The same slow moving low pressure system that brought isolated high wind, heavy snow, and dense fog over the preceding three days helped fuel a low topped storm which produced isolated hail.
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.
The same slow moving low pressure system that brought isolated high wind, heavy snow, and dense fog over the preceding three days helped fuel a low topped storm which produced isolated hail.
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 Mar 13, 2:21 AM PST, 9 hours 37 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 221 AM PST Sat Mar 13 2021 .SYNOPSIS...The slow moving storm system that brought rain and higher elevation snowfall to much of the Desert Southwest will push eastward out of the region through the day today. Temperatures will briefly return to seasonal averages this weekend, but another chance for precipitation and gusty winds returns for the start of the work week. && .SHORT TERM...Today and Sunday. Rain and higher elevation snow was reported across the region Wednesday through Friday of this week as a cut-off area of low pressure moved inland and was slow to leave. This cut-off low will continue to push eastward and out of our area through the day today, with remnant precipitation chances lingering over Mohave County this morning and afternoon. An additional 1-2" of snowfall on the Arizona Strip is expected today, with less than a tenth of an inch of rain possible in the lower elevations. As the low exits the region, breezy northerly winds can be expected, particularly around south- central Nevada with gusts 30-35 mph possible across Esmeralda and south-central Nye counties. Elsewhere, breeziness with gusts 15-20 mph expected through the afternoon. Afternoon temperatures on Friday were 20 degrees cooler at McCarran International Airport than the average for the date. The exit of this area of low pressure will allow ridging to set up across the Desert Southwest, rising heights and increasing temperatures back to near-seasonal normals. Temperature jumps from Friday afternoon to this afternoon will range 10-15 degrees, with temperatures increasing an additional 5-8 degrees on Sunday, putting most of the region right around average. Skies will be sunny this afternoon, but as a result of the incoming weather system for the start of the work week, clouds will begin to cover the region once again Sunday evening. .LONG TERM...Monday through Friday. After one odd run (12z Thu) the ECMWF Ensemble mean H5 pattern has come back into decent agreement with the GEFS solution, which has stayed more consistent. Model simulations continue to indicate this upcoming trough will stay quite progressive as it moves through the area Monday/Tuesday. Compact upper low should pack a 'dynamic' punch as models continue to sag the chance for showers further south into the Mojave Desert Monday before quickly tapering off Monday night as the trough moves east into Utah/Arizona. Winds will create most of the impacts as widespread gusts of 40 to 58 mph look likely. It's possible that some areas such as the western Mojave Desert and lee slopes of the southern Sierra may see higher gusts in excess of 60 mph. Wind headlines will be coming in the next few shifts. Behind the exiting system, ensemble mean H5 heights continue to support ridging over the Intermountain West the second half of the work week. After the cool down Monday/Tuesday, temperatures quickly rebound to well above normal on Friday. && .AVIATION...For McCarran...Decreasing clouds expected through the morning hours but some lingering CIGs in the 5-7kft AGL range remain possible through around 12z. Clouds scattering out through the morning with cloud bases lifting to near 10kft AGL by the afternoon. Less confidence in wind details but favoring northwesterly winds through early afternoon before shifting more easterly late in the day, gusts to 20 knots possible. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...Decreasing clouds expected through the morning hours, with lingering clouds in southern Nevada scattering out and cloud bases lifting to 10kft AGL or higher by the afternoon. A few lingering showers are possible in the afternoon across Northwest Arizona. North or northwesterly winds favored during the daylight hours with gusts of 20 to 25 knots possible. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && SHORT TERM...Varian LONG TERM...Pierce AVIATION...Outler For more forecast information...see us on our webpage: https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter
The Las Vegas radar (KESX), 131 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:00 UTC.
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A driver on Interstate 15 posted a short video of estimated one inch diameter hail occurring on the freeway.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, March 2021
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: 938882.