An upper level low pressure system lingered near the California coast, helping to force isolated thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert. A couple of storms produced severe weather.
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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.
An upper level low pressure system lingered near the California coast, helping to force isolated thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert. A couple of storms produced severe weather.
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 Sep 13, 12:55 PM PST, 6 hours 23 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 155 PM PDT Wed Sep 13 2017 .SYNOPSIS...Scattered showers and storms remain possible across much of the region today before a strong trough pushes moisture eastward to be focused mainly across Lincoln and Mohave counties tomorrow. Thereafter, cool and generally dry conditions expected through the week, with just some residual showers possible in Lincoln county Friday. && .SHORT TERM...through Saturday night. Interesting forecast this period as we transition from a summer weather pattern to a more fall-like weather pattern. In the process, relatively warm and moist conditions today will shift towards dry and much cooler conditions by this weekend. As far as the details go, persistent low near Point Conception, CA will finally begin to shift eastward tonight into Thursday. This will help trigger shower and thunderstorm activity this afternoon and evening across the eastern half of the forecast area, particuarly from Clark County northward. Activity will tend to lift north and east overnight, with isolated showers favoring areas east of Las Vegas after midnight. A concentrated band of showers and storms may for during the morning hours over northern Mohave county, thanks to the aforementioned low pushing into southern Nevada and the associated strong forcing becoming concentrated across northern Arizona. Swift motion should limit precipitation totals somewhat, but a localized flash flood threat may develop with this band across the Plateau country of Mohave county. Further west, dry air will be sweeping in from west to east, resulting in dry and breezy conditions for most of eastern California and far southern Nevada Thursday. Temperatures will also be sharply cooler, averaging 5 to 10 degrees below seasonal normals. On Friday, a reinforcing trough will dive southward out of the Pacific northwest, resulting in a renewed shot of cooler temperatures invading the area. It will also drag a weakening cold front into our southern Great Basin zones, with a few showers and thunderstorms possible across Lincoln, central Nye, and Esmeralda counties as it moves through. By Saturday, dry and seasonably cool conditions will prevail under the influence of broad troughing across the western states. .LONG TERM...Sunday through Tuesday. After the first taste of Fall late this week, the Fall-like pattern continues late this weekend and into next week as a series of upper- level troughs move across the western CONUS. By Sunday, a relatively weak shortwave trough will move across the region. The latest GFS continues to bring some moisture along with the shortwave passage Sunday morning through the early afternoon across extreme northern Lincoln and central Nye counties. Though, the ECMWF remains dry and the forecast is more representative of this outcome. Behind the shortwave, a large and rather impressive upper-level trough will dig across the Pacific NW Monday, arriving in our region as early as Monday evening, though timing of this feature remains questionable. The GFS brings the deep trough into our region Monday evening through most of Tuesday, whereas the ECMWF brings it in slower with arrival Tue-Wed. Both models are bringing some moisture across the northern half of our CWA accompanying the trough passage, though per model variations, there exists inconsistencies with its timing. To keep some consistency, the forecast slightly favors the ECMWF outcome rather than the GFS. The main impacts during this forecast period will be the magnitude of the winds associated with the trough passage Mon-Tue. Breezy west to southwest winds are expected to begin Sunday afternoon increasing in magnitude Monday, with the strongest winds expected Monday afternoon. Per the ARWGFS9KM guidance, these winds could approach advisory levels for a large area of the CWA, including the Sierra and Spring Mountains. With high winds along these mountains, downslope winds could be a threat Monday afternoon with peak winds. Temperatures will slightly increase 1-2 degrees Sun-Mon before a subtle drop in temps by Tuesday afternoon. Temperatures will continue to drop through Tue evening. Mostly clear skies through the forecast period with some partly cloudy skies Tue night across northern portions of the CWA. && .AVIATION...For McCarran...Scattered showers and thunderstorms expected late this afternoon and evening may produce brief heavy rain and gusty winds. Bigger concern will be thunderstorm outflow winds complicating the forecast. Most likely scenario favors southwest winds during the evening but periodic variances from that can be expected due to storm activity. Storms chances will shift east Thursday but will still impact the Peach Spring Corridor. Otherwise, dry and breezy southwest winds expected by the afternoon with gusts to 20 knots possible. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...Isolated to scattered thunderstorms expected this evening mainly across Southern Nevada with a few stray storms possible across the Mojave Desert of California as well. Locally gusty winds likely near thunderstorm activity. Otherwise, winds favoring diurnal trends with breezy southwest winds developing across the Mojave Desert near KDAG with gusts to 25 knots. Breezy southwest winds invade northwest Arizona tomorrow with gusts of 25 to 30 knots possible. Showers and storms possible from Kingman north and eastward Thursday as well. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && Short term/Aviation...Outler Long term...Kryston 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), 69 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:16 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Winds gusted to 63 mph one mile SE of Lone Mountain and 71 mph two miles NNW of Centennial Hills.
Lightning struck at least two homes and started 10 tree fires.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, September 2017
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: 716623, 716624.