The first cold front of the season brought a period of strong to high winds to the Mojave Desert.
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.
The first cold front of the season brought a period of strong to high winds to the Mojave Desert.
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 Sep 8, 2:53 AM PST, 2 hours 58 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 353 AM PDT Tue Sep 8 2020 .SYNOPSIS...A strong cold front will push through the area this morning bringing with it a stark drop in temperatures, temporarily clear skies and gusty northerly winds. Winds will linger down the Colorado River Valley into Wednesday before a ridge of high pressure crawls back over the Desert Southwest and gradually brings temperatures back to above average territory. && .DISCUSSION...Today through Monday. The closed low and associated cold front we've all been waiting for is finally here. The cold front will push southward through our forecast area this morning and afternoon, bringing with it 2 pros and a con. Pro 1: Cooler temperatures! Forecast high temperatures will not only drop into the double-digits, but will drop into the low 80s across the lower elevations (including Las Vegas) today and struggle to reach the 80s on Wednesday. Most areas will see a 20-30 degree temperature drop between Labor Day weekend and Wednesday afternoon. Pro 2: Brief reprieve of smokey skies! The cold front will effectively push all of the smoke southward out of the Desert Southwest today. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing wildfires across the western CONUS, the smoke is expected to fill back into the area toward the end of the work week. Con: Wind! Behind the cold front is a very dense cold air mass which will help the forward propagation of this front. Building off of its own momentum, northerly winds will blast through the area, predominantly this morning and this afternoon areawide. As a result, we have a Wind Advisory that will go into effect at 6am. With the overnight forecast package, we opted to add the Owens Valley as well as the Western Mojave Desert zones to the Wind Advisory, resulting in coverage of the entire forecast area with the exception of the Eastern Sierra Slopes and White Mountains of Inyo County, California. People are advised to tie down or secure loose objects such as trampolines, patio furniture and trash bins. Northerly winds will amplify down the Colorado River Valley due to a tunnel-effect, which will make boating conditions very hazardous. Wave heights 2 to 4 feet are forecast along Lake Mead, Lake Mohave and Lake Havasu today. Additionally, those who are recreating in the lakes and using floatation devices such as pool toys may find themselves pushed over deep waters due to the strong winds. As a result of the elevated winds in these areas, the lake zones will be under an elevated wind headline - a High Wind Warning. Winds will die down overnight tonight, but will linger down the Colorado River Valley. For this reason, a Wind Advisory will remain in effect for the lake zones on Wednesday as well, with wave heights from 2 to 3 feet possible. With strong winds and critically dry conditions come an increased wildfire danger. Sparks from things such as grills, shotgun practice, campfires, etc. have the potential to start and/or spread wildfires rapidly under these conditions. We have a Red Flag Warning in effect for the entire forecast area today as well to highlight these hazards. Heed all fire restrictions to do your part to prevent wildfires in your area. This Red Flag Warning will expire tonight with the exception of along the Colorado River Valley, where it will continue through Wednesday. The closed low that will bring all of these impacts continues to slow with every new model run. This slowing and brief retrograde is the reason for both the elevated wind speeds and the cooler temperatures now lasting through Wednesday. Thursday, though, the low will begin to meander eastward, allowing the ridge of high pressure over the Pacific to inch back over our area. Temperatures will climb back into the 90s by the end of the work week, returning to triple-digits by next weekend. && .FIRE WEATHER...Elevated fire concerns will continue through the day today for the entire forecast area, extending through Wednesday night for the lake zones (NV zone 466, CA zone 229, AZ zone 101) as northerly winds enhance through the day. Gusts today will peak during the morning and afternoon hours with speeds 35 to 45 mph expected areawide, and gusts 50 to 60 mph expected in the higher elevations and along the Colorado River Valley. Though relative humidity values will not appreciably recover, wind speeds will decrease tonight and dip below criteria areawide by Wednesday night. && .AVIATION...For McCarran...An approaching cold front will result in an early transition to north winds today which will become quite gusty by mid-morning. Gusts of 30-40 knots will be possible from late morning through the mid-afternoon before wind speeds begin to trend downward, though northerly breezes will continue overnight. Smoke will clear from the region with the passage of the front with mostly clear skies expected. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...Gusty north winds will prevail today, with the strongest winds expected along the Colorado River near KEED and KIFP where gusts over 45 knots are possible. Smoke will clear from north to south early this morning with the passage of the cold front, with mostly clear skies expected. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && DISCUSSION...Varian AVIATION...Outler 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.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees, street signs, street lights, and power lines were blown down around the Valley.
These winds were measured 3 miles SW of Laughlin.
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, September 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: 915098, 915099.