A dust devil in the northeast part of the Las Vegas Valley caused damage.
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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.
A dust devil in the northeast part of the Las Vegas Valley caused damage.
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 May 19, 10:03 AM PST, 1 hour 22 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 1103 AM PDT Tue May 19 2020 .SYNOPSIS...Chances for showers and isolated storms will increase today across Inyo, Esmeralda, Nye, and Lincoln counties as a strong low pressure system passes across the region. Some of these thunderstorms may produce gusty outflow winds and small hail. Noticeably cooler temperatures are expected tomorrow before a warming trend begins Wednesday and continues through the end of the week before a cold front potentially cools temperatures and bring more breezy conditions Friday and Saturday. && .UPDATE...Went ahead and issued a Wind Advisory for the Western Mojave Desert including Barstow valid through 7 pm this evening. Sustained winds at the Daggett AP have already exceeded advisory levels and are expected to remain strong into the early evening hours. Also, issued Wind Advisories for Lincoln County through 7 pm this evening primarily for areas east of Highway 93 and for Mohave County east of the Colorado River Valley. Will continue to monitor observations across Mohave County throughout the day for fire weather concerns. Elsewhere, expect breezy winds through much of the day with a chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms generally north of a line from Ridgecrest CA to St. George UT. Much cooler highs expected today with 10 am temps running 12-18 degrees cooler across the region. Even cooler conditions along the far northern reaches of the CWA where snow was reported earlier this morning at Goldfield and Tonopah. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued at 344 AM PDT Tue May 19 2020/ .SHORT TERM...through Wednesday. The bulk of the focus in the short term is the passage of a strong low pressure system currently bringing showers and isolated thunderstorms to the northwest CWA. A fairly consistent signal of morning showers/storms from northern Inyo to central Nye county have so far come to fruition as modeled. QPF projections have increased somewhat, presumably due to the very strong mid level flow tapping into decent moisture availability. As this jet progresses eastward, a brief lull in development is expected this morning before some isolated redevelopment occurs within the low centered over Tonopah. With marginal instability, decent remnant moisture, very strong low level lapse rates, and impressive inverted V soundings this afternoon, can't rule out some strong outflow winds to occur with some of this convection this afternoon. HRRR trends even indicate some possibilities of these outflows pushing into the northwest Valley late tonight, but it seems to be the only model suggesting this, albeit fairly consistently from run to run. After midnight tonight, the bulk of the convection should be over with, with only remnant activity across the northern borders of the CWA. By Wednesday, the low axis shifts east but ejects embedded shortwave energy southward. Due to a lack of moisture by that point, this should keep PoPs in northern Lincoln county but could keep winds northerly for much of the region and keeping highs from warming substantially. .LONG TERM...Thursday through early next week. Another passing shortwave late Friday may push a fairly strong cold front through central Nevada and through the CWA possibly by Saturday morning. There are some ensemble hints that this shortwave may deepen more than currently depicted as well which would have some implications for winds Friday and temperatures Saturday. At current, decided to increase wind fields a bit from NBM due to another depiction of a strong pre-frontal low developing similar to this recent wind event. This will have implications for Fire Weather headlines for Friday if this trend continues. Currently the SPC FWO has outlined the eastern half of the CWA for a 40% chance of critical thresholds being reached and this would agree with Min RH and the highest wind gusts. Will be monitoring these trends closely for potential headlines for Friday. Otherwise, guidance for temperatures for the weekend are a bit tricky as disagreement exists in the strength of the aforementioned cold front. At this time yesterday, ECE guidance indicated no cooling at all from Friday to Saturday's highs for KLAS but as of the 00Z run, it shows a cool off of about 7 degrees and the ECM showing a 14 degree total spread in the ensemble members. Given the NBM trending towards cooling in agreement with a frontal passage outcome, did not make any changes at this time but would not be surprised to see highs decrease further with later runs. A rather rapid warm up may be in store for early next week too as ridging builds quickly by Monday. Long term projections indicate this may be staying around for a prolonged period as well. The CPC 8-14 day outlook shows a 60% favoring for above average temperatures over the region. && .FIRE WEATHER...One more day of elevated winds expected, mostly for eastern Nevada and northwest Arizona. Min RH values this afternoon across Mohave county are expected to fall again to below critical thresholds after 12PM this afternoon through about 6PM this evening. During this time frame, peak wind gusts may reach the 35 mph range and periodically meet Red Flag criteria. The question is how persistent will these winds be during that time frame? With the borderline conditions expected today, the shorter duration of potential critical thresholds, and lack of lightning or ongoing fire situations across Zone 102 today, opted not to pull the trigger on another RFW. However, a short fuse decision may be needed later today if winds overachieve. && .AVIATION...For McCarran...Breezy southwest winds are expected to continue today across the region, with sustained winds of 13-17 knots and gusts to around 25 knots through this afternoon. Mountain waves will introduce minor to moderate turbulence on aircraft across LAS airspace. Distant showers and thunderstorms are expected northwest of the Las Vegas Valley this afternoon primarily affecting the Beatty corridor. A frontal boundary is expected to move through the northwest valley later this evening between 02-03Z, shifting the winds to the northwest. This wind shift is expected to be brief at KLAS with winds around 10-12 knots and gusts to 15-20 knots. By 05- 06Z this evening, winds are expected to return to a west- southwesterly direction, remaining below 10 knots through the rest of the overnight period. Light winds favoring a northwesterly direction expected Wednesday, generally remaining below 10 knots. Some FEW to SCT mid to high clouds expected through this evening. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...Breezy southwest winds are expected to continue across the region today. The strongest winds will be across southeastern NV and northwest AZ where gusts to 30-40 knots are expected. Gusts across much of the Mojave Desert and TAF sites this afternoon should generally be 20-30 knots. A surface cold front will continue to progress through the southern Great Basin through today, bringing a chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms mainly for areas northwest of Las Vegas. As a result, KBIH will continue to have vicinity showers and thunderstorms possible through much of the day today. By this evening, winds are expected to decrease with gusts dropping off across the region around midnight tonight. Light winds favoring a west-northwest direction expected Wednesday across the region. BKN to OVC around 10 Kft expected ahead and along the frontal boundary with FEW to SKC elsewhere. Great Basin through today, bringing a chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms mainly for areas northwest of Las Vegas. As a result, KBIH will continue to have vicinity showers and thunderstorms possible through much of the day today. By this evening, winds are expected to decrease with gusts dropping off across the region around midnight tonight. Light winds favoring a west-northwest direction expected Wednesday across the region. BKN to OVC around 10 Kft expected ahead and along the frontal boundary with FEW to SKC elsewhere. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && UPDATE...Salmen DISCUSSION...TB3 AVIATION...Kryston For more forecast information...see us on our webpage: https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 dust devil. Local standard time, as filed.
A dust devil tore the roof and awning off a mobile home, and the debris smashed into two parked cars in front of the home next door.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, May 2020
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: 892300.