Flash Flood and Flood in Arizona, October 5 to 6, 2015

Name: Flash Flood and Flood in Arizona, October 5 to 6, 2015
Start: 2015-10-05T14:20
End: 2015-10-06T19:00
Location: Arizona

October 5 to 6, 2015 · NWS VEF · 3 events in 1 county or zone

A strong upper level low fueled thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert. Many storms produced flash flooding, and isolated severe weather also 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: 0
Property damage: $3,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

A strong upper level low fueled thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert. Many storms produced flash flooding, and isolated severe weather also occurred.

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 Oct 5, 12:11 PM MST, 2 hours 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 5, 12:11 PM MST, 2 hours 9 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 5, 9:42 AM MST, 4 hours 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
942 AM PDT MON OCT 05 2015

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

0215 PM     FLASH FLOOD      19 SSE ORIENTAL WASH RA 36.98N 117.36W
10/04/2015                   INYO               CA   PARK/FOREST SRVC

            SCOTTYS CASTLE ROAD WAS CLOSED DUE TO WATER AND ROCKS ON
            THE ROAD.

0933 AM     HAIL             S BOULDER CITY          35.98N 114.83W
10/05/2015  E0.50 INCH       CLARK              NV   TRAINED SPOTTER

            DIME SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN BOULDER CITY NEAR
            WASHINGTON AND UTAH.

&&

STACHELSKI

Local storm report, Oct 5, 11:24 AM MST, 2 hours 56 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
1124 AM PDT MON OCT 05 2015

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

0215 PM     FLASH FLOOD      19 SSE ORIENTAL WASH RA 36.98N 117.36W
10/04/2015                   INYO               CA   PARK/FOREST SRVC

            SCOTTYS CASTLE ROAD WAS CLOSED DUE TO 2 FEET OF THICK
            DEBRIS ON THE ROAD.

&&

STACHELSKI

Local storm report, Oct 5, 11:40 AM MST, 2 hours 40 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
1140 AM PDT MON OCT 05 2015

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

0600 PM     FLASH FLOOD      9 W LONE PINE           36.59N 118.22W
10/04/2015                   INYO               CA   PUBLIC

            A LARGE ROCKSLIDE OCCURRED OFF A CLIFF AND ONTO WHITNEY
            PORTAL ROAD DUMPING LARGE BOULDERS ONTO ONE LANE OF THE
            ROAD. THE EVENT TIME IS AN ESTIMATE.

&&

STACHELSKI

Local storm report, Oct 5, 1:35 PM MST, 45 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
135 PM PDT MON OCT 5 2015

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

0115 PM     FLASH FLOOD      11 W VALLEY OF FIRE STAT36.45N 114.71W
10/05/2015                   CLARK              NV   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            NHP REPORTS VALLEY OF FIRE ROAD CLOSED DUE
            TO FLOODING. PICTURES INDICATE ABOUT A FOOT
            OF WATER FLOWING OVER THE ROAD.

&&

NF

The radar

The Las Vegas radar (KESX), 34 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:19 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 funnel cloud, 1 flood, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Funnel Cloud, Mohave

When: October 5, 2:20 PM MST to 2:25 PM MST
Where: Mohave County, 10.14 mi SE of Willow Beach
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.779, -114.528

A funnel cloud was photographed along Highway 93.

Flood, Mohave

When: October 6, 8:47 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where: Mohave County, 0.98 mi NNE of Topock to 0.92 mi N of Topock
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 34.734, -114.475

Oatman-Topock Highway was closed due to flooding of the Sacramento Wash.

Flash Flood, Mohave

When: October 6, 6:03 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where: Mohave County, 5.01 mi SSW of Golden Valley to 4.06 mi SSW of Golden Valley
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 35.159, -114.268

Shinarump Drive was closed from Aztec to Estrella due to flooding.

What these are

Funnel Cloud: A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arizona in 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, October 2015

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 602400, 602401, 602402.