A strong upper level low fueled thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert. Many storms produced flash flooding, and isolated severe weather also occurred.
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.
A strong upper level low fueled thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert. Many storms produced flash flooding, and isolated severe weather also 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 Oct 4, 8:00 AM PST, 2 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 900 AM PDT SUN OCT 4 2015 .SYNOPSIS...A STRONG AND COOL EARLY SEASON STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE REGION TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY AS WELL AS ACCUMULATING HIGH MOUNTAIN SNOWFALL. SOME THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON AND MONDAY. AS THE STORM SYSTEM DEPARTS TO THE EAST ON TUESDAY...LINGERING SHOWERS WILL SLOWLY DIMINISH WITH DRY WEATHER RETURNING FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK. COOL TEMPERATURES EARLY IN THE WEEK WILL REBOUND TO NEAR NORMAL THURSDAY ONWARD. && .UPDATE...FORECAST IS PRETTY WELL ON TRACK THIS MORNING WITH ONLY A FEW MINOR ADJUSTMENTS MADE. MOST OF THE ACTIVITY SO FAR THIS MORNING HAS BEEN LIMITED TO CENTRAL NYE AND ESMERALDA COUNTY WHERE STRONG FORCING AHEAD OF A CLOSED LOW NOW CENTERED OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WAS AIDING IN A ORGANIZING BAND OF MORNING THUNDERSTORMS. WITHIN THE PAST 30 MINUTES...ADDITIONAL STORMS HAVE FLARED UP OVER THE MOJAVE PRESERVE AND WILL LIFT NORTHWARD WHILE EXPANDING IN COVERAGE THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS...EVENTUALLY WORKING INTO SOUTHERN NEVADA AND THE SPRING MOUNTAINS...ESPECIALLY WEST OF LAS VEGAS. WILL NEED TO CLOSELY MONITOR THIS RECENT DEVELOPMENT OF STORMS OVER THE MOJAVE PRESERVE AS IT DEVELOPS NORTHWARD. IT IS LOCATED WITHIN A REGION OF OVER 50KTS OF DEEP LAYER SHEAR WHICH WILL BE MORE THAN SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS. ISOLATED HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT. -OUTLER- .SHORT TERM...THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. THE UPPER LOW THAT WILL BRING SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS TO OUR WEATHER OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS IS CURRENTLY OVER CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. SO FAR MOST OF THE ACTIVITY HAS REMAINED NORTH AND WEST OF THE CWA...BUT THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN A FEW LIGHTNING STRIKES OVER NORTHERN ESMERALDA COUNTY SINCE MIDNIGHT AND RADAR IS PICKING UP A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS OVER NORTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY. THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA HAS SEEN AN INCREASE IN MID LEVEL CLOUDS EARLY THIS MORNING AND THE TREND OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS WILL BE FOR THOSE TO INCREASE AND LOWER. THE CENTER OF THE LOW WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK SOUTH THIS MORNING AND EVENTUALLY BE CENTERED JUST NORTH OF LOS ANGELES BY THIS AFTERNOON. PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE THIS MORNING OVER MAINLY ESMERALDA...INYO...AND CENTRAL NYE COUNTIES WITH MAINLY JUST SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS ELSEWHERE. THE MAIN CONCERN FOR TODAY IS HOW FAST THE PRECIPITATION DEVELOPS ACROSS SAN BERNARDINO...CLARK...MOHAVE AND LINCOLN COUNTIES. THE 00Z/06Z NAM KEEPS MAINLY JUST SOME LIGHT SHOWERS OVER THOSE AREAS MAINLY NORTH OF LAS VEGAS THROUGH MUCH OF TODAY AS A DRY SLOT DEVELOPS. EVEN THE 00Z ECMWF SHOWS THOSE AREAS TO REMAIN DRY THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY. THE GFS IS THE ONLY MODEL THAT STARTS TO BRING IN MORE WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION TO MUCH OF THE AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON. EVEN THOUGH THE MODELS REALLY DONT SHOW MUCH QPF FOR THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CWA I STILL THINK THAT THERE WILL BE ENOUGH ENERGY AND INSTABILITY TO GENERATE SOME AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS. I DID LOWER POPS FOR THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CWA THIS MORNING...BUT DID KEEP THE CURRENT POPS ALONE FOR THE AFTERNOON. SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL ALSO INCREASE THIS MORNING WITH BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE AREA...BUT ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS. AS FOR SNOWFALL...THINK THAT THE SIERRA LOOKS GOOD FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW TODAY...BUT WITH WARM AIR ADVECTING AHEAD OF THE LOW...THE SPRING MOUNTAINS AND SHEEP RANGE MOST LIKELY WILL NOT SEE SIGNIFICANT SNOW UNTIL LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY. THE 6-12 INCHES ABOVE 8500 FEET IS STILL POSSIBLE FOR THOSE LOCATIONS AND WILL NOT CHANGE THE CURRENT ADVISORY. AS THE LOW STARTS TO TURN MORE EASTERLY TONIGHT WE WILL START TO SEE MORE WIDESPREAD MODERATE RAINFALL OVER MUCH OF THE CWA...ESPECIALLY INYO...SOUTHERN NEVADA AND NORTHWEST ARIZONA WHICH WILL LAST THROUGH MUCH OF MONDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO REMAIN A POSSIBILITY TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY WITH SOME STORMS POSSIBLE SEVERE AS SHEAR AND INSTABILITY REMAIN HIGH. THINGS WILL START TO TAPER OFF FROM WEST TO EAST MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY WITH ONLY THE FAR EASTERN AREAS OF THE CWA SEEING PRECIPITATION CHANCES BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON. .LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW THAT WILL KEEP THE SHORT TERM PERIOD ACTIVE WILL BE PUSHING SOUTHEAST THROUGH AZ WEDNESDAY BEFORE STALLING OVER NORTHERN MEXICO/WESTERN TX THURSDAY NIGHT. IN IT'S WAKE A STRONG RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP...BRINGING DRIER...WARMER...AND CALMER CONDITIONS TO THE REGION. THIS RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO DOMINATE WELL INTO THE WEEKEND WITH TEMPERATURES RISING BACK ABOVE NORMAL. WE'LL BE KEEPING AN EYE ON THE UPPER LEVEL LOW AS MODELS CONTINUE TO HINT THAT AT LEAST SOME OF THE ENERGY MAY RETROGRADE BACK WEST TOWARDS THE REGION SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...AND COULD IMPACT THE REGION (AGAIN) BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. && AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...LIGHT WINDS THIS MORNING WILL TRANSITION TO A MORE SOUTHEAST DIRECTION AFTER 15Z WITH SPEEDS INCREASING TO AROUND 8-12 KTS AND GUSTS UP TO 20 KTS. CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND LOWER THROUGH THE MORNING WITH SCT-BKN110 BECOMING BKN080-100 BY LATE MORNING. CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO LOWER DURING THE AFTERNOON TO AROUND 5-7K FEET AND PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL ALSO INCREASE. THE CHANCE FOR SHRA/TSRA WILL ALSO EXIST IN ALL OF THE APPROACH CORRIDORS THIS AFTERNOON. IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THE HEAVIEST AND MORE WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION WILL OCCUR UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT...BUT CIGS DOWN TO 3-5K FEET AND VSBYS DOWN TO 4-5SM WILL BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT AND ESPECIALLY MONDAY. MECHANICAL TURBULENCE DUE TO A CHANGE IN WIND DIRECTION AND SPEED WITH HEIGHT. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...CLOUDS WILL LOWER THROUGH THE DAY AND PRECIPITATION WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD. FOR THIS MORNING IT LOOKS LIKE THE MORE CONCENTRATED AREA OF PRECIPITATION WILL OCCUR OVER ESMERALDA AND CENTRAL NYE COUNTIES AND EVENTUALLY INCLUDE INYO BY THIS AFTERNOON. THERE WILL BE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE DAY AND SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BE SEVERE. THE MORE WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION WILL DEVELOP LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER MOST AREAS WITH CIGS DOWN TO 3-5K FEET AND VSBYS POSSIBLY AS LOW AS 3SM. MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS ARE LIKELY ALONG WITH MECHANICAL TURBULENCE DUE TO A CHANGE IN WIND DIRECTION AND SPEED WITH HEIGHT. REDUCED CIGS AND VSBY AS WELL AS THE POTENTIAL FOR SHRA WILL LINGER INTO MONDAY AND TUESDAY. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. && SHORT TERM/AVIATION...GORELOW LONG TERM...WOLCOTT FOR MORE FORECAST INFORMATION...SEE US ON OUR WEBPAGE: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS OR FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 157 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:23 UTC.
10 flash flood, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Rocks and mud covered Highway 168 just east of Death Valley Road.
Five inches of snow fell at the Lake Sabrina Boat Ramp.
Several rooms at the Furnace Creek Inn were flooded. Many roads were closed, including Daylight Pass Road, Badwater Road, Highway 190, and Scotty's Castle Road.
Large boulders washed onto Whitney Portal Road.
Seventeen buildings on Fort Irwin were flooded, several sinkholes developed, there was widespread road damage, and there was also damage to underground water and fiber optic systems.
National Trails Highway was washed out and there was a lot of mud over the road.
Multiple vehicles were stuck on Highway 95 between mile markers 47 and 49, with the road closed in both directions.
Five Mile Road was impassable. Scrapers were needed to remove the debris.
A vehicle stalled in water near Highway 95 and Goffs Road.
Dirt and rocks were piled up like a ramp on the Goffs Road off ramp from Interstate 40.
Highway 95 was flooded and impassable north of Goffs Road. One vehicle was washed into the desert.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in California, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 602793, 602796, 602794, 602795, 602797, 602798, 602799, 602800, 602801, 602802, 602803.