A closed low slowly meandered across the Nevada from May 26th to the 28th, producing widespread showers and thunderstorms. The storms were slow movers, resulting in flash flooding across portions of the area.
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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 LKN wrote it up.
A closed low slowly meandered across the Nevada from May 26th to the 28th, producing widespread showers and thunderstorms. The storms were slow movers, resulting in flash flooding across portions of the area. The storm system also spawned a powerful supercell, which moved from northeast to southwest north of Elko and Carlin. A funnel cloud and well developed wall cloud was observed. Due to the radar signature, significant hail, strong winds, and a tornado were likely, but mostly stayed away from populated areas and were not reported.
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 Elko, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 26, 1:41 AM PST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Elko NV 241 AM PDT Sat May 26 2018 .SYNOPSIS...In the wake of a cold front, an upper level low pressure system will bring cooler temperatures along with scattered showers and thunderstorms to northern and central Nevada today and Sunday. Scattered rain chances will linger on Labor Day mainly in Elko and White Pine counties before drier and warmer weather briefly returns to the region on Tuesday into most of Wednesday. && .SHORT TERM...Today and Sunday Evening. Surface cold front will gradually work its way through eastern Nevada this morning and afternoon while elongated upper low with primary center and main shortwave energy swings through the far southern part of the state around Las Vegas on its way northeastward into Utah. Both GFS and NAM show decent instability (MU CAPE values of 500 to locally over 1000 J/Kg) in the vicinity of the surface front for scattered showers and thunderstorms to form later this morning and afternoon. Shear values are low so organized multicell or supercell storms are not expected, though stronger cells will be capable of producing brief heavy downpours, strong gusty winds, dangerous cloud-to- ground lighting, and perhaps some small hail. Scattered showers and storms will gradually diminish by mid to late evening with the loss of daytime heating. By early Sunday morning, the upper low will be over northwest Utah in the vicinity of Salt Lake City with spokes of vorticity rotating around the center. NAM shows less in the way of instability on the backside of the low while GFS indicates enough to keep at least an isolated thunder threat going. Also, conditions may favor the formation of a few cold air funnel clouds again especially in the vicinity of convergence bands enhanced by shortwave energy circulating around the low. Afternoon temperatures today and Sunday will be a good 10 to 15 degrees cooler than yesterday with highs the next couple of days mainly in the 60s, though some 70s will still occur this afternoon over eastern portions of Elko, White Pine and Nye counties. Lows Saturday night will range from the upper 30s to mid 40s. .LONG TERM...Sunday night through next Saturday. Showers and afternoon thunderstorms will linger through Monday across eastern Nevada as 500mb low over the Salt Lake area slowly moves east. Ridging begins to move into the region Monday night with dry and warmer conditions for Tuesday. The next Pacific trough will bring broad southwesterly flow over the state Wednesday. Models hint at convection developing along the higher terrain of central Nevada into Elko county Wednesday afternoon. Models show sufficient mid-level moisture with PWATs of at least 0.50 inches lasting through late next week. Dry convection could be of a concern next week across central NV as a dry sub-cloud layer develops. High temperatures will range from the upper 70s to the upper lower 80s Tue and Wed before cooler conditions move into the state with a frontal passage Thursday. Low temperatures will generally be in the 40s. && .AVIATION...VFR conditions are expected at all terminals this morning. Showers and thunderstorms will expand across the state late this morning into the afternoon hours as a storm system moves into the region. Expect MVFR/IFR in the heavier showers/thunderstorms and gusty winds at all terminals && .FIRE WEATHER...Scattered showers and wet thunderstorms will redevelop later this morning and afternoon as a surface cold front moves through eastern Nevada followed by another upper level low pressure system that will produce additional showers and storms over central and northern Nevada on Sunday. Afternoon temperatures will be a good 10 to 15 degrees cooler today and Sunday than what they were on Friday with nighttime lows ranging from the upper 30s to mid 40s. Winds are expected to remain below critical levels except in northwestern Nye County (western FZ457) were post frontal NW/N winds will gust 30 to 40 mph around Tonopah this Saturday later afternoon and early evening. Min RH values this afternoon and Sunday will remain above critial levels (generally 30 to 50+ percent) while Max RH values are expected to recover to, or above 75 precent in all areas tonight. && .LKN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && 95/93/93/95
The Elko radar (KLRX), 69 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:01 UTC.
4 flash flood, 3 funnel cloud, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Public reported via social media of water over Interstate 80 east of the Carlin Tunnel.
Significant accumulating hail caused multiple accidents on Interstate 80 near the Carlin Tunnels.
NVDOT traffic webcams showed water running over Interstate 80 near Emigrant Pass, NV. Hail also accumulated a few inches deep in spots. Time estimated based off radar and webcam image.
A trained weather spotter reported a funnel cloud 5 miles north of Carlin. A NWS employee also reported a well developed wall cloud.
Eureka County Sheriff reports water on SR 278 near mile marker 70.
Sheriff reports water on roadway near Carlin Tunnel.
Weak, narrow cold air funnel cloud observed by NWS Elko staff approximately 3 miles north of the forecast office. Persisted for several minutes, before dissipating.
Brief cold air funnel cloud associated with an isolated thunderstorm.
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, May 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: 751581, 751588, 751582, 751583, 751584, 751585, 751587, 751586.