A strong Pacific low pressure system plus leftover moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Rosa produced thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert. Some storms produced 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.
A strong Pacific low pressure system plus leftover moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Rosa produced thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert. Some storms produced 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 Oct 3, 1:54 PM PST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 254 PM PDT Wed Oct 3 2018 .SYNOPSIS...An approaching Pacific storm system will increase thunderstorm coverage this evening, especially over Mohave County and adjacent areas of Clark and Lincoln counties, where severe storms will be possible. Cooler storm systems coming in from the north will bring unsettled conditions with below normal temperatures over the weekend into early next week. && .DISCUSSION...tonight through next Wednesday. The upper low off the California Coast will finally move inland tonight and increasing upward forcing and wind shear along the leading edge will produce organized bands of thunderstorms especially across substantial portions of southern Nevada and northwest Arizona...especially after sunset through the overnight hours. Isolated severe thunderstorms will be possible and the best threat areas will be over Lincoln, northeast Clark and Mohave County. Since conditions for organized thunderstorms will come together primarily after dark...storms generally will not be quite as strong as they otherwise would with the aid of daytime heating. It should still be a very active night of thunderstorms which high res models have consistently been showing. The axis of the upper low is forecast to be over southwest Utah by sunrise Thursday as it opens up and continues lifting to the northeast leaving more tranquil conditions across our forecast area in its wake much of the day Thursday. An upstream shortwave over northern California will then slide down over southern Nevada Thursday night and early Friday...driving a weak cold front with some showers associated with it over central Nevada. A cool and dry northwest flow will be over the region Friday ahead of energy diving down from the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada which will call attention to the arrival of the fall season. Multiple waves diving out of western Canada will carve out a deep broad closed low over the western states over the weekend then it will lift toward the northern plains early in the week ahead another system diving down over the Great Basin. This pattern will keep temperatures several degrees below normal with showers primarily over the southern Great Basin zones and snow levels around 6500-7000 feet. && .AVIATION...For McCarran...Breezy southeast winds will continue until switching to more of a southerly to southwesterly direction by 00-01Z later this afternoon. Gusts should remain below 25 kts. There is a chance for some isolated storms to develop later this afternoon in the vicinity of the terminal. If storms develop, they could produce gusty, erratic winds and small hail. A scattered cloud deck around 8 kft will continue through the evening and may lower to around 5 kft with any storms that develop near the terminal. Tonight, winds should continue to be from the southwest with sustained winds of 10 to 12 kts with possible intermittent gusts to 20-23 kts. Winds will trend downward before sunrise with southwest winds beginning to increase again tomorrow afternoon with possible gusts to 20 kts. By 12-14Z tomorrow morning, expect FEW clouds around 8 kft. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...Breezy south to southwest winds are expected across the region today with possible gusts to 25-27 kts. However, all TAF sites could see vicinity thunderstorms this afternoon and evening which could create gusty and erratic winds. Best chances for thunderstorms will be at BIH, IFP, and possibly EED today and tonight. A scattered cloud deck around 6-8 kft will continue through the evening and may lower to around 5 kft with any storms that develop near the terminals. Gusts should become intermittent after sundown. Breezy southwest winds expected again tomorrow afternoon with gusts around 20 kts for most terminals, excluding BIH where north winds are expected. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Severe thunderstorms will be possible this evening, especially in Mohave County and nearby areas of northeast Clark and Lincoln counties. Isolated flash flooding will also be possible. We encourage spotters to report any significant weather or impacts in your area. && DISCUSSION...Adair AVIATION...Kryston For more forecast information...see us on our webpage: http://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
328 PM PDT WED OCT 3 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1250 PM FLASH FLOOD 1 S PIOCHE 37.93N 114.45W
10/03/2018 LINCOLN NV LAW ENFORCEMENT
LINCOLN COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE REPORTED
FLASH FLOODING ON MAIN STREET IN PIOCHE AND
FLOODING IN SEVERAL BUILDINGS.
&&
CKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
341 PM PDT WED OCT 3 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0442 PM FLASH FLOOD 11 N GOLDFIELD 37.87N 117.24W
10/02/2018 ESMERALDA NV LAW ENFORCEMENT
WATER AND DEBRIS OVER THE ROADWAY ON US 95
BETWEEN MILE MARKER 28 AND 31.
0241 PM FLASH FLOOD 6 ENE SILVER PEAK 37.78N 117.53W
10/02/2018 ESMERALDA NV LAW ENFORCEMENT
SILVER PEAK ROAD BETWEEN US 95 AND SILVER
PEAK WAS CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING.
0241 PM FLASH FLOOD 14 ENE BOUNDARY PEAK 37.90N 118.11W
10/02/2018 ESMERALDA NV LAW ENFORCEMENT
DEBRIS REPORTED ON HIGHWAY 264 BETWEEN MILE
MARKERS 16 AND 18 AS WELL AS BETWEEN MILE
MARKERS 23 AND 24.
0241 PM FLASH FLOOD 14 ENE BOUNDARY PEAK 37.92N 118.11W
10/02/2018 ESMERALDA NV LAW ENFORCEMENT
DEBRIS REPORTED ON THE ROADWAY ACROSS SR
773.
&&The Las Vegas radar (KESX), 118 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:27 UTC.
4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Highway 127 was flooded with water, mud, and debris.
Highway 62 was flooded at mile marker 112.
Water flowed over Highway 127 15 miles N of Baker.
Highway 62 was flooded at mile marker 134.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in California, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 780096, 780100, 780102, 780105.