The first seasonal push of monsoon moisture fueled an outbreak of thunderstorms across the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin. Many storms produced severe weather and flash flooding.
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.
The first seasonal push of monsoon moisture fueled an outbreak of thunderstorms across the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin. Many storms produced severe weather and flash flooding.
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 Jul 3, 8:26 PM PST, 4 hours 34 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 926 PM PDT THU JUL 3 2014 .SYNOPSIS... MONSOON MOISTURE WILL PUSH INTO NORTHWEST ARIZONA ON INDEPENDENCE DAY AND SPREAD FARTHER NORTHWEST OVER THE WEEKEND...BRINGING INCREASING CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS AND KNOCKING TEMPERATURES DOWN A FEW MORE DEGREES. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ARE LIKELY TO CONTINUE AT LEAST THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. && .UPDATE... A ROBUST MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE COMPLEX HAS BEEN MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL ARIZONA OVER THE LAST FEW HOURS. STORM PROPAGATION IN THIS COMPLEX IS TOWARD THE WEST AS STORMS ON THE LEADING EDGE MAKE THEIR WAY TOWARD THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY. THE PRIMARY FORECAST PROBLEM TONIGHT IS WHETHER THIS ACTIVITY WILL MOVE INTO OUR AREA LATER TONIGHT. MESOSCALE ANALYSIS INDICATES A FAIRLY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE AHEAD OF THESE STORMS OVER THE RIVER VALLEY. MLCAPE VALUES OF 100O AS OF 9PM. SO THE ATMOSPHERE IS RIPE. THE OTHER END OF THE EQUATION IS LOW LEVEL FORCING TO KEEP STORMS GOING. THE PHOENIX UPPER AIR SOUNDING FROM 00Z SHOWED A NICE...FAIRLY STRONG...EASTERLY FLOW IN NEAR THE SURFACE WHICH IS MAXIMIZING CONVERGENCE AND KEEPING THE OUTFLOW FROM RACING TOO FAR AHEAD OF CONVECTION AND UNDERCUTTING STORMS. WE WILL NEED TO WATCH CLOSELY OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS TO SEE IF STORM CONTINUE TO REGENERATE ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF THE GUST FRONT. THE HRRR MODEL...WHICH HAS A GOOD HANDLE ON THE CURRENT CONDITIONS...SHOWS STORMS POPPING UP IN SOUTHERN MOHAVE AND EXTREME SE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY BY 2AM. THIS SEEMS REASONABLE GIVEN ALL THE ABOVE. SO WE DECIDED TO INCLUDE A MENTION OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THOSE AREAS. THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF LAKE HAVASU...NEEDLES...TOPLOCK AND WIKIUP. STAY TUNED. OF EQUAL CONCERN IS THAT THE CONVECTION IN ARIZONA WILL LAY DOWN A SUFACE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE RAIN COOLED AIR TO THE EAST AND WARM TEMPERATURES OVER THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY. THIS COULD BE A FOCUS FOR CONVECTION IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON TOMORROW. AGAIN...WE WILL NEED TO WAIT AND SEE HOW THINGS SET UP WHEN THE CONVECTION ENDS LATER TONIGHT. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS UNDER 10 KTS WILL SET IN BETWEEN 16-19Z THURSDAY BEFORE GOING BACK TO SOUTH/SOUTHWEST 10-12 KTS WITH GUSTS AROUND 20 KTS THURSDAY AFTERNOON. MONSOON MOISTURE WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE FROM THE SOUTHEAST FRIDAY WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS PUSHING INTO THE PEACH SPRINGS CORRIDOR AND POSSIBLY OVER THE SPRING MOUNTAINS. OUTFLOW FROM THESE STORMS COULD BRING ERRATIC WIND GUSTS TO THE TERMINAL FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. CONTINUED MOISTURE INCREASE WILL BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TO THE TERMINAL BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...ISOLATED EARLY EVENING THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE OVER EASTERN MOHAVE AND NORTHERN LINCOLN COUNTIES THEN MOSTLY CLEAR. MOISTURE WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE FROM THE SOUTHEAST FRIDAY WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF MOHAVE COUNTY INTO EASTERN SAN BERNARDINO AND SOUTHERN CLARK COUNTIES. ERRATIC AND GUSTY WINDS NEAR STORMS ALONG WITH CEILING DOWN TO 8-10 KFT. THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE WILL INCREASE BY SATURDAY. GUSTY SOUTH/SOUTHWEST WINDS THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING WITH MAINLY LIGHT DRAINAGE WINDS OVERNIGHT BECOMING BREEZY FROM THE SOUTH AGAIN LATER FRIDAY WITH GUSTS TO 25 KTS. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 256 PM PDT THU JUL 3 2014/ .SYNOPSIS...MONSOON MOISTURE WILL PUSH INTO NORTHWEST ARIZONA ON INDEPENDENCE DAY AND SPREAD FARTHER NORTHWEST OVER THE WEEKEND...BRINGING INCREASING CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS AND KNOCKING TEMPERATURES DOWN A FEW MORE DEGREES. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ARE LIKELY TO CONTINUE AT LEAST THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. && .SHORT TERM...MODELS CONTINUE TO INDICATE SOME CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER FAR EASTERN MOHAVE AND NORTHERN LINCOLN COUNTIES WITH ACTIVITY DYING OUT FOR THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. WITH HIGH PRESSURE SETTING UP NEAR THE FOUR CORNERS REGION FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...MONSOON MOISTURE WILL BE DRAWN UP FROM THE SOUTHEAST INTO OUR AREA. IT STILL LOOKS LIKE THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL BE MAINLY LIMITED TO AREAS SOUTH AND EAST OF LAS VEGAS FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT AND JUST MAYBE OVER THE SPRING MOUNTAINS AND SHEEP RANGE. MOISTURE PUSHES FARTHER NORTH AND WEST EACH DAY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WITH AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE BIG QUESTION MARK IN MY MIND IS THE EXISTENCE OR LACK OF A MID/UPPER LEVEL INVERTED TROUGH OR VORT MAX. THE MODELS HAVE BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT SHOWING SOME SUCH FEATURE MOVING NORTH INTO THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY...GENERALLY ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER AND NORTHWEST ARIZONA. IT IS DIFFICULT TO FIND THIS FEATURE ON RECENT SATELLITE IMAGERY HOWEVER. IF IT DOES END UP DEVELOPING...IT COULD KEEP THUNDERSTORMS GOING ALL NIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT ACROSS AT LEAST MOHAVE COUNTY AND POSSIBLY OVER EASTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY INTO CLARK COUNTY. HOWEVER...I WENT WITH A MORE TYPICAL DOWNWARD POP TREND FRIDAY NIGHT AS THE NAM12 INDICATES CAPE VALUES LOWERING SIGNIFICANTLY. THE OTHER ISSUE IF THE MORE ACTIVE FRIDAY NIGHT SCENARIO DEVELOPS IS IT COULD ACTUALLY RESULT IN SATURDAY BEING A DOWN DAY FOR CONVECTION DUE TO EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER LEFT OVER FROM FRIDAY NIGHT'S ACTIVITY AND COOL SURFACE TEMPS. SO IN OTHER WORDS THERE IS STILL PLENTY OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE FORECAST FOR THE WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO COOL WITH THIS INCREASE IN MOISTURE AND CLOUD COVER AND THEY COULD EVEN END UP COOLER THAN FORECAST SATURDAY IF THE EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER DOES DEVELOP AND PERSIST FROM FRIDAY NIGHT'S ACTIVITY. .LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...THE LATEST 12Z ECMWF HAS COME IN EVERY SO SLIGHTLY WETTER FOR THE LONG TERM PERIOD...INCHING CLOSER TO THE GFS. AS A RESULT I HAVE BUMPED UP POPS SLIGHTLY THROUGH THE PERIOD...EXTENDING THEM A BIT FURTHER WEST THAN THE INHERITED FORECAST HAD. FOR BOTH MONDAY AND TUESDAY HAVE GONE AHEAD AND INCLUDED AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA SINCE I CANNOT RULE SHOWERS OUT AT ANY ONE LOCATION. TOWARDS THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEK THERE COULD BE AN INCREASE IN DRIER SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW WHICH MAY BEGIN TO LIMIT PRECIP CHANCES OVER AT LEAST THE LOWER TERRAIN OF SAN BERNARDINO AND INYO COUNTIES. AS MENTIONED IN THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION OTHER SENSIBLE WEATHER IMPACTS WILL BE LIMITED TO GUSTY WINDS AND SKY COVER GENERATED BY SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS. && .FIRE WEATHER...DRY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF A PUSH OF MONSOON MOISTURE SATURDAY. THIS AREA IS EXPECTED TO SET UP ACROSS THE SPRING MOUNTAINS AND SHEEP RANGE AND LINCOLN COUNTY. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH WAS ISSUED. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. THERE IS A CHANCE THAT SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED FOR MOHAVE COUNTY FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND FOR MOHAVE...CLARK AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. && && UPDATE: LERICOS PREVIOUS: HARRISON/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 316 PM PDT THU JUL 3 2014 AZZ001>003-036-CAZ519>527-NVZ014>022-040700- 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- 316 PM PDT THU JUL 3 2014 /316 PM MST THU JUL 3 2014/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT TEMPERATURES WILL BE ONLY SLIGHTLY LESS HOT TODAY THAN THE PREVIOUS TWO DAYS. CONTINUE TO STAY COOL AND HYDRATED TO BEAT THE HEAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MONSOON MOISTURE MOVING IN FROM THE SOUTHEAST WILL BRING CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY TO AREAS SOUTHEAST OF INTERSTATE 15 ON FRIDAY...SPREADING AREAWIDE BY SUNDAY. THE MAIN THREATS WILL BE FLASH FLOODING...ERRATIC GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING FOR MOST OF THE AREA...BUT A FEW DRY LIGHTNING STRIKES AND WILDFIRE STARTS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER INYO...ESMERALDA AND CENTRAL NYE COUNTIES. AS THE MOISTURE PUSHES NORTH THERE WILL ALSO BE A CHANCE OF DRY LIGHTNING AND NEW FIRE STARTS OVER PORTIONS OF CLARK AND LINCOLN COUNTIES SATURDAY. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THESE AREAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY. HOWEVER...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. WOLCOTT
The Las Vegas radar (KESX), 60 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:58 UTC.
9 thunderstorm wind, 7 flash flood, 1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Outflow winds from distant thunderstorms beached two boats, including one house boat.
Highway 95 was flooded and impassable near Beatty.
A swift water rescue was performed at the intersection of Decatur and Oakey when a car drove into deep water in the intersection.
Flash flooding knocked the gate to the Griffith Peak trailhead off its hinges and blocked Harris Springs Road with debris.
Four to six inches of water and mud flowed across a side road.
Parts of Needles Highway washed out just north of the NV/CA border.
This gust occurred at the Kane Springs RAWS.
Three stations recorded gusts of 58 to 60 mph.
Dust storm conditions reduced visibility to near zero in Pahrump.
Water, mud, and rocks flowed over Kyle Canyon Road.
This gust occurred at Sierra Vista High School.
Six to 12 inches of water flowed over Durango Drive at and north of Blue Diamond Road. The Blue Diamond Channel ALERT recorded 1.10 inches of rain in 30 minutes.
This gust occurred 5 miles SW of Jean.
Thunderstorm winds over Lake Mead triggered swells up to eight feet that sank at least one vessel. 11 people had to be rescued.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, July 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: 536256, 536259, 536258, 536260, 536261, 536262, 536263, 536264, 536265, 536266, 536267, 536268, 536274, 536270, 536272, 536273, 536275.