Flash Flooding and Flooding in Nevada, September 7 to 9, 2014

Name: Flash Flooding and Flooding in Nevada, September 7 to 9, 2014
Start: 2014-09-07T11:25
End: 2014-09-09T16:00
Location: Nevada

September 7 to 9, 2014 · NWS VEF · 15 events in 2 counties and zones

A major surge of monsoon moisture aided by Hurricane Norbert just west of Baja California fueled an outbreak of thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin. Widespread flash flooding occurred.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: $9.6 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 15

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS VEF wrote it up.

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 Las Vegas, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 7, 5:26 AM PST, 5 hours 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 7, 5:26 AM PST, 5 hours 59 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
626 AM PDT SUN SEP 7 2014

.SYNOPSIS...MOISTURE FROM THE REMNANTS OF HURRICANE NORBERT WILL
BRING A THREAT OF HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH FLOODING TO AREAS SOUTH OF
INTERSTATE 15 TODAY...MUCH OF THE MOJAVE DESERT AND SOUTHERN GREAT
BASIN ON MONDAY...AND AREAS MAINLY EAST OF LAS VEGAS ON TUESDAY.
DRIER AIR PUSHING IN ON WEDNESDAY WILL LIMIT THUNDERSTORM CHANCES TO
MOHAVE COUNTY.
&&

.UPDATE...CLOUDS WERE FILLING IN OVER MUCH OF MOHAVE COUNTY ALONG
WITH EASTERN CLARK AND LINCOLN THIS MORNING...WITH SPOTTY SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS BREAKING OUT. UPDATED TO RAISE POPS AND SKY COVER
IN THIS AREA THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS.
&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...
213 AM PDT SUN SEP 7 2014

.SHORT TERM...THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...NORBERT...STILL BARELY A
HURRICANE...WAS WEAKENING SOUTHWEST OF THE BAJA SPUR THIS MORNING.
MAIN CONCERN FOR THE SHORT TERM IS TIMING OF HEAVY PRECIP AND FLASH
FLOOD THREAT. LOOKS LIKE THE GREATEST THREAT TODAY SHOULD BE SOUTH
OF A LINE FROM COLORADO CITY TO MESQUITE TO LAS VEGAS TO TRONA. WILL
NOT MESS WITH FLASH FLOOD WATCH AREAS OR TIMES...BUT WILL EMPHASIZE
THE TIMING ISSUES IN THE TEXT AND ALSO IN A GRAPHIC. FOR
MONDAY...THE HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS ARE TARGETING AREAS EAST OF A
LINE FROM THE MORONGO BASIN TO RACHEL. THERE IS A BRIEF WINDOW OF
OPPORTUNITY FOR DEATH VALLEY MONDAY MORNING AS WELL...SO WILL KEEP
THE WATCH IN PLACE FOR NOW. BY MONDAY NIGHT A TROUGH IN THE
WESTERLIES WILL BE PUSHING INTO NEVADA WITH THE PROMISE OF DRIER AIR
BEHIND IT.

.LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY....JUST MINOR TWEAKS FOR THE
LONG TERM PERIOD THIS MORNING. THERE ARE STILL A FEW SIGNIFICANT
INTER-MODEL DIFFERENCES IN HOW QUICKLY THINGS DRY OUT TUESDAY. THE
GFS HAS CONSISTENTLY BEEN THE WETTEST...DRAGGING THE REMNANT
MOISTURE CORE FROM HURRICANE NORBERT ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN THIRD
OF THE FORECAST AREA. MEANWHILE THE SREF IS ON THE OPPOSITE END OF
THE SPECTRUM DRYING OUT MOST AREAS WEST OF THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY
BY 18Z TUESDAY. THE NAM AND ECMWF ARE IN DECENT AGREEMENT WITH EACH
OTHER AND LIE SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE. THIS NAM/ECMWF SOLUTION WAS
PRIMARILY USED FOR THE TUESDAY PERIOD. AS FAR AS DYNAMICS ARE
CONCERNED...TUESDAY MAY BE THE BEST OF THE 7 DAY FORECAST PERIOD AS
A SHORTWAVE AND ASSOCIATED JET PUSH EAST ACROSS THE REGION. IN
ADDITION IT'S LIKELY THAT STORMS WILL BE TRIGGERED ALONG THE
MOIST-DRY BOUNDARY. THE BEST CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION WILL BE
ACROSS LINCOLN...CLARK...MOHAVE AND EASTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES.
HOW MUCH THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THAT DEVELOPS WILL AGAIN BE STRONGLY
TIED TO THE AMOUNT OF CLOUD COVER THROUGH THE MORNING/EARLY
AFTERNOON HOURS. IT STILL APPEARS THAT IT MAY BE A GAME TIME
DECISION AS TO WHETHER THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL NEED TO BE
EXTENDED THROUGH TUESDAY. DRIER AIR WILL CONTINUE TO FILTER IN FROM
THE WEST SHUTTING DOWN PRECIP CHANCES FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE
DAY.

WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...LEFT IN JUST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION ACROSS EASTERN MOHAVE COUNTY WEDNESDAY TO ACCOUNT FOR
ANY RESIDUAL MOISTURE IN PLACE. OTHERWISE DRIER CONDITIONS AND
REBOUNDING TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE
WEEK. THERE HAS BEEN SOME BACK AND FORTH IN GUIDANCE FOR NEXT
WEEKEND REGARDING ANOTHER [WEAK] PUSH OF MOISTURE. FOR THE MOMENT
HAVE LEFT THE FORECAST DRY AND WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR.

.AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF A THUNDERSTORM
NEAR THE TERMINAL THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH GREATER CHANCES
IN THE PEACH SPRINGS AND DAGGETT CORRIDORS. MONDAY COULD BE A
DIFFICULT DAY WITH GREATER THUNDERSTORM CHANCES AT THE TERMINAL AND
HIGH CHANCES IN THE PEACH SPRINGS AND MORMON MESA CORRIDORS. THE
MAIN THREATS FROM THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE VERY HEAVY RAIN AND VERY LOW
CEILINGS. DRIER AIR WILL BEGIN TO PUSH IN FROM THE WEST ON TUESDAY
WITH DRY WEATHER EXPECTED FOR MOST OF THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY.

FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST
CALIFORNIA...THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL BE INCREASING MAINLY IN AREAS
SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 15 TODAY...AND OVER MUCH OF THE REGION ON
MONDAY. VERY HEAVY RAIN AND VERY LOW CEILINGS WILL BE THE MAIN
THREATS. DRIER AIR WILL BEGIN TO PUSH IN FROM THE WEST ON TUESDAY
WITH THUNDERSTORM CHANCES LIMITED TO MOHAVE COUNTY ON WEDNESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE FOR MOHAVE COUNTY TODAY...AND IS MORE
LIKELY FOR MOHAVE...CLARK AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES ON MONDAY.
&&

MORGAN/WOLCOTT

FOR MORE FORECAST INFORMATION...SEE US ON OUR WEBPAGE:

HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS OR FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 7, 9:47 AM PST, 1 hour 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
1047 AM PDT SUN SEP 07 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

&&

DBERC

Local storm report, Sep 7, 9:49 AM PST, 1 hour 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
1049 AM PDT SUN SEP 07 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1035 AM     HAIL             4 NNW HUALAPAI MOUNTAIN 35.15N 113.91W
09/07/2014  M0.75 INCH       MOHAVE             AZ   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTS 1/2 TO 3/4 INCH HAIL.

&&

DBERC

Local storm report, Sep 7, 10:48 AM PST, 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
1148 AM PDT SUN SEP 07 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1148 AM     FLASH FLOOD      7 ESE KINGMAN           35.17N 113.92W
09/07/2014                   MOHAVE             AZ   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TWO FEET OF FLOWING WATER OBSERVED ALONG HUALUPAI
            MOUNTAIN ROAD BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 5 AND 6. WASH FLOWING
            AT ROUGHLY FOUR FEET.

&&

COUTLER

Local storm report, Sep 7, 11:01 AM PST, 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
1201 PM PDT SUN SEP 07 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1148 AM     HEAVY RAIN       7 ESE KINGMAN           35.17N 113.92W
09/07/2014  M2.52 INCH       MOHAVE             AZ   MESONET

            OVER TWO AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN A TWO HOUR
            TIME PERIOD ON PINION PINES RAINGAUGE.

&&

COUTLER

Local storm report, Sep 7, 11:20 AM PST, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
1220 PM PDT SUN SEP 07 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1155 AM     HAIL             7 N I-40 AT FORT ROCK   35.29N 113.37W
09/07/2014  E0.88 INCH       MOHAVE             AZ   TRAINED SPOTTER

            NICKEL SIZED HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS REPORTED

&&

COUTLER

The radar

The Las Vegas radar (KESX), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:23 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 flash flood, 2 flood, 1 hail, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Clark

When: September 7, 11:25 AM PST to 11:30 AM PST
Where: Clark County, 6.42 mi ENE of Red Rock Canyon
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.158, -115.337

Hail up to nickel size was estimated at Charleston and 215.

Heavy Rain, Clark

When: September 7, 12:58 PM PST to 1:15 PM PST
Where: Clark County, 5.73 mi W of Bracken
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.115, -115.302

One vehicle was stuck in six to 12 inches of standing water on the Flamingo Road off ramp from I-215.

Flash Flood, Clark

When: September 7, 1:00 PM PST to 1:30 PM PST
Where: Clark County, 5.91 mi NE of Blue Diamond to 5.87 mi WSW of Bracken
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 36.101, -115.315

Lots of mud and rocks washed onto Tropicana between Hualapai and Fort Apache.

Flood, Clark

When: September 7, 5:30 PM PST to 8:30 PM PST
Where: Clark County, 3.65 mi NW of Moapa to 3.1 mi WNW of Moapa
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.700, -114.684

Numerous roads were impassable in the Moapa River Indian Reservation area due to flooding on the Muddy River.

Flash Flood, Clark

When: September 8, 11:55 AM PST to 1:00 PM PST
Where: Clark County, 16.55 mi NE of Mount Charleston to 16.57 mi NNW of Las Vegas N Air Term
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 36.434, -115.392

Corn Creek Road was washed out.

Flash Flood, Clark

When: September 8, 12:36 PM PST to 1:30 PM PST
Where: Clark County, 1.18 mi ENE of Mount Charleston to 1.5 mi ENE of Mount Charleston
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 36.289, -115.602

Deer Creek Road was washed out between mile markers 2 and 4.

Flash Flood, Clark

When: September 8, 12:38 PM PST to 2:30 PM PST
Where: Clark County, 12.46 mi NW of Moapa to 0.7 mi WNW of Moapa
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 36.793, -114.794

Highway 168 was closed from Coyote Springs to Moapa due to flooding.

Flash Flood, Clark

When: September 8, 12:38 PM PST to 6:30 PM PST
Where: Clark County, 4.48 mi WNW of Moapa to 4.29 mi N of Mesquite
Cause: Heavy Rain
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $6.0 million
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 36.698, -114.703

Major flash flooding affected the Moapa, Logandale, and Mesquite areas. Several local roads were washed out and some were covered with five feet of silt. At least 20 homes were damaged and many people were evacuated. Parts of the Union Pacific railroad track were washed out. The parking lot of a power generating plant was filled with six feet of flood water. Interstate 15 suffered major damage and was closed for days. Cars floated down the highway, and one person was injured when he jumped in to help the occupants of a minivan which was swept over a 10-15 foot drop. Four earthen dams were breached in the area.

Flash Flood, Clark

When: September 8, 12:40 PM PST to 2:00 PM PST
Where: Clark County, 5.71 mi WSW of Bracken to 5.59 mi NE of Blue Diamond
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.103, -115.300

Several swift water rescues took place near and west of Fort Apache and Russell. At least six inches of water, mud, and rocks flowed over Tropicana and Grand Canyon.

Flash Flood, Clark

When: September 8, 2:10 PM PST to 3:30 PM PST
Where: Clark County, 9.68 mi WNW of Goodspgs to 5.32 mi NNE of Goodspgs
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: County Official
Coordinates: 35.905, -115.766

Cars were stuck in water and mud on Columbia Pass outside Sandy Valley. More than half of the dirt roads in Sandy Valley were damaged.

Flash Flood, Clark

When: September 8, 2:40 PM PST to 3:15 PM PST
Where: Clark County, 1.72 mi E of Bracken to 1.71 mi E of Bracken
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.119, -115.169

Rapidly flowing water flooded the parking garage of the Quad Resort on the Las Vegas Strip. One construction worker was swept away but was not injured.

Flash Flood, Clark

When: September 8, 3:00 PM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where: Clark County, 0.15 mi S of Blue Diamond to 0.2 mi SE of Blue Diamond
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: County Official
Coordinates: 36.048, -115.400

Arroyo Road was closed due to flooding.

Flood, Clark

When: September 8, 9:30 PM PST to September 9, 4:00 PM PST
Where: Clark County, 0.24 mi SSE of Arrowhead to 1.93 mi NW of Moapa
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $3.0 million
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 36.667, -114.569

The Muddy River flooded Moapa, Logandale, and Overton. A total of 139 homes and the Cooper Street Bridge were damaged.

Flash Flood, Lincoln

When: September 8, 9:45 PM PST to 11:00 PM PST
Where: Lincoln County, 1.43 mi NE of Pioche to 1.5 mi ENE of Pioche
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 37.942, -114.448

Mud and debris covered Highway 322 just east of Pioche, and there was erosion damage to several agricultural fields in the area.

Flash Flood, Lincoln

When: September 8, 11:30 PM PST to September 9, 12:30 AM PST
Where: Lincoln County, 1.54 mi E of Caliente to 1.53 mi E of Caliente
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 37.617, -114.502

A mud slide washed out a section of Union Pacific railroad track, derailing a locomotive.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Nevada in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in Nevada, September 2014

Sources

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: 542829, 542832, 542833, 542836, 542838, 542840, 542841, 542843, 542842, 542844, 542845, 542846, 542847, 542848, 542849.