Another push of monsoon moisture fueled an outbreak of thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin. Several 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.
Another push of monsoon moisture fueled an outbreak of thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin. Several 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 Jul 30, 2:30 PM MST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 230 PM PDT THU JUL 30 2015 .SYNOPSIS...THE COMBINATION DISTURBANCES MOVING NORTHWARD ACROSS CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AND CENTRAL ARIZONA ALONG WITH SUFFICIENT MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING MAINLY SOUTH AND WEST OF LAS VEGAS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE WHICH COULD RESULT IN FLASH FLOODING. LINGERING MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN THE POTENTIAL FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF THE AREA THROUGH MONDAY. BY TUESDAY, DRIER AIR SHOULD WORK ON IN ENDING THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN MOST AREAS. && .SHORT TERM...THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE OVER CENTRAL ARIZONA HELPING IGNITE A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHERN MOHAVE COUNTY. THIS LINE WILL CONTINUE TO REDEVELOP AND SHIFT WEST INTO THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AND EASTERN SAN BERNARDINO THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A MOHAVE COUNTY ALERT STATION IN THE SOUTHERN HUALAPAI MTNS RECORDED TWO- THIRDS OF AN INCH OF RAIN IN 15 MINUTES. STORMS MOVING IN VERY UNSTABLE AIR MASS WITH CAPE VALUES BETWEEN 1000 AND 2000 J/KG AND PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES BETWEEN 1.25 AND 1.75 INCHES. FLASH FLOODING PRIMARY THREAT WITH ISOLATED DAMAGING WINDS POSSIBLE. A SECOND AREA OF STORMS HAS DEVELOPED OVER ESMERALDA, CENTRAL NYE AND NORTHERN INYO COUNTIES. THIS AREA IS AHEAD OF AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVING NORTHWEST THROUGH CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. AIR MASS NOT AS MOIST OR UNSTABLE THAT FAR NORTH SO PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL. HRRR AND HI-RES MODELS INDICATE MOST THE ACTIVITY WILL WIND DOWN THIS EVENING SO MADE NO CHANGE TO OUR FLASH FLOOD WATCH WHICH IS VALID UNTIL 8 PM PDT/MST. CONSIDERED EXTENDING THE WATCH INTO FRIDAY BUT DECIDED AGAINST THAT. WILL SEE HOW THINGS SHAKE OUT TONIGHT AND LET MID-SHIFT OR MYSELF TOMORROW CONSIDER THE NEED OF A WATCH. AGAIN MADE ONLY SOME MINOR TWEAKS TO THE FRIDAY/SATURDAY PERIODS AS MODELS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT ADVERTISING A DIURNAL CONVECTIVE PATTERN WITH STORMS DEVELOPING OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND SPREADING INTO THE VALLEYS INTO THE EVENING HOURS. .LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THE LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO INDICATE A LOW GRADE MONSOON PATTERN THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD...WITH IT POTENTIALLY BEGINNING FAIRLY ACTIVE WITH HIGHER SHOWER AND STORM CHANCES ACROSS MAINLY THE NEVADA AND ARIZONA ZONES SUNDAY. THIS DEPENDS ON THE TIMING AND TRAJECTORY OF AN UPPER LEVEL WAVE THAT BOTH THE 00Z GFS AND ECMWF HAVE TRANSLATING THE AREA EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. KEPT POPS IN THE 20 TO 30 RANGE FOR NOW TO COVER FOR THIS SCENARIO...WITH FURTHER UPDATES EITHER WAY DEPENDING ON HOW CONSISTENT OR NOT CONSISTENT FUTURE GUIDANCE IS IN HANDLING THIS POTENTIAL FEATURE. MONDAY...DRIER SOUTHWEST FLOW IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN TO FILTER INTO THE REGION AND SCOUR OUT SOME OF THE MOISTURE THAT IS IN PLACE...PARTICULARLY IN THE CALIFORNIA ZONES. DESPITE THIS...THE 00Z ECMWF DEPICTS ANOTHER MID/UPPER WAVE TRAVERSING THE AREA...YIELDING SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ACROSS THE NEVADA AND ARIZONA ZONES. THIS...ALONG WITH THE FACT THAT MODEL GUIDANCE TENDS TO BE ON THE AGGRESSIVE SIDE IN SCOURING OUT MOISTURE THIS TIME OF YEAR WAS TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION...AND MINIMUM CHANGES TO POPS WERE MADE FOR MONDAY FOR THE TIME BEING. TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...DRIER AIR IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA...AS A SHORTWAVE FROM AN UPPER LEVEL LOW OFF OF THE COAST OF BRITISH COLUMBIA SWEEPS ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN. THERE ARE HINTS IN GUIDANCE OF LOW GRADE MOISTURE MAKING A RETURN BY THURSDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS BACK TO THE WEST AND PULLS MOISTURE NORTHWARD. TEMPERATURES WISE...GIVEN THE MOISTURE THAT IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN PLACE...AFTERNOON HIGHS WILL RUN AROUND SEASONAL NORMALS THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH THE WARMEST DAYS LIKELY COMING ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY WITH DRIER SOUTHWEST FLOW FILTERING THROUGH THE AREA. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...WINDS WILL FAVOR A NORTHEAST OR EASTERLY COMPONENT INTO EARLY THIS EVENING WITH SPEEDS LESS THAN 10 KTS. STILL LOOKING AT DRY CONDITIONS AT KLAS TONIGHT, THE BEATTY, DAGGETT AND PEACH SPRINGS CORRIDORS WILL BE IMPACTED BY THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH 04Z THIS EVENING. ANY OUTFLOW FROM STORMS COULD IMPACT WINDS AT THE AIRPORT COMPLEX. OTHERWISE EXPECT MAINLY SCT-BKN CLOUDS AOA 13K FEET AT KLAS. WINDS TONIGHT AWAY FROM ANY SHRA/TSRA OR OUTFLOW SHOULD FAVOR A SOUTH TO SOUTH-SOUTHWEST DIRECTION AT 5-10 KTS. CONDITIONS LOOK SIMILAR FRIDAY WITH WINDS FAVORING AN EASTERLY DIRECTION WITH A CHANCE OF SHRA/TSRA OVER THE MOUNTAINS. THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...SHRA/TSRA WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH 04Z WITH STRONGEST STORMS IN THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AND ESMERALDA COUNTY. GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS AS WELL AS CIGS AND VSBY REDUCED TO MVFR OR LOWER ARE POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR ANY SHRA/TSRA. LOCAL MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS POSSIBLE. OTHERWISE LOOK FOR WINDS TO FAVOR TYPICAL DIURNAL TRENDS WITH SCT-BKN CLOUDS AOA 10K-15K FEET. SIMILAR CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED FRIDAY AS STORMS DEVELOP OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND MOVE INTO THE VALLEYS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. && SHORT TERM/AVIATION...PIERCE LONG TERM...PULLIN FOR MORE FORECAST INFORMATION...SEE US ON OUR WEBPAGE: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS OR FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
131 PM PDT THU JUL 30 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0127 PM FLASH FLOOD JOSHUA TREE 34.13N 116.32W
07/30/2015 SAN BERNARDINO CA LAW ENFORCEMENT
CHP HAS REPORTED ROADWAY FLOODING FROM RICE AVE WEST
THROUGH JOSHUA TREE WITH WATER COVERING THE ROADS IN
SEVERAL LOCATIONS ON HIGHWAY 62.
&&
ASGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
244 PM PDT THU JUL 30 2015
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0240 PM HEAVY RAIN 2 WSW TWENTYNINE PALMS 34.12N 116.09W
07/30/2015 M1.00 INCH SAN BERNARDINO CA TRAINED SPOTTER
VERY HEAVY RAIN WITH 1 INCH MEASURED IN THE
PAST 30 MINUTES. BACKYARD FLOODING
OCCURRING, AND PEA SIZE HAIL.
&&
SCThe Las Vegas radar (KESX), 145 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:00 UTC.
2 flash flood, 1 heavy rain, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A car crash near McCulloch Blvd. and Capri Blvd. in rainy conditions caused one injury (indirect).
Thunderstorm winds blew down a large mesquite tree and two power lines.
Six inches of water flowed over Jamaica Blvd. S and Lake Havasu Ave.
The Secret Pass Wash flooded Oatman Road and nearby secondary roads. One road partially washed out.
The Sacramento Wash flooded Oatman-Topock Highway.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, July 2015
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: 584791, 584802, 584809, 584818, 584827.