The last push of moisture in July triggered scattered thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert. 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.
The last push of moisture in July triggered scattered thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert. 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 Jul 30, 12:35 PM MST, 4 hours earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 1235 PM PDT Mon Jul 30 2018 .SYNOPSIS...Thunderstorms will increase in coverage across the area the next couple of days, but will favor the higher terrain. A weak impulse later in the week will try to usher in some drier air and reduce thunderstorms chances. Temperatures will be within a few degrees above seasonal normal through the period. && .SHORT TERM...Tonight through Thursday. Thunderstorms have begun to initiate over the higher terrain of Clark and Mohave Counties. The moisture gradient is in place across the forecast area and stretches from around Daggett northeastward to Indian Springs and across southern Lincoln County. Expect these moisture gradient to be another location along which convection initiates over the next couple of hours. DCAPE values across much of the region are 1500-1700 J/kg and support the potential for severe winds. In general storm motion will be slow with a little more movement to the north for any storms that develop over the Sierra. Several of the hi-res models indicate the potential for storms in southwest Utah to push into northeast Clark County later this evening. The upper level ridge will shift a bit to the east tomorrow and this will provide south to southeasterly flow into Inyo, central Nye and Esmeralda Counties increasing moisture and instability and thunderstorm coverage. The upper ridge wobbles back to the west and will be centered over southern Nevada on Wednesday. Some slight warming aloft may help to decease thunderstorm coverage but plenty of moisture will remain in place under the ridge to continue at least isolated to scattered thunderstorms, particularly over the higher terrain. A weak trough will approach the Pacific Northwest on Thursday and may provide some drying across Inyo, Esmeralda and Nye Counties. Models have been somewhat inconsistent how soon or how much drying will actually take place. .LONG TERM...Friday through Sunday. While broad high pressure will still dominate the weather pattern for the area, as the ridge weakens the moisture flow will also decrease. Gaining a bit of confidence that late Friday into the weekend may be a quiet period for this monsoon season, something we haven't really had yet this summer. It should be short lived though- models show the ridge building back in late Sunday and moisture will increase through the beginning of next week. Worth noting- a strong trough is highlighted to swing towards the West Coast in both the GFS and ECMWF for next week, with a tropical system somewhere off the coast of the Baja Peninsula. This is obviously very far into the forecast and not putting much backing to this scenario as of yet, but will be keeping an eye on it because it could open up some tropical moisture for parts of the southwest US...stay tuned! Temperatures will be steady or gradually decreasing through next week, though current forecasts will keep it above normal for the foreseeable future. && .AVIATION...For McCarran...Thunderstorm influences are expected this afternoon. Chaotic, gusty outflows will likely impact the terminal this afternoon. Initial outflow winds may come from the south and west then transition to outflow directed out of the east and northeast in the evening. There is low confidence through the afternoon and evening due to convective influence. After thunderstorm influences wane, winds will follow light, diurnal trends. Similar conditions are expected Tuesday, with afternoon thunderstorms possible. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...Scattered thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and evening across the southern Great Basin and the Mojave Desert. Vicinity thunderstorms will lower CIGs to 5-8 kft and produce gusty, erratic winds. Outside of thunderstorm influences, winds will remain light and follow diurnal trends. Similar conditions are expected Tuesday, with afternoon thunderstorms possible. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && SHORT TERM...Czyzyk AVIATION...Outler LONG TERM....Wolf 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), 96 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:34 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds damaged the roof of a motel, blew down many tree limbs, and uprooted newly planted trees.
Four inches of water flowed over Hualapai Mountain Road between Mission Blvd and Slaughterhouse Canyon.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, July 2018
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: 774142, 774143, 774144.