A major surge of monsoon moisture brought an outbreak of thunderstorms to the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin, with the most activity on the 3rd and 4th. Widespread flash flooding and severe weather occurred.
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.
A major surge of monsoon moisture brought an outbreak of thunderstorms to the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin, with the most activity on the 3rd and 4th. Widespread flash flooding and severe weather occurred.
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 3, 7:53 PM PST, 1 hour 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 853 PM PDT SUN AUG 3 2014 .SYNOPSIS...INCREASING THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE WITH A RISK OF HEAVY RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS DEEPER MOISTURE AND A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVE IN FROM THE SOUTH. THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A DRYING TREND FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST EARLY IN THE UPCOMING WEEK. && .UPDATE...THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN HAVE BEEN PERSISTING ACROSS MOHAVE...SAN BERNARDINO AND SOUTHERN CLARK COUNTY THIS EVENING WITH FLOODING REPORTED IN THE BARSTOW AREA AND MUCH OF CENTRAL MOHAVE COUNTY ALONG WITH LAKE HAVASU FARTHER SOUTH. THE UPPER LOW CONTINUES TO MOVE NORTH AND WAS CENTERED IN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY AS OF 850 PM. LOOKS LIKE THERE IS A CHANCE WE WILL SEE SOME HEAVY RAIN PRODUCING THUNDERSTORMS INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AND THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL NEED TO BE EXTENDED. FOR NOW WILL PLAN ON EXTENDING IT UNTIL 12Z MONDAY MORNING. WILL ALSO BE UPDATING TO INCREASE POPS IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. -HARRISON- && .PREV DISCUSSION... 222 PM PDT SUN AUG 3 2014 .DISCUSSION... THE UPPER CIRCULATION IS MAKING IT'S WAY NORTH ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. A BAND OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SHOWERS EXTENDS FROM NORTHERN MOHAVE WESTWARD TO INYO COUNTY AND IS PIVOTING NORTHWARD. BEHIND THIS BAND...CLOUDS ARE CLEARING WITH A CLEAR SLOT FROM SOUTHERN CLARK COUNTY TO POINTS SOUTH. THE ATMOSPHERE IS BECOMING MORE UNSTABLE WITHIN THIS DRY SLOT. COMBINE THIS WITH AN APPROACHING VORT MAX FROM NEAR IMPERIAL CALIFORNIA AND EXPECT CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT FROM SOUTH TO NORTH THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THERE ARE ALREADY HEAVY RAIN PRODUCING STORMS ACROSS RIVERSIDE...LA PAZ..AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES. ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD NORTHWARD AS THE VORT MAX PUSHES NORTH. THIS WAVE IS ALSO INCREASING BULK SHEAR VALUES...SO THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE LOCALIZED STRONG GUSTY WINDS. COULD EVEN SEE SOME SMALL HAIL WITH THE STRONGER STORMS. AS DIURNAL HEATING WANES WE SHOULD SEE A WEAKENING TREND AS THE DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES NORTH ALONG THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY TONIGHT. WITH THIS FEATURE MOVING NORTH INTO AN ANOMALOUSLY MOIST ENVIRONMENT...WILL KEEP THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH AS IS. IT SHOULD TRANSITION TO MORE RAIN SHOWERS WITH SOME EMBEDDED RUMBLES OF THUNDER FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. SO...THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT WHILE LIFTING NORTH. DRIER AIR WILL START TO WORK INTO OUR SOUTHWEST FORECAST AREA STARTING TOMORROW AS THE UPPER LOW WILL NOW BE LIFTING NORTH OF THE AREA. HOWEVER...SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL REMAIN ACROSS BASICALLY THREE QUARTERS OF THE FORECAST AREA...WITH LINCOLN AND NYE COUNTIES HAVING THE GREATEST CHANCE. MODELS WANT TO DRY US OUT EVEN MORE TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY WITH SOUTHWEST FLOW AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING CALIFORNIA TROUGH. HOWEVER...THERE REMAIN DIFFERENCES AMONGST GUIDANCE JUST HOW MUCH DRYING WILL OCCUR. SOME LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS PRESENT IN A FEW OF THE MODELS. WILL FOLLOW AN ENSEMBLE APPROACH...WHICH MATCHES THE PREVIOUS FORECAST QUITE WELL. THIS MEANS WE WILL KEEP A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST EACH DAY ACROSS MAINLY THE HIGHER TERRAIN FROM NORTHERN INYO TO NORTHERN MOHAVE COUNTY. AS MENTIONED IN THE PREVIOUS FORECAST...THE SHEAR PROFILE WILL INCREASE WITH THE CALIFORNIA TROUGH MOVING OVER THE FORECAST AREA. ANY CONVECTION THAT DOES DEVELOP COULD BE ON THE STRONG SIDE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. WILL KEEP AN EYE ON THE DRYING TREND OVER THE NEXT 24-36 HOURS. ONCE THIS TROUGH MOVES THROUGH...THE UPPER HIGH WILL BEGIN A TRANSITION BACK OVER NEW MEXICO...WHILE A FEW WEAK SHORTWAVES BRUSH OUR NORTHWEST CWA. THERE ARE DIFFERENCES AS TO IF ANY MOISTURE WILL GRADUALLY EDGE INTO WESTERN ARIZONA FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WE ALREADY HAVE SLIGHT CHANCE POPS GOING IN PORTIONS OF MOHAVE COUNTY AND SEE NO NEED TO MAKE CHANGES AT THIS TIME. FOR OUR NORTHWEST CWA...THE COUPLE OF WEAK WAVES FRIDAY AND AGAIN SATURDAY MAY PROVIDE ENOUGH MOISTURE TO THE SIERRA MOUNTAINS FOR A SLIGHT CHANCE OF A SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN RATHER COOL THROUGH MONDAY WITH THE UPPER LOW...ANOMALOUS MOISTURE...PRECIP...AND CLOUD COVER HANGING AROUND THE REGION. TEMPERATURES WILL THEN GRADUALLY WARM THROUGH THE WEEK...BUT CONTINUAL TROUGHING ACROSS CALIFORNIA WILL KEEP TEMPS AT OR JUST BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...THE MAIN CHALLENGE THROUGH MONDAY EVENING WILL BE THE TIMING ON ANY PERIODS OF RAIN OR TSRA AND HOW LOW CIGS AND VSBY GET. GENERALLY CIGS SHOULD STAY BETWEEN 7K AND 10K FEET BUT COULD LOWER IN ANY STEADIER OR HEAVIER PERIODS OF RAIN OR TSRA ANOTHER 1-2K FEET. VSBY SHOULD MAINLY STAY VFR. WINDS WILL TREND TOWARD TYPICAL DIURNAL DIRECTIONS AT 10 KTS OR LESS - HOWEVER - ANY OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES OR SHRA/TSRA COULD CAUSE GUSTY AND ERRATIC WIND SHIFTS. ONE CONCERN FOR THE PERIOD BETWEEN 01Z AND 04Z MONDAY WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF GUSTY EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS SHOWN BY HIGH RESOLUTION LOCAL MODELS THAT APPEARS TO BE SOME SORT OF OUTFLOW BOUNDARY. ADDITIONAL CHANCES FOR SHRA/TSRA WILL EXIST OVERNIGHT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING. MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY. SHRA/TSRA WILL BE AROUND AS WELL IN ALL APPROACH CORRIDORS OVERNIGHT AND MAINLY IN THE BEATTY, PEACH SPRINGS AND MORMON MESA CORRIDORS ON MONDAY. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...SHRA/TSRA SHOULD ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN PORTION OF THE AREA WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHWEST TO NORTH ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA THIS EVENING INTO EARLY TONIGHT. THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD BE CAPABLE OF CONTAINING STRONGER STORMS AND THUS A HIGHER CHANCE TO TRIGGER GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS AND POTENTIALLY BLDU REDUCING VSBY. MEANWHILE MAINLY SHRA- WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF THE AREA EARLY TONIGHT. FOR LATER TONIGHT INTO MONDAY THE BEST CHANCES FOR SHRA/TSRA WILL BE NORTHEAST OF A KDAG-KEED-KIGM LINE WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF SHRA AND TSRA ANYTIME. CIGS SHOULD MAINLY BE BETWEEN 7 AND 10K FEET LOWERING ANOTHER 1-2K FEET IN RAIN OR TSRA ANOTHER 1-2K FEET WITH VSBY GENERALLY VFR. LOCAL MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTER ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT VERY HEAVY RAIN...FLASH FLOODING...AND STRONG WINDS FROM CONVECTION TODAY ACCORDING TO NORMAL OPERATING PROCEDURES. && DISCUSSION...PADDOCK AVIATION...STACHELSKI FOR MORE FORECAST INFORMATION...SEE US ON OUR WEBPAGE:
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
830 PM PDT SUN AUG 03 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0830 PM FLASH FLOOD GOLDEN VALLEY 35.22N 114.22W
08/03/2014 MOHAVE AZ TRAINED SPOTTER
THREE CARS IN THE WASH OFF OF ESTRELLA IN GOLDEN VALLEY
&&
COUTLERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
849 PM PDT SUN AUG 03 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0849 PM FLASH FLOOD SW BARSTOW 34.88N 117.07W
08/03/2014 SAN BERNARDINO CA TRAINED SPOTTER
SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OCCURING IN SOUTHWEST BARSTOW.
ESTIMATED ONE TO TWO FEET OF WATER FLOWING IN CITY
STREETS. EMERGENCY CREWS RESPONDING.
&&
COUTLERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
906 PM PDT SUN AUG 03 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0904 PM FLASH FLOOD 2 E KINGMAN 35.21N 114.00W
08/03/2014 MOHAVE AZ TRAINED SPOTTER
BANK STREET TO NORTHERN 6 INCHES OF FLOWING WATER. BANK
STREET AND AIRWAY IS NEARLY IMPASSABLE.
&&
COUTLERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
908 PM PDT SUN AUG 03 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0908 PM FLASH FLOOD 2 NNE KINGMAN 35.24N 114.02W
08/03/2014 MOHAVE AZ TRAINED SPOTTER
8 TO 10 INCHES OF FLOWING WATER ON IVRING BETWEEN KINO
AND GORDON.
&&
COUTLERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
930 PM PDT SUN AUG 03 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0900 PM FLASH FLOOD 2 SW BARSTOW 34.86N 117.08W
08/03/2014 SAN BERNARDINO CA 911 CALL CENTER
CA HIGHWAY PATROL REPORTS FLOODING ON LENWOOD ROAD NEAR
THE ON-RAMP TO NB I-15. A VEHICLE IS STUCK IN THE
FLOODING ON LENWOOD ROAD. WATER HAS SWEPT ROCKS ONTO THE
ROAD.
&&
CSTUMPFPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
935 PM PDT SUN AUG 03 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0924 PM FLASH FLOOD 4 N DAGGETT 34.91N 116.89W
08/03/2014 SAN BERNARDINO CA LAW ENFORCEMENT
CA HIGHWAY PATROL REPORTS ROADWAY FLOODING AT THE
INTERSECTION OF CALICO BLVD AND GHOST TOWN ROAD. A
VEHICLE IS STUCK IN FLOODED INTERSECTION.
&&
CSTUMPFThe Las Vegas radar (KESX), 12 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:56 UTC.
15 flash flood, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Highway 165 was closed due to water and debris.
Debris washed over Lakeshore Road.
Several roads in Moapa were flooded and covered with mud.
Harris Springs Road and some secondary roads in lower Kyle Canyon were washed out.
Highway 159 was closed by flooding and debris. Spring Mountain Ranch State Park was also closed.
A small tornado briefly touched down in open desert east of Highway 95 near the Nelsons Landing turn off.
Highway 95 was flooded near the intersection of Highway 160 as well as near Nye County mile markers 18 and 20.
Several inches of water and debris flooded roads on Area 6 of the Nevada National Security Site.
Water was several inches deep at the intersection of Twain and Decatur. A swift water rescue occurred at Decatur and Oakey. A large section of concrete block wall was knocked down by floodwaters. A car stalled in the water at Rainbow and Hacienda. Water was several inches deep over the intersection of Koval and Winnick. 143 weather related accidents were reported.
Arroyo Road was flooded 8-12 inches deep.
Two lanes of Highway 95 were flooded with several inches of water.
Part of Highway 157 was washed out. Highway 95 was closed at Clark County mile marker 99, with 30 cars stranded and some washed off the road. Everyone was rescued.
Highway 93 was flooded and closed at Lincoln County mile marker 3.
Over a foot of water flowed rapidly down Grand Teton Drive.
Highway 95 was damaged by flooding near Nye County mile marker 75.
Mud and debris washed onto Highway 265.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Nevada, 2014Warnings in Nevada, August 2014
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: 538814, 538815, 538816, 538818, 538819, 538821, 538822, 538824, 538825, 538826, 538827, 538828, 538830, 538831, 538832, 538833.