOCAL. AS WE MOVE INTO MONDAY AND TUESDAY THE RIDGE CENTER OFFSHORE IS EXPECTED TO SLIDE EAST TOWARD SOCAL AND ARIZONA WHICH WILL RESULT IN A WARMING TREND AS THE FLOW ALOFT TURNS MORE TO THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST AND HEIGHTS RISE. STRONG SUBSIDENCE WILL RESULT IN A RELATIVELY CLEAR SKY. AS WE MOVE INTO TUESDAY AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO DROP SOUTH FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA OR JUST OFFSHORE OF IT AND HEAD TOWARD WASHINGTON. THIS WOULD FORCE THE CENTER OF THE RIDGE OFF TO THE EAST AND RESULT IN INCREASING SOUTHWEST FLOW ACROSS OUR AREA AS WE MOVE INTO TUESDAY NIGHT AND NEXT WEDNESDAY. AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS SHOULD START TO INCREASE AS SHOULD SOUTHWEST WINDS ESPECIALLY OVER THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA. A BLEND OF FORECAST SOUNDINGS...MEX AND ECMWF MOS AS WELL AS GFS AND ECMWF BIAS CORRECTED GUIDANCE WAS USED FOR TEMPS THROUGH THE PERIOD. HIGHS SHOULD START OUT NEAR NORMAL ON SATURDAY THEN WARM TO ABOUT 6-8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL BY TUESDAY. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...SOUTHWEST TO AT TIMES SOUTH WINDS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. WINDS SHOULD REMAIN GUSTY REACHING 15-25 KTS UNTIL SOMETIME BETWEEN 10Z AND 14Z WEDNESDAY WHEN WINDS SHOULD DECREASE TO 5-10 KTS. AROUND 20Z WEDNESDAY WINDS SHOULD INCREASE ONCE AGAIN TO 10-14 KTS SUSTAINED WITH GUSTS OF 18-22 KTS. A FEW CLOUDS AOA 25K FEET AT TIMES. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...WINDS SHOULD FAVOR A SOUTHWEST TO WEST DIRECTION OVER THE MOJAVE DESERT AND LINCOLN COUNTY TONIGHT AND A NORTH TO NORTHWEST DIRECTION ACROSS ESMERALDA COUNTY AND WESTERN INYO COUNTY AT SPEEDS OF 6-12 KTS WITH GUSTS TO 20 KTS. GUSTS OF 30-35 KTS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH 10Z WEDNESDAY IN NORTHWEST SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY. ISOLATED SHRA AND TSRA ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH 03Z WEDNESDAY IN AND AROUND KBIH. OTHERWISE EXPECT DRY CONDITIONS WITH FEW-SCT CLOUDS AOA 25K FEET ON WEDNESDAY. WINDS SHOULD FAVOR A SOUTHWEST TO WEST DIRECTION AT 6-12 KTS WITH GUSTS TO 20 KTS. && .VEF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NV...NONE. AZ...NONE. CA...NONE. && WOLCOTT/STACHELSKI 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 758 AM PDT TUE MAY 14 2013 CAZ519-520-151200- EASTERN SIERRA SLOPES-OWENS VALLEY- 758 AM PDT TUE MAY 14 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .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. AZZ001>003-036-CAZ521>527-NVZ014>022-151200- NORTHWEST PLATEAU-LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY-NORTHWEST DESERTS- LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA-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- 758 AM PDT TUE MAY 14 2013 /758 AM MST TUE MAY 14 2013/ 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. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .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.
The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 155 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:00 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds blew down trees and limbs in Bishop.
Two mesonet sensors measured gusts to 58 mph.
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, May 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: 443085, 454111.