A strong cold front brought high winds and dust storm conditions to portions of southern Nevada.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 cold front brought high winds and dust storm conditions to portions of southern Nevada.
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 Apr 14, 2:05 AM PST, 6 hours 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 305 AM PDT TUE APR 14 2015 .SYNOPSIS...STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION TODAY AND WEDNESDAY. GUSTY NORTH WINDS WILL PERSIST DOWN THE COLORADO RIVER MUCH OF THE WEEK. COOLER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK FOLLOWED BY A REBOUND TO ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES OVER THE WEEKEND. && .SHORT TERM...THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH WHICH WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR WIDESPREAD WINDY CONDITIONS TODAY IS CURRENTLY MOVING ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WITH ITS SOUTHERN EDGE DRAGGING ACROSS THE NORTHERN GREAT BASIN BY LATER THIS MORNING. SO FAR WINDS ACROSS MOST OF OUR OBSERVATION SITES IN THE SIERRA AND OWENS VALLEY HAVENT BEEN REAL IMPRESSIVE BUT THE LATEST HRRR RUNS DO PICK UP THE WIND INTENSITY CONSIDERABLY LATER THIS MORNING. STRONGEST WINDS LOOK TO ARRIVE BETWEEN 9AM AND NOON AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT FOR THE SIERRA AND OWENS VALLEY. AS THIS FRONT PASSES THROUGH LATER THIS MORNING WINDS WILL SHIFT AROUND TO THE NORTHWEST AND REMAIN QUITE GUSTY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON. ELSEWHERE STRONG WINDS WILL OVERSPREAD MUCH OF NYE AND ESMERALDA COUNTIES BEHIND THE COLD FRONT AND WILL BE QUITE STRONG. HIGH WIND WARNINGS LOOK GOOD FOR THESE AREAS AND WE WILL NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON LINCOLN COUNTY AS WELL WHERE THE HRRR HAS PRETTY WIDESPREAD 25 TO 35 MPH SUSTAINED WINDS. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST WILL BE LIKELY WITH ALL THIS WIND AS WELL. THIS FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO PROGRESS SOUTH THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...REACHING THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY BY AROUND 5PM AND OUR SOUTHERN ZONES BY 11PM. VERY STRONG WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE FRONT BEFORE SLOWLY WEAKENING OVERNIGHT BUT REMAINING GUSTY. STRONG WINDS WILL PERSIST ALL NIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY FOR LOCATIONS ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER. CURRENT WARNING AND ADVISORY PRODUCTS LOOK GOOD AND HAVE NOT MADE ANY FURTHER ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM. .LONG TERM...THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. CLOSED UPPER LOW WILL CONTINUE TO SPIN OVER THE FOUR CORNERS THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY WITH HIGH PRESSURE SLOWLY BUILDING IN FROM THE WEST. THIS WILL LEAVE OUR REGION UNDER A PERSISTENT NORTHERLY FLOW WITH GUSTY WINDS PERSISTING ESPECIALLY DOWN THE COLORADO RIVER. THE WINDS WILL EASE A BIT OVER THE WEEKEND AS THE LOW DRIFTS EAST AND HIGH PRESSURE TRIES TO BUILD BACK INTO THE AREA. THIS WILL RESULT IN A WARMING TREND THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH TEMPERATURES RETURNING TO ABOVE NORMAL LEVELS. MEANWHILE A WEAK LOW PRESSURE TROUGH MAY DEVELOP OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND DRIFT SOUTHWARD WHICH COULD RESULT IN JUST ENOUGH MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY TO SPARK OFF A FEW CUMULUS BUILD UPS AND ISOLATED SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SIERRA. IVE ADDED A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDER TO THOSE AREAS SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. OTHERWISE DRY CONDITIONS LOOK TO CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE DURING THE MORNING HOURS AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE AREA. WINDS WILL GENERALLY BE 10 TO 15 KTS WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO AROUND 25 KTS AND THEN INCREASE TO AROUND 15 TO 20 KNOTS WITH GUSTS APPROACHING 30 TO 35 KTS AFTER 18Z. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST ARE POSSIBLE AROUND THE AIRPORT WITH VISIBILITY DROPPING AS LOW AS 5SM AT TIMES. A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PUSH THROUGH THE VEGAS VALLEY AROUND 00Z THIS EVENING WITH WINDS SHIFTING TO THE NORTHWEST. WIND SPEEDS ARE STILL EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN THE 15-20 KT RANGE WITH GUSTS UP TO 30KTS. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE DURING THE OVERNIGHT HORUS. MINIMAL CLOUD COVER IS EXPECTED. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE ACROSS THE REGION AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION TODAY. WINDS AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE 15-20 KT RANGE WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 30-35 KTS. SOME LOCATIONS MAY SEE GUSTS EXCEEDING 40KTS. THIS WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING DUST WHICH COULD REDUCE VISIBILITY DOWN TO 3-5SM...MAINLY BETWEEN 17-23Z. THIS FRONT IS FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN INYO AND ESMERALDA COUNTIES AROUND 18Z AND THEN PROGRESS SOUTH DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO REACH SOUTHERN NEVADA AROUND 00Z AND CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTH EARLY THIS EVENING. WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL TURN NORTHWEST WITH WIND SPEEDS AROUND 15-20 KTS AND GUSTS BETWEEN 30-35 KTS WHILE GRADUALLY DECREASING OVERNIGHT. A FEW SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER CENTRAL NYE AND NORTHERN LINCOLN COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON...OTHERWISE MINIMAL CLOUD COVER IS EXPECTED. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY. ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER SHOULD BE REPORTED ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. && OUTLER FOR MORE FORECAST INFORMATION...SEE US ON OUR WEBPAGE: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS OR FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 dust storm, 1 high wind, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The peak wind gust was 60 mph (52 knots) 44 miles ENE of Beatty. Visibility was down to a quarter mile or less in Coaldale Junction, Dyer, Silver Peak, and Beatty. Two big rigs were blown over on Highway 95.
Visibility was down to 100 yards in Rachel.
The peak wind occurred at Indian Springs (KINS). Visibility was briefly down to one quarter mile in Amargosa Valley.
The peak gust occurred at McCarran Airport (KLAS). Visibility was down to one mile in blowing dust. At least five light poles and seven large trees blew down. One tree fell onto power lines, one fell onto a car, and another knocked down a concrete block wall. About 2500 customers lost power.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, April 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: 565884, 565885, 565887, 565888.