Very dry air in the lower atmosphere combined with weak forcing to produce high-based (15,000 ft above the ground) cumulus clouds, some with strong outflow winds.
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The episode as NWS REV wrote it up.
Very dry air in the lower atmosphere combined with weak forcing to produce high-based (15,000 ft above the ground) cumulus clouds, some with strong outflow winds.
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 Reno, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 1, 2:21 AM PST, 3 hours 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV 321 AM PDT SAT AUG 1 2015 .SYNOPSIS... MOISTURE IS ON THE INCREASE THIS WEEKEND, BRINGING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS AND POSSIBLY A FEW LIGHTNING INDUCED FIRE STARTS. LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS FROM THIS WEEKEND'S STORMS. AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES WILL FALL TO NEAR AVERAGE ON SUNDAY, WITH THUNDERSTORM CHANCES TAPERING OFF BY WEDNESDAY. && .SHORT TERM... LOOKING AT THE INFRARED SATELLITE THIS MORNING, CONSIDERABLE CLOUD COVER REMAINS NEAR AND NORTH OF I-80. FARTHER SOUTH, ADDITIONAL CLOUD COVER IS WORKING INTO SOUTHERN/EASTERN MINERAL AND MONO COUNTIES WITH A SUBTLE UPPER WAVE APPROACHING FROM INYO COUNTY. THE CLOUDS NORTH OF I-80 HAVE NOT PRODUCED MUCH IN THE WAY OF SHOWERS PER RADAR RETURNS AND ARE SPREADING OUT AS IF THEY ARE CAPPED OFF. HOWEVER, WITH THE WAVE APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTH ENOUGH DEPTH COULD BE HAD FOR ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWERS OR SPRINKLES THIS MORNING. I ALSO LEFT IN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDER WITH THE INCOMING FORCING, ALTHOUGH NO LIGHTNING HAS BEEN NOTED SO FAR. THIS AFTERNOON, CLEARING BEHIND THE WAVE IS EXPECTED TO ALLOW FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 50 AND IN/NEAR THE SIERRA. THE PWAT IN RENO IS ALREADY AROUND 0.75" AND SOUNDING MODEL PROGS SHOW PWATS IN THE 0.75" TO 0.9" RANGE THIS AFTERNOON FOR MANY AREAS. THE EXCEPTION MAY BE ACROSS NORTHERN WASHOE, NORTHEAST LASSEN AND NORTHERN PERSHING COUNTIES WHERE PWATS MAY REMAIN CLOSER TO 0.5" THIS AFTERNOON. WITH THAT IN MIND, ANY THUNDERSTORMS NORTH OF A SUSANVILLE TO PYRAMID LAKE TO LOVELOCK LINE TODAY MAY PRODUCE MUCH LESS RAINFALL THAN AREAS FARTHER SOUTH. IN ADDITION, THE GUSTIEST OUTFLOW WINDS WILL TEND TO BE UP NORTH (ESPECIALLY IF CLEARING DEVELOPS) WITH THE DRIEST LOW LEVELS. LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY, I HAVE LEFT THE RESIDUAL SHOWERS AND SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AS MODELS SHOW SIGNS OF AN UPPER WAVE MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN NEVADA. THIS WAVE IS NOT READILY VISIBLE IN SATELLITE IMAGERY BUT COULD BE HIDING OVER FAR SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA EARLY THIS MORNING (PER CLOUDS IN THE INFRARED). SUNDAY AFTERNOON, PLENTY OF MOISTURE WILL IN PLACE FOR SCATTERED, DIURNALLY-LINKED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. SOME STORMS COULD CERTAINLY CONTAIN HEAVY RAINFALL GIVEN PWATS BETWEEN 0.8" AND 1" FOR MOST LOCATIONS IN WESTERN NEVADA AND NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA. UPPER FLOW LOOKS TO BE IN THE 10-20 KT RANGE, HOWEVER STORM INTERACTIONS COULD MAKE FOR SLOWER OR TRAINING CONVECTION WITH A LOCALIZED THREAT FOR FLASH FLOODING IN STEEP TERRAIN OR ON BURN SCARS. MONDAY WILL BRING IN DRIER SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WITH A REDUCTION IN STORM COVERAGE (BEST SHOT SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 50). SNYDER .LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... FEW CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE LONG TERM WITH THE MODELS IN DECENT AGREEMENT ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE CHANGED LATE NEXT WEEK FROM 24 HOURS AGO. BOTH GFS/EC SHOW THE LOW FOR TUESDAY NOW AND HAVE IT MOVING ACROSS DURING THE AFTERNOON. HAVE KEPT IN THE SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THE DAY SHIFT ADDED NORTH OF HIGHWAY 50. THE MODELS ARE A BIT DRIER THOUGH WITH PW 2/3 INCH OR LESS. THE FORCING IS STRONG AND THERE IS A GOOD MOIST LAYER AT 600 MB SO THINK WE WILL SEE SOMETHING AT LEAST. BEHIND THE LOW A GENERAL SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL CONTINUE FOR WED/THU WITH DRY CONDITIONS AND A TYPICAL AFTERNOON ZEPHYR. HOWEVER, THE MODELS ARE FURTHER NORTH WITH THE PACIFIC TROUGH OVERALL WITH ONLY A WEAK LOW DEVELOPING OFF THE COAST. FOR US, THIS CHANGE THESE TWO DAYS REALLY DOESN'T IMPACT THE FORECAST MUCH. BY FRIDAY, BOTH GFS/EC AND MANY ENSEMBLE MEMBERS BRING THE LOW TOWARD THE SIERRA AND WESTERN NEVADA. HAVE LEFT FRIDAY DRY FOR NOW, BUT IF THE MODELS CONTINUE, THUNDERSTORMS WOULD BE POSSIBLE AS IT MOVES ACROSS. THE TRAJECTORY OF THE LOW WOULD ALSO LIMIT MUCH MOISTURE BEING PULLED NORTH FROM THE MONSOON SO STORMS COULD BE DRIER AND A FIRE WEATHER CONCERN. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR AS THIS IS STILL A FEW DAYS OUT. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO HOVER NEAR OR JUST BELOW AVERAGE FOR EARLY AUGUST. WALLMANN && .AVIATION... SOME MID-HIGH CLOUD COVER REMAINS THIS MORNING, BUT IT APPEARS LESS DENSE THAN YESTERDAY. IT ALSO APPEARS MUCH OF THE CLOUD COVER WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN NEVADA AND OREGON BY MID-MORNING. EXPECT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF A KSVE-GERLACH LINE 20-04Z WITH GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS AND SMALL HAIL THE MAIN THREATS. OTHERWISE WINDS WILL REMAIN LIGHT WITH VFR CONDITIONS. STORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN ON SUNDAY WITH SIMILAR TIMING AND THREATS. COVERAGE WILL AGAIN DEPEND ON JUST HOW MUCH CLOUD COVER THERE IS DURING THE MORNING HOURS. WITH A LITTLE MORE MOISTURE, CLOUD BASES WILL LOWER WITH SOME MTN OBSCURATION POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGHER SIERRA PEAKS. WALLMANN && .FIRE WEATHER... LESS CLOUD COVER THIS MORNING THUS FAR SO IT APPEARS WE WILL HAVE AN ACTIVE DAY WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS AT LEAST SOUTH OF A PORTOLA TO RENO TO FALLON LINE. NORTH OF THIS LINE, MORE ISOLATED STORMS ARE LIKELY. THE ONLY EXCEPTION WILL BE LASSEN COUNTY WHERE A FEW MORE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE WITH ENOUGH CLEARING. STORMS MAY BEGIN DRY SOUTH OF THE LINE MENTIONED ABOVE BUT THEY WILL QUICKLY TRANSITION TO WET AS MOISTURE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES. NORTH, DRIER AIR REMAINS IN PLACE THE REST OF THE DAY. THE ONE AREA WE WILL WATCH WILL BE EASTERN PLUMAS AND LASSEN COUNTIES WHERE THERE COULD BE ENOUGH COVERAGE PROVIDED ENOUGH CLEARING FOR HEATING THIS MORNING. AS OF THIS WRITING, PLAN ON WAITING UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO DECIDE ON A RED FLAG FOR ZONES 271/278. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE RENO SOUNDING THIS MORNING AND EXTENT OF CLOUD COVER ON VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY. IR IMAGERY CAN BE A BIT DECEIVING AND IT IS HARD TO SEE JUST HOW MANY BREAKS THERE ARE IN THE CLOUD DECK. BY SUNDAY, ENOUGH MOISTURE WILL BE IN PLACE ACROSS ALL ZONES FOR WETTING RAINS FROM THE STORMS ALTHOUGH A FEW SMALL FIRE STARTS ARE POSSIBLE OUTSIDE STORM CORES. MONDAY WE WILL SEE SLOW DRYING WITH A FEW MORE STORMS POSSIBLE, BUT THESE LOOK TO BE WET AS WELL. NEXT WEEK, THERE ARE TWO WAVES OF CONCERN. THE FIRST IS TUESDAY AS THE UPPER LOW CURRENTLY OFF THE COAST FINALLY MOVES THROUGH. ENOUGH DRYING WILL HAVE TAKEN PLACE BY THEN IN THE LOW LEVELS WHERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MUCH DRIER. MODELS SHOW ANOTHER LOW IS POSSIBLE FRIDAY/SATURDAY AND THIS WOULD ALSO HAVE LIMITED LOW LEVEL MOISTURE BUT PLENTY OF MID-LEVEL MOISTURE FOR THUNDERSTORMS. THESE SYSTEMS ARE STILL SEVERAL DAYS OUT SO A LOT CAN CHANGE, BUT IF CURRENT MODEL RUNS HOLD WE COULD HAVE SOME DRY LIGHTNING. WALLMANN && .REV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NV...NONE. CA...NONE. && FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RENO (ALL LOWER CASE)
The Reno radar (KRGX), 71 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:08 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gust reported at the Dead Camel RAWS due to nearby very high-based showers. The time of the gust was between 0547PST and 0647PST, with exact time estimated by radar.
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, August 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: 599979.