Another push of monsoon moisture fueled thunderstorms over the eastern portions of the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin. Some storms produced severe weather and flash flooding.
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 thunderstorms over the eastern portions of the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin. Some storms produced severe weather and flash flooding.
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 Aug 13, 12:45 PM PST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV 145 PM PDT THU AUG 13 2015 .SYNOPSIS...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING WITH A MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW IN PLACE. HIGH PRESSURE WILL EXPAND THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH CONDITIONS GRADUALLY DRYING OUT AND TEMPERATURES WARMING TO ABOVE NORMAL VALUES. VERY HOT CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK BEFORE A PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM BRINGS RELIEF FROM THE HEAT AND TEMPERATURES CLOSER TO TYPICAL SEASONAL LEVELS. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS MUCH OF MOHAVE AND CLARK COUNTIES. THE STOUT CAPPING INVERSION WHICH SUPPRESSED MUCH SUBSTANCIAL ACTIVITY ON WEDNESDAY HAS ERODED AND STORMS ARE FIRING AND DUMPING SUBSTANCIAL RAINFALL IN SOME AREAS TODAY. A RAIN GAUGE SOUTH OF KINGMAN PICKED UP OVER AN INCH OF RAIN IN A HALF HOUR PERIOD...AND SOME STORMS HAVE BEEN NOTED TO DROP MORE THAN A HALF INCH OF RAIN IN A TEN MINUTE PERIOD. THESE STORMS APPEAR FUELED PRIMARILY BY DAYTIME HEATING AND A WEAK WAVE LEFT BEHIND FROM CONVECTION IN ARIZONA. SUSPECT MOST OF THIS ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO PERCOLATE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING BEFORE GRADUALLY DIMINISHING WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. FLASH FLOODING WILL BE THE BIGGEST CONCERN WITH STORMS IN THE AREA ALONG WITH DOWNBURST WINDS WITH THE STRONGER STORMS. SLIGHTLY DRIER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY BUT SOME ACTIVITY IS STILL EXPECTED PRIMARILY IN THE MOUNTAINS OF CLARK...MOHAVE...AND LINCOLN COUNTIES. PRECIPITABLE WATER REMAINS RATHER HIGH AND SOME MARGINAL INSTABILITY WILL STILL EXIST SO I RAISED POPS FOR THE ABOVE MENTIONED AREAS FRIDAY TO AT LEAST SLIGHT CHANCE EVEN FOR THE VALLEYS. BY SATURDAY...DRIER AIR SHOULD BEGIN TO FILTER IN TO A LARGER DEGREE BUT THE MOISTURE NEVER GETS COMPLETELY SCOURED OUT SO SOME BUILD UPS AND ISOLATED STORMS WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE MAINLY IN THE HIGHEST TERRAIN OF CLARK...MOHAVE AND LINCOLN COUNTIES. OTHERWISE...EXPANDING HIGH PRESSURE WILL LEAD TO WARMING TEMPERATURES...RISING ABOVE NORMAL BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. GIVEN SOME MOISTURE WILL STILL BE LINGERING IN THE AREA AND THERE WILL LIKELY BE SOME CLOUD COVER AROUND...TEMPERATURES SHOULD TOP OUT BELOW THE NEED FOR ANY HEAT PRODUCTS THEREFORE I DID NOT CHANGE THE EFFECTIVE TIME FOR THE CURRENT EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH WHICH IS IN EFFECT FOR SUNDAY. GUIDANCE SUGGESTS HIGH TEMPERATURES SATURDAY IN THE 105-108 RANGE IN LAS VEGAS...WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE 110S ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER AND NEAR 120 IN DEATH VALLEY. .LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO EXPAND ON SUNDAY WHILE BEING CENTERED OVER ARIZONA. EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH FOR THIS TIME PERIOD REMAINS IN EFFECT AND LOOKS ON TRACK WITH FORECAST HIGH TEMPERATURES NEAR 110 ACCORDING TO MODEL GUIDANCE. I AM A LITTLE CONCERNED GUIDANCE HAS BEEN RUNNING WARM IN THE EXTENDED RANGE AND SEEMS TO MODERATE A BIT AS THE TIME PERIOD IN QUESTION APPROACHES. IN ADDITION...LOW LEVEL MOISTURE NEVER GETS COMPLETELY SCOURED OUT SO TEMPERATURES MAY STRUGGLE A BIT TO HIT THAT MAGIC 110 MARK. WITH THESE CONCERNS IN MIND...FELT IT WAS PRUDENT TO HOLD OFF ON ANY CHANGES TO THE EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH. REGARDLESS...TEMPERATURES BOTH SUNDAY AND MONDAY LOOK VERY HOT AND CAUTION SHOULD BE EXERCISED WHEN PLANNING ANY OUTDOOR WORK OR ACTIVITIES. BY TUESDAY...YET ANOTHER STRONG PACIFIC CLOSED LOW IS PROMISED TO MOVE ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN WHICH WILL RESULT IN STRONGER SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS FINALLY SCOURING OUT ANY REMAINING MOISTURE IN THE AREA...AND COOLING TEMPERATURES BACK TO SEASONAL NORMALS...OR POSSIBLY A FEW DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...LIGHT WINDS WILL FAVOR A SOUTHEAST DIRECTION UP TO 8KTS. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED ACROSS THE SURROUNDING TERRAIN TODAY. THERE REMAINS A CHANCE OUTFLOW AND/OR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT MAY WORK INTO THE VALLEY THROUGH EARLY EVENING. ERRATIC...GUSTY WINDS AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND LOWERED CIGS WILL BE THE PRIMARY CONCERNS IF STORMS DEVELOP. ANY ACTIVITY SHOULD WANE WITH SUNSET. STORM CHANCES REMAIN FOR FRIDAY, WITH INITIAL DEVELOPMENT ON THE TERRAIN. BELIEVE OVERALL STORM COVERAGE SHOULD BE LESS THAN TODAY. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE OVER THE NORTHWEST, INCLUDING KBIH. STORM CHANCES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING IN LINCOLN, CLARK, MOHAVE AND THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF NYE, SAN BERNARDINO AND SOUTHEASTERN INYO COUNTIES. GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. CIGS IN GENERALLY SHOULD BE AROUND 10K FEET BUT LOWER IN ANY SHOWER/STORM ACTIVITY. STORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING, YET OVERALL COVERAGE IS EXPECTED TO BE LESS THAN TODAY. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. && SHORT TERM/LONG TERM...OUTLER AVIATION...PADDOCK FOR MORE FORECAST INFORMATION...SEE US ON OUR WEBPAGE: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS OR FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
The Las Vegas radar (KESX), 70 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:01 UTC.
5 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Several inches of water, mud, and debris flowed through yards and a horse farm.
A wooden fence, an awning, a large metal billboard, several trees, and 27 power poles were blown down. Minor roof damage also occurred.
Deep rushing water left debris along Highway 95 from mile marker 125 to 127.
Several streets were covered with water, mud, and debris. At least one car stalled in the water. Water leaked through the roof of the Golden Nugget Casino onto the table games area.
At least 10,800 customers lost power in the Las Vegas Valley.
Water and debris flowed over Highway 322 between mile markers 4 and 9.
The intersection of Gubler and Heyer was flooded with water, rocks, and debris.
A dust storm dropped visibility to a quarter mile in Laughlin.
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: 594800, 594801, 594803, 594804, 594805, 594806, 594807, 594808, 594809.