Temperatures reached Excessive Heat Warning criteria in Las Vegas. During and immediately after the excessive heat event, ten people died of heat related causes.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Temperatures reached Excessive Heat Warning criteria in Las Vegas. During and immediately after the excessive heat event, ten people died of heat related causes.
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 6, 8:40 AM PST, 3 hours 20 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 940 AM PDT Mon Aug 6 2018 .SYNOPSIS...Hot and dry conditions will continue with excessive heat likely through at least midweek. Increasing moisture will push into areas south of I-15 Wednesday onward resulting in modest cooling and gradually increasing thunderstorm activity. Periods of smoke from California wildfires can be expected through the week as well, especially across Inyo County. && .UPDATE...Heat, smoke/haze primary concern for the next few days. All that is handled well. No update. && .PREV DISCUSSION...240 AM PDT Mon Aug 6 2018 .Discussion...Hot and dry conditions are expected to continue through at least midweek as a large high pressure ridge builds over the region. Temperatures today will climb into dangerous territory and the Excessive Heat Warning through Wednesday looks good, with afternoon highs 5-10 degrees above normal. Marked haze and areas of smoke will remain present as smoke from California wildfires drifts eastward into our forecast area. The smoke will be most prevalent from Inyo county northward into the southern Great Basin, though a smokey haze will cover much of the forecast area through at least midweek. Starting Wednesday, Hurricane John will push northwest off the west coast of Mexico. While it's not expected to influence our region directly, it will have an indirect influence of pushing a moisture surge up the Gulf of California and into the Mojave Desert region. A minor moisture push may creep into our southern river zones as early as Tuesday but especially Wednesday as dewpoints of 50-60F+ creep up the Colorado River Valley and expand across areas along and south of I-15. This will result in a few degrees of cooling Wednesday afternoon along our Colorado River zones and much of Northwest Arizona. It may also trigger a return of thunderstorm activity south of I-15. Beyond Wednesday, thunderstorm chances will gradually increase as surface dewpoints expand westward a little bit each day. This will also result in a gradual cooling trend for the eastern two-thirds of the forecast area. Across our far western zones however (Inyo, western SB, Esmeralda Co) very hot temperatures will persist with afternoon highs remaining several degrees above normal. && .AVIATION...For McCarran...Light winds favoring typical diurnal trends with speeds of less than 8 knots are expected through the period. Clear skies are expected but a persistent haze from California wildfires will persist much of the day. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...Light winds favoring diurnal trends are expected for the regional TAF sites, with some breezy west winds likely near KDAG Monday evening with gusts to 20 knots possible. Skies will be mostly clear but persistent haze and smoke will linger, especially north of I-15, with visibility restrictions down to 5SM possible near KBIH during the morning hours. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && UPDATE...Pierce Discussion...Outler For more forecast information...see us on our webpage: http://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Excessive Heat Warning criteria were reached in Las Vegas for three days. During this time and in the two days immediately following, ten people died of heat related causes.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excessive Heat, Las Vegas Valley | 2018-08-10 | 61 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Indirect |
| Excessive Heat, Las Vegas Valley | 2018-08-10 | 55 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Indirect |
| Excessive Heat, Las Vegas Valley | 2018-08-09 | 68 | Male | Permanent Home | Direct |
| Excessive Heat, Las Vegas Valley | 2018-08-10 | 86 | Male | Permanent Home | Direct |
| Excessive Heat, Las Vegas Valley | 2018-08-08 | 71 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Excessive Heat, Las Vegas Valley | 2018-08-10 | 43 | Female | Unknown | Indirect |
| Excessive Heat, Las Vegas Valley | 2018-08-06 | 35 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Excessive Heat, Las Vegas Valley | 2018-08-09 | 63 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Indirect |
| Excessive Heat, Las Vegas Valley | 2018-08-10 | 50 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Indirect |
| Excessive Heat, Las Vegas Valley | 2018-08-10 | 58 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, August 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: 779120.